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Umbrella is always a symbol of romance in Hangzhou, because in the classical love legendary “Lady White Snake”, the personae passed their love through an umbrella when they first met in a rainy day at the West Lake. Inspired by the beautiful and brave lady White Snack, nowadays some youngsters still use umbrellas to express their adoration.

West Lake Silk Umbrella is one of Hangzhou characterized souvenirs. Hangzhou was well known for the umbrella techniques in ancient times. In 1930s, a worker of Hangzhou Du Jingsheng Silk Factory, tried to make umbrellas of Hangzhou silk and light bamboos: bamboos strips for umbrella’s framework, and silk for the surface. This kind of umbrella combines handworks and Chinese art: the images on the surface are basically West Lake scenery, landscape, flower, bird and ladies of old times, etc. The creator had a very strict system of material choosing, e.g. the bamboo should be three-year-old, its diameter about five centimeter; the length between bamboo knots 25-26 centimeters. Every year, he went to countryside and lived there for half a month, to search for suitable bamboos in the mountains, until he got what he needed. This principle and technics guarantees the quality for a long time, making umbrellas not only beautiful, but also practical, can stand strong wind and solarization. 

   

 

   

 

 

 

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