Umbrellas around the world, China Umbrella Museum

In some areas outside China, umbrellas have appeared very early. In ancient Egypt, the umbrella was part of the Pharaoh’s ceremonies; in ancient Greece, the umbrella was a special device for the aristocratic women’s sunshade. In the long medieval period, in addition to the Holy See retaining the umbrella of ceremonial significance, umbrellas are not seen in people’s daily lives. It is generally believed that the umbrella that truly serves as a tool for people’s lives, whether in the East or in the West, comes from China. In the Tang Dynasty, the Chinese umbrella was passed to North Korea and Japan, and it was carried forward in Japan. From the middle of the 16th century, there were sporadic Chinese umbrellas entering Europe, but it was not until the mid-17th century that umbrellas began to enter European life. Umbrellas go to the world, not only bringing convenience to people from all over the world, but also enriching the local culture. Today, many regions of the world have formed their own unique umbrella culture.

5•1: Ancient Egypt and Babylon
In ancient Egypt and Babylon, people also used umbrellas to shade the light. but. At that time, the umbrella was mainly a symbol of honor and authority. Only the royal and the high-ranking people had the right to use umbrellas. The ancient Egyptians gave religious meaning to elaborate paparazzi umbrellas and peacock feather umbrellas. They think that the sky is made up of the body of the goddess Nutt, her toes and fingers are pointed to the ground, and the torso is covered with a giant umbrella like a giant umbrella. The artificial umbrella is regarded as a small incarnation of Nutt, so it should only be covered. On the top of the nobility.

5•2: Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome
Before 2000 years ago, the ancient Greeks used umbrellas to cover the sun, but it was usually a woman’s patent. The man would be ridiculed with an umbrella and thought it was too feminine. Around the 1st century AD, some Roman women began to apply a layer of oil on the umbrella surface so that they could be used on rainy days. At the time, there was a lawsuit about whether they could bring the umbrella into the amphitheatre, but the women won the lawsuit. However, throughout the Middle Ages, there were no records of umbrellas in daily life, but in the Holy See, the Pope used umbrellas as part of the ceremonies, just like the ancient East.

5•3: Umbrella in Asia
From the Tang Dynasty, oil-paper umbrellas originated in China have spread to Japan, North Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and other places, and have developed oil-paper umbrellas with local characteristics, the most famous of which is Japan and umbrella and umbrella culture. The oil paper umbrella was introduced to Japan from China via the Korean peninsula in the era of flying birds. It was originally used in Buddhist rituals. Japanese-style oil-paper umbrellas often have black handles and ribs on the handle, and sometimes have other colors. The umbrella pattern has Japanese traditional features. It became popular in the Edo period.

Japan and umbrella
And umbrellas originated in China and have been widely used in the private sector since the Edo period. During the Yuan Lu years, the different uses of umbrellas began to be discovered. Monks and doctors used thicker and shorter snake umbrellas, and various traders would lend guests umbrellas on the umbrellas in the rainy days. The umbrellas became songs and dances. One of the props used. In modern times, the use of umbrellas as a necessity for life has gradually diminished, but as a props for fun, dance or drama, it is widely used in traditional festivals or ritual tea ceremony activities, or as a Japanese native product. In particular, tea ceremony and Japanese dance, kabuki, etc., which represent traditional Japanese culture, and umbrellas are essential items and become an important symbol of Japanese culture.

Thai oil paper umbrella
Chiang Mai’s oil-and-paper umbrella craft in northern Thailand has a history of more than 200 years. It is made of green bamboo and has bright colors and diverse patterns, including flowers, animals, figures and landscapes. The umbrella surface is square in addition to the round shape, which is rich in ethnic characteristics. The umbrella produced by Bosang Village in “Umbrella Village” is the most famous.

5•4: Umbrella in Europe and America
Around the beginning of the 16th century, with the introduction of umbrellas into Europe, some countries in southern Europe already knew about umbrellas, although their use was mainly limited to religious purposes. By the middle of the 16th century, there were also umbrellas in France, and more were used by members of the royal family. However, by the middle of the 18th century, many Parisians had used umbrellas to block the rain. At the same time, the British on the other side of the strait are experiencing an embarrassing psychological process of accepting umbrellas because they feel that it is against the will of the umbrella, while the coachman is worried that people using umbrellas on rainy days may affect his business. However, the British quickly got rid of this confusion. Not only that, but their feelings for the umbrella seemed to surpass that of any nation, and they were called the “kingdom of umbrellas.”

Chinese Umbrella Museum
The China Umbrella Museum is located in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. The misty rain Jiangnan derives a unique umbrella culture. The aesthetics of the umbrella, the poetry of the umbrella and the symbolic meaning of the umbrella accompany this historical development wheel, and a unique cultural track is crushed.

The China Umbrella Museum is a world-first umbrella theme museum that combines umbrella culture, umbrella history, umbrella stories, umbrella crafts and umbrella art represented by China.

The exhibition area of ​​the China Umbrella Museum is 2411m2, and the temporary exhibition hall has a construction area of ​​527m2. Located in the historical and cultural district of the West Bridge of Gongyi Bridge, with the arched bridge as the landmark, the Hangzhou Arts and Crafts Museum, the Chinese Knives and Sword Museum, the Chinese Fan Museum, and the Handicraft Living Exhibition Hall form a museum full of rich history and culture. The community has become a new cultural landscape in the north of Hangzhou. Walking through the museums is a journey of nostalgia and love with a memory of the canal.

The umbrella is fascinated by the rain. The Chinese Umbrella Museum and the rain are inseparable. The virtual rain scene and small water mist of the multimedia interpretations are used as renderings. The entire venue is dominated by white-walled gray tiles, which reminds people of Dai Wangshu’s pen. In the long and lonely rain alley, the girl with a paper umbrella alone.

The museum also has an interactive area where you can assemble parts for the umbrella, draw umbrellas and repair umbrellas.