Beautifully decorated and elegant fans have evoked China for centuries, and Suzhou has long been one of the centers of fan production in China. This tradition continues today, and visitors to Suzhou have a chance to take home some excellent fans. Traditionally there are several major varieties of fans. One is a folding fan made of many thin slats of wood held together with thread or wire. Another is folding fans made of paper glued to wood, which fold neatly together.
These beatutiful fans are often decorated with paintings or calligraphy. In classical China friends would often write messages on fans and give them as going away presents, and fans painted by famous artists often became valuable art objects. The last main variety are known as "palace fans." Unlike other fans they don't fold up, but have long handles; they are descended from the fans which servants used to fan the emperor.
