Language of Fans

"It's definitely romantic to imagine a young woman or divine waving a fan to show interest, or to hide her real thoughts. There is much more history to them than that."

This article discusses handheld fans and their usage among women in Tangguo. The resulting language of fans takes from Asian dance tradition and European flirtations.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

There are three major types of fans: Circular, folding, and feathered.
Circular ones are paper or cloth stretched over a round frame with a handle, resembling hand mirrors. This is the style most commonly seen in old Tangguo.
Folding ones possibly came from Japan. It is known that they only appeared in China during the 1400s. They are commonly found in the European world.
Feathered ones are mainly for show, the largest ones are made out of ostrich feathers.

Significance

At first, before folding fans caught on, round ones were used as symbols of friendship and love due to the recurring cultural motif of circles meaning reunion. Some circular fans were written with love poems or epitaphs for the fallen.
Over time, fans generally began to imply the user was one of the upper crust. Among richer women in the 19th century, a secret code based on fans began to emerge.
Said secret code was mainly derived from body language. Listed here are some common gestures and their meanings.

• Waving fan slowly, looking away: Interested but unsure how to approach.
• Quickly shutting fan: Not interested, go away.
• Slowly closing fan: Come here, or go away depending on other signs used earlier.
• Fan shut, pointing at user's mouth: Kiss me?
• User waves fan in a circle: I wish to show off.

Rarity

Common

Weight

10 - 15 g

Dimensions

30 - 40 cm (average diameter)