ABOUT US
1. Company Overview: Inheritor and Leader of 600-Year-Old Intangible Cultural Heritage Craftsmanship
Rooted in Shigu Town, Xiangtan County, Hunan Province, Shigu Oil-Paper Umbrella Enterprise has taken inheriting and vitalizing this intangible cultural heritage (ICH) craft as its core mission since the craft was introduced during the "Migration from Jiangxi to Huguang" period in the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty. It is a benchmark enterprise in China focusing on the R&D, production, cultural promotion and industrial chain construction of traditional oil-paper umbrellas. As the core carrier of the provincial-level ICH "Shigu Oil-Paper Umbrella Making Craft", the enterprise gathers a large number of craftsmen represented by Zhou Hanyu (the fifth-generation inheritor) and Zhao Wenchao (an ICH inheritor). It now has 14 finished umbrella factories and more than 40 accessory factories, forming a complete industrial chain covering "raw material procurement - core process production - accessory manufacturing - finished product assembly - market sales". With an annual output of 5 million oil-paper umbrellas, it accounts for one-third of the national craft umbrella market share. Its products are exported to many countries around the world, including the United States, Japan and Malaysia, becoming an important card for Hunan's ICH to go global.
2. Core Business: In-depth Integration of Traditional Craftsmanship and Diverse Needs
The enterprise's core business develops in two directions: "adhering to ICH craftsmanship" and "adapting to market demands". In the traditional craftsmanship inheritance segment, it strictly follows 82 pure manual processes such as "cutting nan bamboo - splitting bamboo - removing bamboo green - chopping umbrella ribs - making umbrella poles - crafting umbrella hubs - pasting paper - painting patterns". High-quality raw materials like old nan bamboo from Changshan Mountain and natural tung oil are used to create classic series such as wedding ritual umbrellas, folk festival umbrellas and collection commemorative umbrellas. The pattern-painting process integrates local cultural elements such as Qi Baishi's southern-style ink wash flowers and birds, Xiangtan paper-cutting and shadow puppetry, endowing each umbrella with unique artistic value. In the innovative product segment, in response to modern market demands, it has developed three major series: tourist souvenir umbrellas, decorative art umbrellas and business gift umbrellas. The umbrella surface materials have been upgraded to patterned paper, silk cloth, silk satin, real silk, etc. The functions have expanded from a single function of sheltering from rain to diverse scenarios such as sunshade, appreciation, decoration, advertising and stage props. At present, it has formed a product matrix of more than 500 types of umbrellas and nearly 40 pattern designs to meet the personalized needs of different customers.
3. Craft Inheritance and Innovation: Core Driver for the Living Inheritance of ICH
The enterprise attaches great importance to the protection, inheritance and innovation of craftsmanship. In terms of inheritance, it cultivates young craftsmen through the "master-apprentice" model, and jointly holds oil-paper umbrella making skill competitions with Xiangtan County Federation of Trade Unions, Bureau of Culture and Tourism and other departments. It also offers painting technology training courses, having trained more than 50 professional painting talents and dozens of young craftsmen, among whom many have grown into district-level and municipal-level ICH inheritors. In terms of innovation, on the basis of adhering to the core of traditional processes, it optimizes the umbrella rib structure to improve durability, explores eco-friendly tung oil formulas to reduce odor, and integrates modern design concepts into products, such as developing lightweight portable umbrellas and IP-cooperative cultural and creative umbrellas. At the same time, it participates in formulating local standards for traditional oil-paper umbrella making craftsmanship, promoting the standardized development of ICH craftsmanship. Up to now, it has won a number of design patents, injecting new vitality into the ancient craft in the new era.
4. Brand and Culture: Important Carrier for ICH Culture Communication
In brand building, the enterprise takes "Shigu Oil-Paper Umbrella" as its core brand. Relying on diverse channels such as ICH cultural exhibitions, offline umbrella-making experience workshops and online short-video craft popularization, it has shaped a brand image of "craftsmanship, inheritance and culture". It was once selected for the exhibition of Hunan Activity Week in the China Pavilion of the 2025 Osaka World Expo, showcasing the craft wisdom of "seventy-two ribs, all connected" to the world through the international stage. In the field of cultural communication, it regularly holds activities such as "ICH craftsmanship entering campuses/communities" and creates immersive umbrella-making experience routes, allowing tourists to experience the whole process from bamboo cutting to umbrella painting. It receives tens of thousands of cultural enthusiasts annually and shares umbrella-making stories and craft details through platforms such as Douyin and Xiaohongshu, accumulating millions of exposures. This has promoted Shigu Oil-Paper Umbrella from a "niche ICH" to "public awareness", making it an important carrier for spreading Hunan culture and Oriental aesthetics.
5. Social Responsibility and Future Outlook: Long-term Path for ICH Industrialization
The enterprise always fulfills its social responsibility in ICH inheritance and industrial development. Through its complete industrial chain, it drives the employment of nearly 10,000 local craftsmen, helps more than 10 bamboo farmers and paper farmers increase their income, and injects vitality into rural revitalization. At the same time, it actively participates in cultural public welfare undertakings, donating high-quality oil-paper umbrellas to local museums and ICH exhibition centers, and providing ICH experience course resources to schools in poor areas. Facing the future, the enterprise plans to further expand the scale of the "ICH Craft Inheritance Base", deepen cooperation with universities and cultural and creative companies, promote in-depth integration of oil-paper umbrellas with cultural tourism and cultural and creative industries, and build an oil-paper umbrella-themed cultural experience hall. It is committed to making Shigu Oil-Paper Umbrella not only a symbol of traditional craftsmanship, but also a cultural symbol connecting China with the world, and tradition with modernity, so as to realize the sustainable living inheritance and industrialized development of ICH craftsmanship.