A100校本课程：用英语讲中国故事（176） | 泸州油纸伞

油纸伞由来

HISTORY

油纸伞是中国传统工艺品之一，国家级非物质文化遗产。它是世界上最早的雨伞，使用历史已有一千多年。它由纯手工制成，全部取材于天然，是中国古人智慧的结晶。

Luzhou is a city in southwest China’s Sichuan province. People there are good at making oil paper umbrellas. Luzhou oil paper umbrella has a history of more than 400 years. An oil-paper umbrella can be opened and closed for at least 3,000 times. The umbrella won’t be damaged even if you soak it in water for 24 hours. To make the umbrella water-proof, people brush wood oil across the umbrella. In fact, there are over 70 steps to make such an umbrella.

In recent years, the oil paper umbrellas of Luzhou have been sold to foreign countries such as the U.K. and Japan.

雨巷

作者：戴望舒

撑着油纸伞，独自

彷徨在悠长、悠长

又寂寥的雨巷

我希望逢着

一个丁香一样的

结着愁怨的姑娘

她是有

丁香一样的颜色

丁香一样的芬芳

丁香一样的忧愁

在雨中哀怨

哀怨又彷徨

……

The oil paper umbrella is a traditional Chinese handicraft (手工艺品). It has a history of over 1, 000 years in China. In early Tang Dynasty, it was introduced to Japan and Korea, so it was called the "Tang Umbrella". Later, oil paper umbrellas were spread to other Asian countries, such as Vietnam, Thailand and Laos, and each had its own style. However, as steel-ribbed (钢骨的) umbrellas appeared in the last century, the hand-made oil paper umbrellas became less used in daily life. They were turned into decorative artifacts (装饰性工艺品) .

Yuhang in Hangzhou is known for making oil paper umbrellas for more than 230 years. They are mainly made of skin paper (皮纸), bamboo, a coating of Tung oil (桐油) . They need to take more than 70 steps to make, including making bamboo ribs, pesting papers (糊纸) and painting patterns (图案) . It takes at least a week to make per umbrella. In 2008, these umbrellas were added to Intangible Cultural Heritage List (非物质文化遗产名录) of China.

A young man called Liu Weixue learned the traditional art of making Yuhang oil paper umbrellas from his grandfather. “I want to bring the art to life.” Liu said. He improved the umbrellas to win the hearts of young people. As the traditional paper was easy to break, he started to use a kind of thicker paper. In a test, his umbrellas were opened and closed for 1,000 times without breaking. He used a kind of lighter bamboo to make the umbrellas weigh less .

Now Liu hopes the art can be passed on. He goes to local schools to teach students. He also goes to events in different places to promote (推广) the art.

A. Wool, bamboo and a coating of Tung oil.   

B. Plastic, bamboo and a coating of Tung oil.

C. Skin paper, bamboo and a coating of Tung oil.

D. Leather, bamboo and a coating of Tung oil.

A. Because he couldn't find a better job.   

B. Because he wanted to bring the art to life.

C. Because young pcople liked the fashion.   

D. Because his grandfather told him to learn. 

A. Culture.        

B. Medicine.         

C. Music.          

D. Sports.

Oil paper umbrellas have a history of over 1,000 years in China. Once they were everywhere. However, as umbrellas  1  .    metal ribs (金属伞骨) became more popular in the last century, people used the hand-made umbrellas less in   2  (day) life. Fewer people know about the art.

In order to stop the art from    3    (die) out, many people are taking action. In 2015, Liu Weixue, now an umbrella making master,    4    (leave) a well-paid job to learn from his grandfather the art of making oil paper umbrellas. “I want to bring the art to life.” Liu said. “When it    5    (rain), someone uses the umbrella — that’s what I want to see.”

Liu improved the umbrellas     6    (win) the hearts of young people. He used a thicker paper    7    the traditional paper was easy to break. In a test, his umbrellas were opened and closed 1,000    8    (time) without breaking. He also used a lighter kind of bamboo to make ribs. So, the umbrellas weigh(称重)     9     (little).

In 2017, after mastering the skills, Liu opened    10    online shop to sell umbrellas. It now has more than 80,000 followers. Liu hopes the art can be passed on.

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