A Century in One Act

[Intangible Cultural Heritage] [Suzhou Ruyi Sandalwood Fans] [Earning Foreign Exchange] [A Better Life for the People] [Changing Times] [Suzhou Gardens] [Opening Up to the Outside World] Three generations, three parts of the production and sales chain, and three technological eras: from exports to domestic sales, from making money to pursuing passion, from private homes to factories. Open the fan, and a famous landmark appears, along with a scene from an old opera. Fold the fan, and a fragrant breeze drifts by, carrying on a lineage of tradition. Open and fold the fan, and you see a story of human life, as well as the changes of a century. The five-digit numbers in the brochures became six digits, and the six-digit ones became eight. Hand-operated machinery, once a spur to productivity, gave way to the confusion of young creators in the age of AI. Facts about progress, once praised and passed down by word of mouth, were disrupted by the gimmick of “quitting your job to promote 100 forms of intangible cultural heritage.” From “I see a fan, and its fragrance fills the air” To “I own a fan, and its fragrance lingers” Then to “I make a fan, and its fragrance never fades” Seek the gardens where songs are sung, and the beauty whose robes retain their fragrance. Come to Suzhou and find a century-old scent that has never changed.