Chinese Fans     In China's big cities, you now rarely use a traditional fan to keep cool. At home, fans seem to have given way to electric fans` and air－conditioners. However, in rural areas, the traditional fan is still a popular item. Beyond their practical use, they are still used as artistic props in plays, dances and story telling.     Four major types of fan include feather fan, palm－leaf fan, folding fan and silk fan.     As its name suggests, feather fans are made of feathers. Scholars believe it to be the oldest type of Chinese fan. The Chinese character “扇” includes the character “羽”, which means ‘feather’, as part of the composition. The history of feather fan dates back over 3,000 years. Feather from eagles, magpies, cranes, kingfishers and peacocks have all served as feather fan material. Up to the end of Han Dynasty about 1,800 years ago, holding a feather fan was fashionable amongst the literati and officials. Today, China’s feather fans are made mainly of goose feathers. Most are peach－shaped, consisting of about 40 feathers.     Compared with the feather fan, palm－leaf fan has a history of only about 1,500 years. It is cheaper and produces lots of cooling wind which makes it a popular favorite. The process of making such fans is quite complicated. The most famous fans of this kind are glass－white fans made of young palm leaves. This style is often painted.     The next type of fan is the silk fan. Its full－moon shape led to it being called the round fan. The frame is usually made of iron or bamboo slips. A piece of silk is stretched over the frame and is then decorated with colored drawings. For a time, this type of fan was popular among young ladies in the royal court or who came from wealthy families.     The folding fans are the most popular in China even today. They came into use during the Song Dynasty about 700 years ago. The folding fans originally used by emperors and their ministers which was often carved with figures of birds, flowers, landscapes and even poems. These fans often came with a matching jade pendant. When the ministers gathered, they would proudly display their folded fans.