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."