The oil-paper umbrella has a history of over 1,000 years in China. It used to be a water-proof(防水的) tool for daily use. Here is a story about the origin(起源) of the umbrella in China.
It is said that once Lu Ban and his younger sister visited the West Lake. It started raining suddenly. The sister said, "Let's have a competition. Before sun rise tomorrow,whoever comes up with a way to make it possible for people to visit the West Lake even on rainy days will be the winner." Lu Ban thought it was easy. He collected some tools and materi-als from the village nearby and spent the whole night building 10 pavilions(凉亭) around the lake. He was quite confident about his work.
The next morning, however, when Lu Ban was proud of his achievements, his sister held some-thing unusual in her hand. It could be opened into a round shape. To his surprise, Lu Ban found that the object made of silk and bamboo strips(竹条) could be opened and closed easily. It was light, beautiful and easy to carry. Lu Ban said, "You win. Your 'pavilion'can protect us from rain." So the umbrella was invented.
