Artisan Li Jing graces Chinese traditional cut silk circular fan

In 2016, super models and film stars offered some stunning fashion shots with the round fans in their hands.

Liu Wen. Photo courtesy: Bazaar

Dressed in western gown in a British castle, Chinese supermodel Liu Wen still managed to convey the charm and grace of an oriental woman holding a delicate fan.

Fan Bingbing, who played in many costume dramas, also used the round fan to connect the classical and the modern fashion.

Fan Bingbing. Photo courtesy: Bazaar

The round fans are from the Leisure Cottage Round Fan Studio in Suzhou, east China. The studio is located inside the deep lanes, with a classical garden just like the ones in ancient poems and paintings. Li Jing is the owner of the studio. Although graduated from a design school, he wasn't a professional round fan craftsman at the beginning. 

Round fans, also called circular fans, were first seen in the dynasty of Han, and became important belongings for women in the palace during the Tang and Song dynasties. Painters and poets liked to leave their works on the fans, turning them into pieces of art. Women tended to hide their faces behind the fans to show their elegance. Sometimes they would use the fans to imply the solitary life in the royal palace. All these infused the round fans with a sense of feminine grace and sorrow.

Li Jing. /By CGTN

Li got to know about the round fans through traditional operas. He found them very appealing as props on stage. Later he began to collect antiques, including pieces of round fans. "Round fan was actually one of the earliest fans in China. In the poems and literature works even before the dynasty of Ming, the 'fans' all referred to round fans. It has such a long history," explains Li.

CGTN Photo

"I got some frames and handles from the antique markets. They had very beautiful carvings, which attracted me so much. I took them to Suzhou, hoping to find some craftsmen to restore them." 

To his surprise, there wasn't any craftsman in the city who was able to restore the k'o-ssu fans. As a dedicated collector who always wanted to have control, Li decided to do it himself. Bringing all his savings, plus 100 thousand yuan given by his father and 50 thousand lent by friends, he came to Suzhou and established the studio. He went to every corner of the counties around on foot, searching for the craftsmen who still knew the k'o-ssu technique.

CGTN Photo

K'o-ssu fans require very sophisticated techniques. In ancient times, they were exclusive to the royal families. An old craftsman said: "K'o-ssu was as valuable as gold. If you used the wrong color here, you'll have to dismantle it and do it all over again."

It may take several craftsmen to finish a round fan inlaid with gold and silver threads. However, most of the craftsmen are in their sixties or seventies. They don't have successors. "Young people wouldn't learn it," says Li, "although I want to promote the traditional things so that people can enjoy it."

CGTN Photo

Li believes that the most attractive part in the round fans is the classical aesthetics: "The Chinese values inner spirits more than the figures. When we make a butterfly, it doesn't have to be exactly the same as a real one. How do we make it as beautiful, but not limited to the real thing? We'd have to put our own imagination and preference in it. That's why the traditional art is fascinating."

CGTN Photo

CGTN Photo

For Li, making fans is like communicating with the ancient people. The enjoyable hobby, however, has to meet the reality: "As the craftsmen, we hope that more people could appreciate its beauty and be willing to spend money on it. The art can be passed on, but not merely by preaching the love for it."

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The 20-year-old man who fell from the top of a 21-foot-high wall onto the warning track at PNC Park during a Pittsburgh Pirates game last week took his first steps Monday but still has “a long way to go” in his recovery.

Kavan Markwood slipped off a railing and onto the field during the seventh inning of Pittsburgh’s 4-3 win over the Chicago Cubs last Wednesday.

Jennifer Phillips, the organizer of a GoFundMe page for Markwood, said in an update Monday that his recovery is “a slow slow process, but seeing him up and moving was a huge win and definitely lifted everyone’s spirits.”

Markwood was admitted to the trauma center at Allegheny General Hospital in critical condition after the accident.

“He still has a long way to go — he’s dealing with a broken neck, clavicle, and back so there are plenty of obstacles ahead,” wrote Phillips, who once taught Markwood. “But he’s showing real strength, and we’re staying hopeful for a smooth recovery. This will also require plenty of rest and following instructions from the great doctors, nurses and staff at the hospital.”

As of Monday night, the GoFundMe had raised nearly $41,000, more than 90% towards its initial goal of $45,000.

Pittsburgh Public Safety, which includes Pittsburgh Police and EMS, has labeled the incident an accident.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

A fan lies on the warning track in right field of PNC Park after falling out of the stands during the seventh inning of a baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

A fan is carted off the field at PNC Park after falling out of the stands during the seventh inning of a baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Cubs in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)