What are you wearing today?
Suits and ties are too formal, T-shirts and jeans are too street style, a fancy dress could be too festive. And those choices are all too common for most people.
In China now every day, on the street or in the park, hanfu can be seen time and again. Although the revival of the traditional clothing for Chinese people has been a trend for some years, it still looks very unique whenever it is worn. Hanfu, the traditional clothing for Han Chinese, an ethnic group that makes up more than 90 percent of the Chinese population, has seen a resurgence in recent years. Mainly favored by young people, the hanfu isn't only popular, its gained widespread acceptance as daily attire.
According to the estimate of a hanfu-related website, over two million hanfu were purchased by the end of 2018. In the "2018 Hanfu Consumer Report" published by Tmall, the largest e-commerce platform in China, the number of hanfu buyers increased by 92 percent on a yearly basis. According to a survey on hanfu wearers, the average age is only 21, with 52.14 percent between 19 and 24. The hanfu is not a niche market or a fad anymore, but an emerging trend entering mainstream fashion and chased by an increasing number of young Chinese. What is the hanfu, and why it becomes so popular?
Hanfu - which literally means "Han clothing" - is the traditional clothing for Han Chinese, an ethnic group compromising more than 90 percent of the population of China. So the evolution of hanfu goes together with the rise and fall of Han people in ancient Chinese history. What’s behind hanfu is a succession, or inheritance of the Huaxia (Chinese) civilization. Hanfu represents the national spirit. Hanfu, an ethnic dress of Chinese Han people, has a history spanning thousands of years. While many designers have been trying to restore its authenticity, others say it's best to leave it in the past.
The hanfu boom has seen a proliferation in styles. To cater to the diverse tastes of youth, sellers are putting a fancy spin on this ancient attire. Certain hanfu have a colorful reflective effect, as shiny decorative powders are stamped on the cloth. Modern material like chiffon is also widely used in hanfu, while paillettes have been added to the surface of the dress. Some designs, although commonly seen on hanfu, are actually not considered authentic, as they aren't supported by archeological evidence. For example, for the popular chest-high long dress from the Tang Dynasty, usually there are two types: the one-piece or the two-piece model.
In response to the claim that Hanfu should make a return, we do not need a physical attachment to honor the tradition and Chinese culture. Instead, young Chinese designers should have a clear understanding of the art history and give what's the past a new life. We cannot return to the past and there is no need to dress exactly the same as ancient Chinese people, take the essence and discard the dregs. "Honoring history doesn't mean you have to mimic what it looked like in the past. You have to excel.」