Korean Paper Fan ( buchae / 부채 )
Jasmine Alina
History
• Buchae translates to "a tool for creating wind"
• Danseon fan – gifted on Dano (May 5th) for the beginning of summer to civil service officials from the monarch
o Symbol of high slass; portable and can fit in their sleeves
• Performance
o Pansori singer's percussion
o Tightrope balancing tool
History
Continued
• Pansori singer – one person show; fan is used as percussion and to distinguish the characters
• Buchaechum – fan dancing based on Shamanic ritual dances and traditional folk dances
• Represent honor at weddings and royal ceremonies
• Represent love and societal commentary in stories
The art
• Traditional symbols and motfs that tell Korea's story
o Ex. Animals and chrysanthemums
• Usually has a landscape, bird and flower painting, or a poem
How to make a fan:
Make sure to draw on it first!
1. Have a rectangular piece of paper; landscape
2. Fold in half, hamburger style
3. Continue folding in half in the same direction until you can no longer fold
4. Unfold so you can see all of the creases
5. Fold along the first crease
6. Fold along the second crease, but backwards so it looks like an accordion
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until your paper resembles when it was repeatedly folded in half
8. Pinch the bottom inch together, and staple it at least twice (will vary depending on paper)
9. Wrap tape around the stapled area so that the staples don't fall out, and so you don't get poked
Sources:
DDanDDan, Dd. (2023, June 28). The Art of Korean Traditional Fan Making: History, Techniques, and Cultural Significance . WorldMindHub. https://worldmindhub.tistory.com/854
Fan with Norigae: Fan - tastic and cool . (2014). Things That Talk.
https://www.thingsthattalk.net/en/t/ttt:TxXwau/stories/fan - tastic - and - cool/fancy/details
Hallyuism. (2023, May 30). Korean Traditional Dance: Buchaechum . Hallyuism.
https://hallyuism.com/2023/05/30/korean - traditional - dance - buchaechum/
Lee, E. (2018, June). KOREA webzine _ Design . Www.kocis.go.kr. https://www.kocis.go.kr/eng/webzine/201806/sub06.html
Yi, G. (2024). Hand Fans - Made of Korean Mulberry Paper and Bamboo Strips . Antiquealive.com.
https://www.antiquealive.com/masters/Hand_Fans/Korean_Paper_Bamboo_Fan.html?srsltid=AfmBOop _69vEYa0 - 1TFZpI_F - wuLcrJp48Q49zO - EpNvl4K2idlwpIVP