Fan of the Month August 2026
Reception to the American fleet at Amoy by the Chinese Government, 1908.
The Reception to the American fleet at Amoy by the Chinese Government in 1908
This folding fan was bequeathed to The Fan Museum in 1996 by Mr. and Mrs. C. B. Mears, who were Greenwich residents. Mr Mears had travelled to China in 1882 to work as a gas fitter for the Imperial Maritime Customs Service, returning to England with his wife in 1912. Mr Mears acquired this fan while he was in China, although it is unknown whether he and his wife attended the event it commemorates, namely a Reception of the American fleet in Amoy (present day Xiamen) given by the Chinese Government, on the 30th of October 1908.
The American Great White Fleet, comprised sixteen battleships that were sent around the globe by President Roosevelt between 1907 and 1909 (Naval History and Heritage Command, 2022) as an exercise in naval contingency planning and naval diplomacy.
The black lacquer guards of the fan are ornamented with delicate flower motifs and mother of pearl. The sticks are made of bamboo, and are decorated with sketchy scenes, most likely created by pyrography, a technique that involves using a heated metal tool to create a design.
The obverse of the leaf shows a black and white photographic image of the Nanputuo (South Putuo) Buddhist temple in Amoy. To the left side of the photograph, ‘Nan-pu-to Temple, Amoy.’ is printed in yellow, and this is spelt out in red in traditional Chinese characters on the right.
The reverse of the leaf reveals the symbolism behind these two colours, as it depicts the red of the Stars and Stripes flag of the United States of America alongside the ‘Yellow Dragon Flag’, used as both the national flag and naval ensign of China, ‘by the Qing government from 1888 until its downfall in 1911’ (Royal Museums Greenwich, no date).
To the left ‘Reception to the American fleet at Amoy by the Chinese Government’ and ‘October 30th 1908’ are written in English. With the menu listed, which included traditional Chinese dishes such as bird’s nest soup and sweet taro & duck and Western dishes more familiar to the American flee, such as beef stew and roast mutton. This text is mirrored on the right, written in traditional Chinese characters.
This fan was probably mass-produced as a souvenir to commemorate the visit of the Great White Fleet, alongside other memorabilia such as cups with saucers and programme booklets, detailing the daily events and receptions.
The Fan Museum owns two of these fans, one of them in The Fan Museum Trust Collection (LDFAN1996.31), the other in the HA Collection (HA 1099). LDFAN1996.31 was last exhibited at The Fan Museum in 1998 in ‘Poetry on the Breeze’ exhibition. HA 1099 was also exhibited in ‘Poetry on the Breeze’ and it was also on displayed between October 1993 and March 1994 in the ‘Fans and the China Trade’ exhibition.
Bibliography
Crawford, M. J. (2008). The World Cruise of the Great White Fleet : Honoring 100 years of Global Partnerships and Security. Naval Historical Center. Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/publications/Publication-PDF/GreatWhiteFleet.pdf (Accessed: 25/07/2026)
Naval History and Heritage Command (2022). The Great White Fleet. Available at: https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/the-great-white-fleet.html. (Accessed: 25/07/2026)
Royal Museums Greenwich (no date). Naval ensign, Imperial China (1888-1911). Available at: https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-459. (Accessed: 25/07/2026)
