A woman makes an oil paper umbrella in Fenshui town, Luzhou, Southwest China's Sichuan province, on Aug 6, 2015. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]    

Although oil paper umbrellas have lost their practical function today, they are still attracting modern customers in another way.

In Luzhou's Fenshui, Southwest China's Sichuan province, the history of making oil paper umbrellas can be traced back more than 400 years. The township is still largely dependent on this industry, and the traditional technique of making oil paper umbrellas there has been recognized as a state-level intangible cultural heritage since 2008.

Attention to detail is necessary to make an oil paper umbrella in Fenshui town, Luzhou, Southwest China's Sichuan province, on Aug 6, 2015. [Photo by Jiang Wanjuan/chinadaily.com.cn]   

According to Bi Yuanshen, an inheritor of the technique, oil paper umbrellas were greatly challenged and impacted when modern cloth umbrellas started to appear in the 1980s.

"But after the technique was recognized as an intangible cultural heritage, the industry has essentially improved," he said. "Because many more people know our products, and how sophisticated and beautiful they are, we can sell them not only as umbrellas, but also as decorations, gifts and artworks."

Delicate flowers accent this oil paper umbrella in Fenshui town, Luzhou, Southwest China's Sichuan province, on Aug 6, 2015. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A woman works on an oil paper umbrella in Fenshui town, Luzhou, Southwest China's Sichuan province, on Aug 6, 2015. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Two women work on a giant oil paper umbrella in Fenshui town, Luzhou, Southwest China's Sichuan province, on Aug 6, 2015. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Oil paper umbrellas frame visitors taking photos of the beautiful accessories in Fenshui town, Luzhou, Southwest China's Sichuan province, on Aug 6, 2015. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Oil paper umbrellas for sale in Fenshui town, Luzhou, Southwest China's Sichuan province, on Aug 6, 2015. [Photo by Jiang Wanjuan/chinadaily.com.cn]

Oil paper umbrellas are displayed for sale in Fenshui town, Luzhou, Southwest China's Sichuan province, on Aug 6, 2015. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A man chops bamboo used to make oil paper umbrellas in Fenshui town, Luzhou, Southwest China's Sichuan province, on Aug 6, 2015. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Oil paper umbrellas decorate a ceiling in Fenshui town, Luzhou, Southwest China's Sichuan province, on Aug 6, 2015. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A man paints the canopy of an oil paper umbrella in Fenshui town, Luzhou, Southwest China's Sichuan province, on Aug 6, 2015. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Two young girls carry petite versions of oil paper umbrellas amid a collection of larger ones in Fenshui town, Luzhou, Southwest China's Sichuan province, on Aug 6, 2015. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A giant oil paper umbrella, nine meters' tall and 12 meters' in diameter, stands in the town's square.It was made as an artwork in 1993. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]