Reviving the lost art of making silk parasols (4)

They found Zhang and a 70-year-old woman, the only two people who remembered every step of the process. The older woman was unable to work, however, because of health problems.

Although Zhang hadn't made parasols for 22 years, she quickly remembered and became the core of the efforts to make old-style parasols and revive their popularity.

Today the Hangzhou Paradise Umbrella Group, one of China's biggest umbrella companies, turns out silk parasols. The company sent six workers to learn the craft from Zhang in 2011.

In master Zhang's studio, some people paint patterns on the silk, some stitch the silk rim, some polish the bamboo ribs, some glue the ribs to the silk, and so on. The painted designs are both classic and contemporary.

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