踏葵博園林，覽葵扇之美

邱粵

The beauty of Kwai fans?at the Kwai Expo Park

指導老師 李思穎

I still remember when I was young， my grandmother would hum songs and shake a Kwai fan（葵扇） to put me to sleep every hot summer night. In my view， the Kwai fan not only keeps me cool but also represents a valuable childhood memory. The Kwai fan， made of Livistona chinensis （蒲葵）， is one of the three treasures of Xinhui， Jiangmen City—my hometown. Nevertheless， as time goes by， influenced by household appliances， Kwai fans gradually fade away from peoples life.

Thankfully， our school organized us to pay a visit to the Kwai Expo Park （葵博園） which reminded me of my childhood. Upon arriving at the park， I was plea?santly surprised by the variety of exquisite Kwai fans painted in different vivid decorative patterns， especially an embroidered（刺繡的）fan which vividly shows a famous tourist attraction of Xinhuis “The Birds Paradise”.

The Kwai fan has a history of more than 1，600 years， dating back to the Jin Dynasty and flourishing in the Ming Dynasty. The process of making a Kwai fan is very complicated and meticulous， requiring twenty procedures and months of work， including the processes of planting， picking， selecting， drying sun flowers and so on. In fact， behind these exquisite Kwai fans lie the wisdom and sweat of craftsmen. Without the effort of craftsmen， Kwai fans can never be brought to life.

However， due to the complicated production steps and high production requirements， few people have mastered the production technology of Xinhuis Kwai fans. Therefore， I sincerely hope that more young people can get to know about and even inherit Kwai art （葵藝）. Only in this way can the precious cultural heritage be passed down from generation to generation.