The fan looks like it is made of cattail-leaves - a very popular practice on the east coast along Yangtze River
Note
Transcribed caption: Stationary ferry boat - the gentleman shades his head with a fan from the rays of the sun - hats are seldom worn in summer except by men who are most of the time out of doors; an up-river cargo boat
Hamilton College Library, Clinton, New York, United States.
(1900-1999).
Page 179 - Sketches of life in Ning-po.
Digital Collections, Hamilton College Library.
https://litsdigital.hamilton.edu/do/712435f4-ae3a-4b37-b3cc-86a95bd87ef5
Hamilton College Library, Clinton, New York, United States.
1900-1999.
“Page 179 - Sketches of life in Ning-po”.
Last modified August 28, 2024.
Digital Collections, Hamilton College Library.
https://litsdigital.hamilton.edu/do/712435f4-ae3a-4b37-b3cc-86a95bd87ef5