Fanning the love of Chinese art
Tuanshan is a handicraft that embraces tradition and innovation, Alexis Hooi and Zhang Li report in Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.
Huang is a fourth-generation master craftsman of the fans, which are traditionally made with bamboo that grows abundantly in his hometown in Guilin city of South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.
He has won major accolades at home and abroad for his work in preserving and promoting tuanshan as an intangible cultural heritage. In 2013, he was asked to craft two fans adorned with ethnic Zhuang embroidery to be presented to then-UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, who was visiting China.
Huang's fans are still made the traditional way, with bamboo strips and sticks for frames and handles assembled by hand. Paper, silk and cloth on which paintings, calligraphy, embroidery and other designs complete the product.
He is also constantly innovating and adding features to his creations, such as a distinctive ring-ribbed base to connect the fan frame to its handle.
