雨傘發展史 (History of the Umbrella)_中英雙語 「附MP3 英語配音」
- ken chiu
- 2月10日
- 讀畢需時 3 分鐘
已更新：3月12日
雨傘起源於古代中國。最早的雨傘可以追溯到西周時期(公元前1046年-公元前771年)。
相傳在戰國時代中國的能匠魯班的夫人發明第一把傘的記載，是第一種可以擋雨收揚摺傘，其基本架構沿用到今。
隨着時代發展，在中國唐朝出現了油紙傘，宋朝時稱之為綠油紙傘，明朝之後這種工藝品開始於民間普及。
13世紀左右,雨傘傳到歐洲。當時,歐洲人稱雨傘為"parasol",主要作為遮陽用途。到18世紀歐洲,雨傘在英國、法國等西方國家開始普及,成為時尚配飾。
1928年，德國人Hans Haupt對拄著拐杖不便攜帶長柄傘發明了最初的伸縮傘，收縮後幾乎能放到口袋裏，所以也被稱為口袋傘。
1930年代，中國機械學家老焱若見到中國的油紙傘在下雨前後攜帶非常不便，又發出熏人的桐油味，便想出使用絲綢做傘面、鋼架可摺疊的雨傘，傘柄可經縮短後放入手提包。
樣品製成後，老焱若未能找到廠家生產，因為當時中國人民收入低，購買不起比直柄油紙傘價格高的摺疊傘。後來，這種技術傳到中國上海，有少量產品上市，但很快因滯銷而停止生產。
現在，雨傘，已成為全球大類的消費產品。截止2008年，中國作為大多數雨傘的製造者, 僅浙江省的上虞市就有上千家制傘工廠。而單在美國，每年有價值3.48億美元的3300萬把雨傘被賣出。
History of the Umbrella
The umbrella originated in ancient China. The earliest umbrellas can be traced back to the Western Zhou period (1046 BC - 771 BC).
According to legend, the first umbrella was invented by the wife of Lu Ban, a skilled craftsman during the Warring States period in China. This umbrella was the first to be able to shield from rain and could be folded, with its basic structure still in use today.
With the development of time, oil paper umbrellas appeared during the Tang Dynasty in China. In the Song Dynasty, they were referred to as "green oil paper umbrellas," and after the Ming Dynasty, this craft began to spread among the people.
Around the 13th century, umbrellas made their way to Europe. At that time, Europeans called umbrellas "parasol," mainly for sun protection. By the 18th century, umbrellas began to gain popularity in Western countries like England and France, becoming a fashionable accessory.
In 1928, a German named Hans Haupt invented the first telescopic umbrella, which was convenient for those using a cane. When collapsed, it could almost fit into a pocket, thus it was also known as the pocket umbrella.
In the 1930s, Chinese mechanical engineer Lao Yanru noticed that carrying oil paper umbrellas was very inconvenient before and after rain, and they emitted a pungent tung oil smell. He came up with the idea of using silk for the umbrella canopy and a foldable steel frame, allowing the umbrella handle to be shortened and stored in a handbag.
After creating a sample, Lao Yanru was unable to find a manufacturer to produce it, as the low income of the Chinese people at that time made it difficult for them to afford foldable umbrellas, which were more expensive than straight-handle oil paper umbrellas. Later, this technology spread to Shanghai, where a small number of products were launched, but production quickly ceased due to poor sales.
Today, umbrellas have become a global consumer product. As of 2008, China is the main manufacturer of umbrellas, with thousands of umbrella factories in Shangyu City, Zhejiang Province alone. In the United States, 33 million umbrellas worth $348 million are sold each year.