Shen Yun Performing Arts
  • Om Shen Yun
    The Performance
    Er Shen Yun nytt for deg?
    Ni egenskaper ved Shen Yun
    Klassisk kinesisk dans
    Symfoniorkester
    Factsheet
    The Company
    Vår historie
    Life at Shen Yun
    Utfordringer vi står ovenfor
  • Artistene
  • Videoer
  • Siste nytt
    Siste nytt
    Nyheter
    Blog
    I media
  • Pressemeldinger
  • Ofte stilte spørsmål
  • Publikums reaksjoner
  • Lær mer Nyhetsbrev Søk
    Norsk
  • English
  • 中文正體
  • 中文简体
  • 日本語
  • 한국어
  • Česky
  • Deutsch
  • Español
  • Français
  • Indonesia
  • Italiano
  • Nederlands
  • Polski
  • Português
  • Latviski
  • Pусский
  • Română
  • Svenska
  • Việt
  • Melayu
  • עברית
  • Tickets & Info
    Meny
    Shen Yun Logo
    Billetter
    Siste nytt
    Meny
    • Om Shen Yun
      • Er Shen Yun nytt for deg? Ni egenskaper ved Shen Yun Vår historie Life at Shen Yun Shen Yun Factsheet Utfordringer vi står ovenfor Klassisk kinesisk dans Symfoniorkester
    • Artistene
    • Videoer
    • Siste nytt
      • Siste nytt Nyheter Blog I media
    • Pressemeldinger
    • Ofte stilte spørsmål
    • Publikums reaksjoner
    Shen Yun 9 Characteristics Link Image

    What Makes Us Unique?

    DISCOVER THE 9 CHARACTERISTICS
    • Lær mer
    • Nyhetsbrev
    • Søk
    Språk
    • English
    • 中文正體
    • 中文简体
    • 日本語
    • 한국어
    • Česky
    • Deutsch
    • Español
    • Français
    • Indonesia
    • Italiano
    • Nederlands
    • Polski
    • Português
    • Latviski
    • Pусский
    • Română
    • Svenska
    • Việt
    • Melayu
    • עברית
      Blog
      Back Blog > Chinese Fans—More than Cool

    Chinese Fans—More than Cool

    The ancients of ancient China once anciently said: "Fans are the essence of cooling, and cooling is the essence of life." At least, that's what they could've said. With fans almost as omnipresent as clothing and indispensable as food, ancient Chinese people depended on fans to survive. But how? Why? And, most importantly, really?

    It is difficult to measure the fantastic and immeasurable impact of the fan through our current mindset. We must venture to the past and seek the peak of its multifaceted glory. We must journey to ancient China.

    But before we hop in the DeLorean, let’s first define what a "fan" is. The iPhone dictionary app defines the fan as an apparatus with rotating blades (not the one we’re talking about), or a device typically folding and semicircular, which creates a current of air for cooling. Sounds definitive enough. However, despite the vast majority of fans being used in said fashion today, the Chinese found many novel applications. So strap on those seat belts and fire up that flux capacitor, we’re heading back to the future! Errr I mean past! Great Scott!

    Fans as Canvases

    From water paintings of lotus blossoms to calligraphy, fans were the paper of the past. Back when the artistic fan was invented, around the 2nd century B.C., conventional painting canvases were yet to be discovered, and Chinese often used bamboo fans as objects of artistic expression. These nifty contraptions were totally trendy, portable, and doubly functional as regular fans.

    Equally common was the poetic fan, which many poets, upon receiving sudden inspiration, would scribble their strokes of genius onto. These poets often carried many blank fans on their frequent imagination-probing journeys, seeking insights and revelations in foreign cities and distant mountains. When reciting a poem, a Chinese scholar could typically be seen swaying and waving his fan in admiration of lyrical pulchritude.

    Fans as Weapons

    Much like the ideal ancient Chinese man, both learned and proficient in martial arts (文武雙全), there existed kung fu fans (kung fans for short). At a time when swords, spears, and tigers were readily available, these kung fans were surprisingly the weapons of choice for many warriors, including the famed imperial guards of the Qing Dynasty (a Shen Yun fan favorite dance this year!). Typically made of sturdy steel, the kung fan was firm and durable when closed and lethally sharp and deadly when open.

