The recent guochao trend, or showcasing traditional Chinese cultural elements in a variety of fields such as clothing, has also contributed significantly to growth, she says.

"Many of our customers include parents buying fans that showcase the best of traditional Chinese culture, like copies of famous paintings, poetry and calligraphy, for their children," she says, adding that mini DIY kits for young customers to assemble their own fans are also popular.

Huang Shuofu says that, as part of his responsibility in passing down the intangible cultural heritage to future generations, he also runs workshops and classes for children and adults, as well as collaborating with cultural institutions like museums, to make sure the tuanshan tradition "survives and thrives".