Hands-on craft
Chinese Fan Painting Workshop in Beijing
掌上丹青 · 扇面手作
Paint a folding fan with a Beijing brush master — and take it home.
Chinese ink painting — “danqing” — has been a scholar’s art for more than a thousand years. In this calm, unhurried workshop you learn its core brushstrokes the way they have always been taught: by doing, beside someone who has spent a lifetime with the brush.
Your teacher is a working Beijing painter. After a short introduction to the “four treasures of the study” — brush, ink, paper and inkstone — you’ll practise the strokes for bamboo, plum blossom or orchid, then paint your own design onto a real folding silk fan to keep.
No experience and no Mandarin needed. This is a making-with-your-hands afternoon, not a lecture — you leave with a finished fan and a feel for why this art has endured.
Highlights
- Learn authentic Chinese brush-painting technique from a practising Beijing artist
- Paint and keep a real folding silk fan — a genuine handmade souvenir
- Tiny groups (max 8) so everyone gets hands-on guidance
- Hosted in English in a quiet studio away from the tourist crowds
- All materials included — just bring yourself
What you’ll do
- 0:00
Welcome & the four treasures
Meet your teacher, settle in with tea, and get introduced to the brush, ink, paper and inkstone.
- 0:30
Brushstroke practice
Warm up with the foundational strokes — bamboo, plum blossom or orchid — on practice paper.
- 1:15
Paint your fan
Compose and paint your own design onto a folding silk fan with your teacher’s guidance.
- 2:15
Finishing & farewell
Add a seal mark, let it set, and take home your finished fan.
Included
- Expert English-speaking instruction
- All painting materials
- One folding silk fan to keep
- Tea during the session
Not included
- Hotel pick-up / drop-off
- Gratuities
Good to know
- Wear clothes you don’t mind getting a spot of ink on
- Suitable for complete beginners
- Great for families, couples and solo travelers
Meeting point. Central Beijing studio — exact address shared on booking [TO CONFIRM]
Schedule. Most afternoons; check live availability when you book.
Cancellation. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start time.
