Paper Parasols

Paper parasols have their history in China, where paper was invented about 2000 years ago. Although people had used other flat surfaces to write on, such as hide parchment, clay tablets and papyrus, from which the word "paper" is derived in paper parasols, none of these are truly paper. Paper and paper parasols are made of randomly oriented (a felt material) plant fibers. We have the Emperor Hi-Ti Ts'ai Lun of Lei-Yang to thank for the invention of paper, and of which paper parasols are made today.

The Emperor conceived of using the bark of trees to make paper, although this is not necessarily the type of paper used in making paper parasols today. The mulberry tree was used for making the paper and it is mostly responsible for the paper that is used in today's paper parasols. Incidentally, the paper that we use for writing and reading today is made from wood fibers, not the bark or bast fibers used in making sa paper for paper parasols. The bast fibers are not as cheap or plentiful as the wood fibers, but they are much easier to produce.

Paper parasols are made in a step-by-step process that begins with a young sa tree. The bark is stripped from the tree and then boiled until soft - this is what will ultimately be the skin of the paper parasol. The soggy bark is then hammered to separate the fibers and remove the softer tissue while later, the fibers are suspended in water and a layer of felted fibers is picked up on a screen and dried to produce the paper that will soon be fitted on the paper parasol. Many places in Asia still continue to make paper using this centuries old craft, although not all of the paper is meant for paper parasols.

In Thailand, paper parasols are popular and hundreds are made each day at factories around the country. The Thais call the mulberry tree, sa tree, while the Chinese call it, the ku tree. When the paper has been fitted on the bamboo spokes of the paper parasol, the sa paper is left to dry. After the drying process, a skilled artisan then begins to paint the paper parasol, often decorating it with Oriental themes of dragons, chickens, Chinese letters and other symbols of Asia. The result is a beautifully hand-crafted paper parasol that makes for an exquisite piece of artwork that can beautify any room.