Chinese Gong Fan（龚扇）

Gong Fan, a special craft hidden in Aiye Ancient Town, is a national treasure of China. It was invented in 1875 by a Zigong craftsman named Gong Juewu. Only in Zigong can people make authentic Gong Fan. It is woven with very thin bamboo threads—thinner than human hair. It is so beautiful that it was once used by the royal family and won an international award in Germany.

Aiye Ancient Town is an old town in Zigong with a history of over 1,000 years. It was once a busy port for transporting salt by river. Now it is quiet and not over-commercialized, with old streets and stone steps still kept as they were in the past. It is a nice place to walk and feel the old time.

Now, the craft of making Gong Fan has been passed down for five generations. Its base is in Aiye Ancient Town. Here, you can see beautiful Gong Fan works.
Aiye Ancient Town and Gong Fan are closely connected, showing the unique culture of Zigong.

龚扇是藏在艾叶古镇里的中国国宝级手艺，也是四川省自贡市最具特色的传统工艺之一。它于1875年由自贡本地工匠龚爵伍发明，是一门独一无二的手艺——只有在自贡这片土地上，凭借这里的水土和工匠的精湛技艺，才能做出正宗的龚扇，其他地方根本无法复制。

龚扇最特别的地方，就是它的编织材料：用极细的竹丝编织而成，最细的竹丝比人的头发丝还要细，摸起来柔软光滑，看起来薄如蝉翼。因为做工太过精美，它曾经被清朝皇室选为御用扇子，后来还走出国门，在德国的国际博览会上获得过奖项，让全世界都看到了中国传统手工艺的魅力。

艾叶古镇是自贡一座有着上千年历史的古老小镇，也是承载着自贡盐文化的重要地方。在很久以前，自贡盛产井盐，而艾叶古镇就是当年繁忙的运盐河边码头，无数运盐的船只在这里停靠、装卸，热闹非凡。如今，这里不再运盐，变得安静又祥和，没有过度的商业化，小镇里的老街、河边的石阶，还有古老的民居，都完好地保留着旧时的模样。

如今，龚扇的制作手艺已经传承了五代人，它的传承基地就坐落在艾叶古镇里。来到这里，你不仅能看到历代工匠制作的精美龚扇作品，还能现场观看工匠们制作龚扇的全过程，亲眼见证一根普通的竹子，如何被做成比头发丝还细的竹丝，再编织成精美的扇子。