Inheritor preserves old tradition of making oil paper umbrella

Zheng Yinghai makes oil paper umbrella in front of his house in Tengchong, Yunnan province, Nov 30, 2015. [Photo/SIPA]

The traditional technique needs more than 10 steps, and Zheng carries out all the steps by himself. Zheng prefers to paint flowers on the umbrella, from camellia, lotus, plum blossom, to tree branches. He lets his imagination fly, and the patterns on his umbrellas are unique.

Nowadays, as the industrialization develops, the mechanized oil paper umbrellas, with its low price and fine design, have taken over the market. But Zheng prefers making them by his hands. "I will keep making oil paper umbrellas until I'm unable to do it anymore."

As many people have told Zheng to keep the handcraft alive, he has already taught the technique to his children.