Shigu Oil-paper Umbrella Makes a Splash at CHN Gift Expo

The Shigu oil-paper umbrella booth attracts numerous visitors.

Recently, the oil-paper umbrellas from Shigu Town, Xiangtan County made a splash at the 27th Shanghai International Gifts, Cultural & Creative Products and Home Furnishings Exhibition (CHN Gift Expo). Boasting over-600-year-old intangible cultural heritage craftsmanship and innovative China-chic design, the Shigu oil-paper umbrella claimed the "Gold Award for Intangible Cultural Heritage Creations" of the expo, and secured on-site transactions and intended orders valued at more than 500,000 CNY, achieving both greater brand visibility and market growth.

The "Gold Award for Intangible Cultural Heritage Creations" medal presented at the exhibition.

As the largest and most influential gift and homeware industry event in eastern China, the CHN Gift Expo serves as a key window connecting domestic and international distributors and demonstrating the market viability of cultural and creative products. This year's expo gathered thousands of brands. Shigu Town carefully selected high-quality intangible cultural heritage oil-paper umbrella series for display. At its specially decorated booth, new eco-friendly products like odorless crystal tung-oil-paper umbrellas and pearl umbrellas made their debut, balancing practicality and aesthetics. The Flying Apsaras series and the collector's edition of Baoxianghua Ribbon deeply integrated traditional umbrella-making techniques with China-chic elements, featuring exquisite patterns and an antique texture that frequently caught the attention of buyers and visitors. During the expo, the Shigu oil-paper umbrella booth remained popular, with several products selling out. The prospective cooperation spanned gift procurement, cultural tourism and creative industries, and e-commerce platforms.

International visitors purchase a Shigu oil-paper umbrella at the expo.

"From bamboo selection, to rib shaping, umbrella surface pasting, patterns painting, and tung oil brushing… it takes 72 steps to make a Shigu oil-paper umbrella," said a spokesperson of Shigu Town. The local oil-paper umbrella crafting technique has been included in Hunan's provincial-level intangible cultural heritage list. The umbrella ribs are evenly assembled, the umbrella surface is pliable and tough, and the tung oil coating is waterproof and translucent, offering both practical value and artistic collectible appeal. However, for a long time, this traditional craft primarily relied on retail sales at tourist sites and festive orders. To overcome its geographical constraints, Shigu Town has adopted a dual-drive model of "heritage + demand," moving beyond the traditional production-sales model. It has actively connected with high-end exhibitions and developed innovative product lines, expanding the traditional oil-paper umbrella into areas such as China-chic creative products, customized souvenirs, and study tour experiences.

Chinese source: Voice of Hunan