Post-90s quits his job to make traditional paper umbrellas

Liu Weixue, 26, a post-1990s man with a major in design, is the grandson of Liu Youquan, inheritor of the traditional method of making Yuhang paper umbrellas.[Photo/CFP]

In January, an outdoor paper umbrella with a diameter of three meters was unveiled at Maison & Objet, a renowned home decor expo in Paris, and ten paper umbrellas were immediately ordered by a Paris design store.

These paper umbrellas all came from the Home of Paper Umbrella, a design studio in Tangbu village, Yuhang district, Hangzhou city of East China's Zhejiang province.

Liu Weixue, 26, a post-1990s man with a major in design, is the grandson of Liu Youquan, inheritor of the traditional method of making Yuhang paper umbrellas.

Due to his love for traditional culture and the influence of his grandfather, Liu Weixue quit his job and set up the design studio with his classmates, to showcase, design and produce Yuhang paper umbrellas.

Yuhang oil paper umbrellas have a history of more than 230 years, and the traditional technique of making paper umbrellas has been recognized as a Zhejiang intangible cultural heritage since 2007.