In Fenshuiling Town, Luzhou City, Sichuan Province, a camphor tree stretches like a giant umbrella. Beneath it, Bi Liufu, the sixth-generation inheritor of the Luzhou oil-paper umbrella, continues the work of his ancestors. "Our family has been making oil-paper umbrellas for generations," he explains. "Back then, we were called 'artisans,' which means people who make things by hand."

The craft begins with the bamboo—three- to five-year-old stalks, sun-dried and soaked for a month to prevent pests. Every detail matters: the segments must be at least 25 centimeters, the connections precise, and the paper pressed evenly.

Yet tradition alone is not enough to survive in the modern world. Bi Liufu's son, Bi Yuanshen, recalls that his journey to continue this craft after graduating from college was met with skepticism initially. His father challenged him to make a whole umbrella on his own. "Making an umbrella is like being a person—you need determination, patience, and perseverance," he said. On the fifteenth day, the umbrella was completed, imperfect yet symbolic of character and commitment.

"We don't care if the craft bears our family name," Bi Yuanshen said. "We only care about how to pass it on, how to inherit and develop it well."