Chang Son people’s fan profession has been in existence for hundreds of years. As early as the 19th century, Chang Son fans were famous at home and abroad. The French had repeatedly taken Chang Son fans across the ocean far to Paris for exhibition. It is also recorded that good fan makers of the village were ordained Ba Ho (a title granted to village authorities or the feudal rich).
Artisan Duong Van Mo is old but still enthusiastic about the village’s traditional profession of making bamboo tape fans.
Chang Son villagers often make bamboo tape fans in free time. It is not too difficult and hard to make bamboo tape fans but requires extreme care and meticulousness. To make a perfect bamboo tape fan, an artisan put a lot of effort to choose each bamboo tube for the frame and each rattan thread for the rim and each sheet of paper to cover the frame. Bamboo must be flexible and old enough, aged from three years or more without termite so that the fans are durable and beautiful. Bamboo is cut into tubes and removed the green cover and separated the hard part. After put paint between two bamboo sticks, they are bundled tightly for several months until the paint is dry. Then they are used to make the fan frames. Rattan threads must be smooth and long enough to avoid connecting many segments together.
Fan making paper is Do or Diep paper got from Dong Ho (Bac Ninh). Sticking the paper onto the fan frames must be skilful and meticulous so that paper is not creased with flat and even folds flat, convenient for painting work. When drawing, the hardest part for the artist is to carefully consider so that folds are in the right space and do not cut human or objects in the paintings once completed. In case it is unavoidable to cut the objects, the artist’s talent lies in creating such a clever link that viewers do not know that without directly touching the fan. Once finishing all stages, the artist covers a glossy coating to keep the fan bright and reliable.
Made by talented artisans, paper fans show the village’s quintessence
Not only having high artistic values, each Chang Son fan also carries a long-lasting historical philosophy. Fans can be charming objects in the hands of the ladies and gentlemen on special occasions, or unique artwork hung on the wall as ornamental items. Whether hung on the wall or carried in hands, these fans express a soft and seductive beauty from the patterns and images of the fans. The fans are more impressive thanks to the silk-like material of the royal colours, the natural shimmering lines blended with the carved patterns. Each picture on the fans is a symbol of the nation’s famous landscapes and the ancient stories of national heroes. It can be said that Changshan fans bring together the essence of heaven and earth as well as the Vietnamese.
Chang Son is very different today with fans made everywhere. Chang Son fans have crossed the ocean to be imported to both Japan and Korea with various models, types and designs. Besides paper and bamboo tap fans, Chang Son villagers also make silk fans of all sizes, particularly drawing fans in size up to meters. Silk fans are mainly sold to art troupes, festivals, travel companies and international visitors.
High-end drawing fans are used as ornaments hung on the wall, creating an ancient and wild space. Artisans such as Duong Van Mo, Nguyen Duc Lan, Nguyen Lan Tuyet, Duong Van Doan and so on are well known. Especially artisan Duong Van Mo, who made the Vietnam’s largest fan being 9m long and 4.5m high, with a painting of Hanoi market in the form of Hang Trong street displayed at the Tet Flower Street Festival and Traditional Craft Village Festival held in Hue in June 2009. Fan making not only brings high income to the people but also importantly contributes to preserving and promoting the tradition of a long trade village and bringing Vietnamese culture to domestic and foreign friends.
Although in the modern country today with people’s higher income, advanced means of cooling such as air conditioners, electric fans and ice fans are easily affordable, traditional fans still have a great significance in confirming of the vitality of a traditional village and bringing a beautiful old rural culture. The image of old people sitting with paper or bamboo tape fans in their hands under a tree next to a water stall or their porches evokes a peaceful village, making us feel cool because of familiar fans./.
Duong Phi