You may think you cannot live through summer without the air conditioner(空调). But in ancient China,hand fans(扇子)
The use of hand fans by Chinese people can go back to over 2000 years ago. The fans came in different shapes according to people's needs. They were also made of all kinds of things. Palm leaf(棕榈) fans were cheap and easy to make. Feather(羽毛) fans could only be used by the rich. Sandal wood(檀香)
Later,hand fans became far more than just something that cool you down. They developed into artworks among which tuanshan(round fans) and zheshan(folded fans),round fans were usually made of silk. They had beautiful birds and flowers on them. Women,especially those in the palace(诗人) often compared the abandoned fate(被抛弃的命运) to round fans. Nalan Xingde wrote during the Qing Dynasty,"If only life was as beautiful as when we first met,why should the autumn wind bother to pity abandoned painted fans?"
Meanwhile,men,especially the literati(文人)
A small fan can show its beauty in the hand and has played an important role in traditional Chinese art for thousands of years. Today,Chinese people still use these fans. They have already become a symbol of Chinese culture and also a part of our everyday life.