How to Open and Close Hand Fans



Folding fans, like the Chinese folding fans, Japanese folding fans, or Victorian-style hand fans, are traditionally opened and closed with one hand and in a gracefully snapping, inward motion. The following are the steps on how to how to open and close hand fans:


How to Open Folding Fans

  • Hold the head of the folding fan, i.e., the part with the metal rivet, with one hand.

  • Check that the design of the hand fan is facing up and that the spokes completely drop in an outward direction or away from you so that when the fan finally opens, its front design faces outward or the audience. You can see whether the hand fan's design faces up through the clarity of the colors of the design, which peeks through the folded leaf.

  • Simultaneously bring your fan in a slanting direction in-front of you and loosen your grip on four (4) fingers, i.e., the index to small finger, so that the outer guardside and spokes freely drop and the folding fan opens in a snap and in an inward direction or in-front of you. Opening a folding fan inwards is important as it prevents you from hitting the person next to you.

Folding fans with thick leaves, like Battenburg lace fans, paper folding fans, and cloth fans, may require that their folds be properly established before they can be opened in a snap. To open a new folding fan, guide their spokes by sliding the latter downward using your thumb. Similarly, ensure that the fan opens in-front of you and its design faces outward.


How to Close a Folding Fan


To close a folding fan, turn your wrist upside-down to bring the dropped spokes of the hand fan up. This gesture causes the hand fan's spokes to drop naturally, gather on your palm, and bring the hand fan to a close and to its original position.

To close a new folding fan, similarly turn your wrist upside-down to bring the dropped spokes of the hand fan up. Gently slide the hand fan's spokes downward with the help of your fingers to bring the hand fan to a close and to its original position.