Suzhou-style fans go on display at an exhibition in Nantong on May 18. [Photo/ntfabu.com]

An exhibition of Suzhou-style fans opened at Nantong Museum on May 18, with some 80 exquisite works on display, according to the organizers in the city of Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province.

The event was hosted by the museum and Suzhou Vocational University and will run until July 5.

The fan was a widely used cultural item in ancient China. The fan-making technique was included in China's first list compiled of national-level intangible cultural heritage items in 2006.

The Suzhou-style fan -- including the circular fan, foldable fan and sandalwood fan -- is famous for its complicated design and is a typical representation of China's Wu Culture, which originated in southern Jiangsu, southern Anhui and northern Zhejiang province more than 1,000 years ago.

Several Suzhou-style fan masters – among them Xing Weizhong, Wang Jian, Yao Huifen and Sheng Chun -- were invited to the exhibition to showcase an array of skills involved in the fans, including their design, mount, carving, inlay, and painting.