When Europeans met the luxurious Chinese fan, they nearly met a different kind of Chinese civilization. Because, the flowing Chinese fans on the Silk Road go to the space of European daily life, and also bring the oriental charm, elegance and mood of Chinese fans into Europe. As a result, the Chinese fan has been active in many European spaces as an aesthetic symbol for conveying emotions. For example, in the field of British painting, the fan was accepted by artists as a unique "mood" and "code word".
In the field of painting, the Chinese fan is an exotic object expressed by British painters. For artists, artistic creation comes from the generalization and abstraction of life. The reason why the Chinese fan became an object for artists to express their thoughts and feelings lies in the aesthetic meaning of the Chinese fan itself. Judging from the portraits of Elizabeth I in 1570 and 1592 (with feathered fans and folding fans), fans were only popular in the English court around the end of the 16th century. It is said that several of the most famous women in the historical British royal family were "fans" of Chinese fans, such as Queen Mary and Queen Victoria. The Chinese fan almost became a symbol of wealth for the queens at that time, and it was the most decent and precious gift in socializing. Mrs. Mordecier holding a Chinese fan in Engel's "Portrait of Madame Mordecier".
Paul Gauguin's Girl with a Fan depicts a young girl holding a "Juliana fan" made of feathers. The Chinese fan in the image suggests an aesthetic from the East, and Chinese fan paintings were among the most popular Chinese works of art in 18th-century Europe.
G. F. Hudson pointed out: "In the eighteenth century, Europe has been in China's lacquer wallpaper and decorations, get to see China's landscape painting method ...... this kind of work (ink painting) into Europe, or for the formal hanging paintings, or mantle paintings and fan paintings.... ...At that time, the Europeans were crazy about Chinese things, so Chinese works of art arrived like a tidal wave." The Chinese art works in the 18th century had a far-reaching influence on the creation of European painters, for example, the tapestry of Boucher's "Chinese Group Painting", "The Feast of the Chinese Emperor", "Chinese Dance", "Chinese Fishermen", "Chinese Wedding", "Chinese Woman with an Umbrella", etc., are amazingly rich in works with Chinese flavors. The phenomenon of Chineseization of Western art bears witness to the wide spread of Chinese artistic aesthetics in Europe and its influence.
In England, the Chinese fan has become a coded language to express class identity and female passions. Paula Antonelli points out: "Benjamin Disraeli, the 19th-century British prime minister, a man of worldly understanding and wit, once said that fans were more harmful than swords because they could arouse class consciousness and jealousy. The Church of England, on the other hand, considered fans to be quite evil in nature. People at the time developed a very sophisticated signaling system with fans called 'abanico' - which stands for 'fan' in Spanish.
Young women of the time were closely guarded from casual contact with men, but they were still able to send messages. Everything from 'I'll marry you' to 'We're just friends' to the more complex 'You're not good enough for me' could be expressed with a gesture made with a fan. When a girl gently touches the palm of her hand with a fan, it's saying 'I don't think we're right for each other'." Apparently, the Chinese fan can "trigger class consciousness and jealousy" and is "a secret language for communicating love" and "a very complex signaling system.
British writer William Coke once collected the words of women in various countries with fans, and wrote a monograph "Fanology", which recorded the European women's various "fan language" to their suitors, which is very interesting.
Open the fan to cover the lower part of the face - this shows: I love you.
Touching the lips with the handle of the fan - a hint: kiss me.
Stick the open fan under your chin - meaning: I wish I had met you earlier next time.
Opening and closing the fan - means: I miss you very much.
Leaving with the open fan in hand - this means: please don't forget me.
Slowly fanning the fan - signals: I am indifferent to you.
Fanning vigorously one after the other - sends a warning: get away from me!
Turning the fan over and over in your hand - serious warning: you're too annoying!
Gathering and folding the fan up and squeezing it in your hand - a scolding: you're a rebel and unworthy of love.
Tossing the fan on the table - this is a declaration: I don't like you!
These "fan words" were the "secret messages" that European women used to send to their suitors. Further, the aesthetic expression and meaning construction of the Chinese fan provides an excellent way for European civilization.