Despite its imagined beauty and elegance, the silk umbrella was not very practical in tropical, rain drenched southern China. The problem was solved by using oilpaper, an excellent water repellent.
千百年來，竹傘與蓑衣、斗笠，共同為風雨中、豔陽下的過客，提供蔭蔽，而它的形態、原料，也因自然環境上不同的需要，與時代的變遷，有所改良。絲質的傘面擋不住江南一帶豐沛的雨水，於是新的材料起而代之。