    While kung fans were mostly used in close range hand-to-hand combat, smaller fans could also be used as projectiles, causing splash damage when opening before impact. They also provided a much-needed breeze in the heat of battle.

    The kung fan was equally befitting the stealthier mercenary, its commonplace usage a convenient disguise. Already a great weapon in its own right, small knives or poison darts could also be hidden within the fan’s individual blades, supplying the aspiring assassin an array of deadly options.

    This is ironically symbolic. In ancient times, fans were customarily given as parting gifts between friends or lovers and, apparently, between enemies as well.

    Of course, fans had many other applications. They were used to indicate social status, swat insects, punish mischievous children, cut steak and meat, and as napping eye masks. But there’s one more significant use worth mentioning.

    Fans as Props

    The most glamorous of all fans are those that fulfill their function on stage: the prop fans. The fan is no stranger to show biz—many cultures have historically engaged in some form of fan-related performance. While other types of fans faded with the passage of time, prop fans have weathered super sedation to continue to enjoy their lavish thespian lives today.

    In the world of theater, prop fans have maintained a steady level of usage, with Shen Yun being their most avid client. Our prop fans come in many shapes, sizes, colors and designs. From the elegant elliptical fans of Manchurian women to the vibrant yellow pairs that unite to form chrysanthemum orbs, from the flowing fans of the water nymphs to the royal fans accompanying the Emperor himself—Shen Yun is the closest you'll get to observing fans in their natural habitat. So if your DeLorean is out of gas, catch Shen Yun instead, and you just might find yourself a fan in no time.

    • Artist Perspectives
    • Tradisjonell kinesisk kultur
    • Chinese Poetry
    • Dance Props
    • Martial Arts
    • Fine Art
    • Eastern Etiquette

    Brian Nieh

    Sound Engineer with Shen Yun's Touring Company

    View all posts

    April 21, 2012

    Comments
    verification

    Previous

    North America Tour Log – April

    Next

    Tour is Drawing to an End...
    Most Recent
    Most Popular
    • All
    • Nyheter
    • Blog
    Vis mer
    Vis mer
    Vis mer

    Tags

    • Artist Perspectives
    • Tradisjonell kinesisk kultur
    • Chinese Poetry
    • Dance Props
    • Martial Arts
    • Fine Art
    • Eastern Etiquette
    Shen Yun logo golden
    Shen Yun logo golden

    Shen Yun Performing Arts is the world's premier classical Chinese dance and music company, established in New York in 2006. It performs classical Chinese dance, ethnic and folk dance, and story-based dance, with orchestral accompaniment and solo performers. For 5,000 years, divine culture flourished in the land of China. Through breathtaking music and dance, Shen Yun is reviving this glorious culture. Shen Yun, or 神韻, can be translated as: “The beauty of divine beings dancing.”

    Om oss
  • Er Shen Yun nytt for deg?
  • Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra
  • Life at Shen Yun
  • Shen Yun Factsheet
  • Utfordringer vi står ovenfor
  • Shen Yun & Spirituality
  • Møt artistene
  • Ofte stilte spørsmål
  • Videoer
  • Latest
  • Om Shen Yun
  • The Artists
  • Reviews
  • I media
  • Siste nytt
  • Featured
  • Nyheter
  • Blog
  • Reviews
  • I media
  • Lær mer
  • Chinese Dance
  • Music
  • Vocal Music
  • Shen Yun Costumes
  • Digital Projection
  • Shen Yun Props
  • Stories and History
  • Shen Yun and Traditional Chinese Culture
  • Interact with us:
    Follow Us on Gan Jing World
    Sign Our Guestbook
    Get to Know More about Shen Yun
    on Our Streaming Platform
    Arts Proficiency Assessment Center
    Keepsakes and Premium Collections
    Inspired by Shen Yun
    Artist Fashion
    Shen Yun Performing Arts offisielle nettside Copyright ©2025 Shen Yun Performing Arts. Alle rettigheter forbeholdes.
    Kontakt oss Brukervilkår Personvern Sidekart