"The bamboo plants I have chosen are boiled to prevent parasites, before they are sun-dried and stored in my studio, for another five years," says Xu. "That's the amount of time needed for the material to contract gradually so that there will be no tiny cracks on the fan ribs that would eventually come out of them.

"But bamboo, even in the form of a fan, will never stop aging, sometimes taking on slightly darker colors.

"All one ever needs to feel its story is to hold it in hands."

Contact the writer at zhaoxu@chinadaily.com.cn