Both Xu's and his father's creations had been sold at auctions for prices between 30,000 to 200,000 yuan ($4,140-$27,600).

Xu's father first learned to make fan ribs in the mid-1940s when he was around 15. And he did so as an apprentice in a fan-making workshop in Suzhou — there were about 40 to 60 in the city in those days, says Xu.

His studio's rear window opens up to one of the numerous canals, which the eastern Chinese city in Jiangsu province has been known for throughout history.

"Historically, 'made-in-Suzhou' had been a brand name of its own, denoting consummate craftsmanship infused with the region's longstanding tradition of literati culture," says Xu.

"Over centuries, the folding fans produced by the Suzhou artist-artisans had traveled the waterways between the city and the rest of China, where they commanded their followings."