Mashao Mask
2026-07-24
Cloisonné enamel
2026-07-24
Gorgeous, one-of-a-kind, and utterly photogenic— the Chinese lacquer fan has become the latest social-media sensation, a certified “prop” for stunning photos.
Here’s how it’s made: Blended lacquer is dripped onto the surface of water, swirled and teased into flowing ribbons of color. Then, a plain fan is dipped beneath the surface— and when it emerges, the lacquer clings to the silk, leaving behind a dreamlike pattern, as unrepeatable as a fingerprint. One graceful gesture, and your richly Chinese-style lacquer fan is complete.
The technique may feel simple, but the craft behind it? Anything but.
China is the birthplace of lacquer art. At the 7,000-year-old Hemudu archaeological site, a wooden bowl coated in natural lacquer was unearthed— proof that China’s earliest people had already mastered the use of this remarkable material, millennia before it reached the rest of the world.
Seven thousand years of lacquer history, now distilled upon a single fan. The speed of the dip, the angle of entry, the gentlest sway of the wrist— every subtle movement leaves its signature, making each fan a work of art that can never be exactly replicated.
Come to No. 93 Courtyard Museum and try your hand at lacquer fan making. The question is— what will your fan look like?
