Caoxian: The Rising Star in the Hanfu Industry
Caoxian was once well - known for producing dance costumes and photography studio clothing. In recent years, the Hanfu industry has emerged as a new cultural calling card, and now Caoxian has become the 'cosmic center' of China's Hanfu industry. From its humble beginnings to continuous growth, transformation, and rapid rise, Caoxian's Hanfu has won the favor of countless Hanfu enthusiasts with its unique charm and exquisite craftsmanship. It has become a leader in the national Hanfu market, leading the trend of the Hanfu industry.
Walking into Daji Town in Caoxian, you can feel a strong Hanfu cultural atmosphere. In the streets of Sunzhuang Village in Daji Town, busy Hanfu entrepreneurs can be seen everywhere. Among them, there are former photography studio photographers, housewives, and newly - graduated college students. It is these entrepreneurs who have opened a new chapter in Caoxian's Hanfu industry with their wisdom and courage.
The Evolution of Caoxian's Clothing Industry
In the 1990s, the clothing industry in Sunzhuang Village, Caoxian, quietly started, mainly producing photography studio clothing and dance costumes. At that time, clothing enterprises gradually gained a foothold in the market with their exquisite craftsmanship and unique designs. However, the real glory came in 2009 when the e - commerce boom started. Ren Qingsheng and Zhou Aihua, a couple from Dinglou Village, Daji Town, Caoxian, keenly caught the trend of the Internet economy and quickly transformed, focusing on the production of performance costumes. With a low - cost and high - efficiency production model, Caoxian's performance costume industry boomed and quickly became the largest production base in the country, accounting for 70% of the national market share.
In 2020, the significant reduction in performance activities brought an unprecedented winter to Caoxian's performance costume industry. Against this background, Caoxian's clothing enterprises turned their attention to Hanfu. As an important part of the 'national trend' culture, Hanfu is gradually moving from a niche hobby to the mass market. Relying on years of clothing production experience and mature e - commerce channels, Caoxian quickly entered the Hanfu market. By combining the production process of dance costumes with Hanfu design, Caoxian's enterprises quickly occupied the Hanfu market with their low - cost and high - efficiency advantages and became the new favorite of consumers.
The Growth and Innovation of Caoxian's Hanfu Industry
As the market expands, Caoxian's Hanfu entrepreneurs are not satisfied with the status quo. They keep up with consumer demand, continuously expand the production and processing scale, and push the Hanfu industry to a broader market. Meanwhile, the Hanfu industry in Caoxian also keeps pace with the development of the Internet economy. As early as around 2018, there were sporadic Hanfu startup shops in Caoxian. Although the scale was small at that time, the grass - roots people opened their minds and actively used the Internet platform to open online stores, do live broadcasts, and sell performance costumes and Hanfu to a larger area through the network. Now, Caoxian's Hanfu shops cover multiple e - commerce platforms such as Taobao, Tmall, JD.com, Pinduoduo, Douyin, Kuaishou, and Xiaohongshu. Hanfu practitioners are spreading Caoxian's Hanfu culture around the world through the network.
During the development of Caoxian's Hanfu industry, products are constantly being optimized and upgraded. From single to diverse, the industrial chain is getting longer, and the industrial cluster is becoming more distinctive. Hanfu production has developed from scratch, from imitating other shops' products to independent design and production, from simple single - type fabrics to high - end special fabrics, and from common goods to brand - name products. Every step reflects the wisdom and hard work of entrepreneurs. For example, a custom - made Hanfu produced by Qi Yong of Yibei Hanfu Studio in Ancailou Town was sold at a high price of 35,000 yuan. Now, a number of leading Hanfu enterprises have emerged in Caoxian, such as 'Huashenji', 'Zuiyuduo', and 'Luoruyan'. They not only lead the local market but also set the trend for the national Hanfu industry.
The New Growth Points: Horse - Face Skirts and New - Year Greeting Hanfu
In recent years, as a bright star in the Hanfu industry, Caoxian, with its profound cultural heritage and vigorous development momentum, has led the revival trend of Hanfu culture. Especially the rise of horse - face skirts and New - Year greeting Hanfu in recent years has injected new vitality into Caoxian's Hanfu industry and promoted another leap in the industry. During the Spring Festival in 2024, horse - face skirts became a popular 'New - Year battle robe', and after the Beginning of Spring, their popularity remained undiminished, being called the 'first skirt of spring'. This traditional ancient clothing, with its unique tailoring and elegant temperament, has regained its youth. In the hands of Caoxian's Hanfu designers, horse - face skirts not only retain the traditional charm but also incorporate modern fashion elements, becoming the favorite of many Hanfu enthusiasts. Whether for daily wear or important occasions, horse - face skirts can show the wearer's unique temperament and cultural heritage.
As the traditional clothing during the Spring Festival, New - Year greeting Hanfu carries people's good wishes for the new year and respect for traditional culture. Caoxian's Hanfu enterprises closely follow market demand and launch a variety of New - Year greeting Hanfu with novel designs and auspicious meanings, which not only meet consumers' diverse needs but also set off a Hanfu craze during the Spring Festival. These New - Year greeting Hanfu are not only diverse in styles and bright in colors but also incorporate rich cultural elements and auspicious patterns, becoming a beautiful scenery during the Spring Festival. According to statistics, during the Spring Festival in 2025, Caoxian's New - Year greeting Hanfu achieved sales of 400 million yuan, and the market was extremely hot, becoming a highlight of this year's Spring Festival consumer market. The rise of horse - face skirts and New - Year greeting Hanfu has not only brought new growth points to Caoxian's Hanfu industry but also promoted the transformation and upgrading of the entire industry.
The Government's Support and the Future of Caoxian's Hanfu Industry
Caoxian's Hanfu enterprises have increased R & D investment, improved design levels, and strengthened brand building, striving to create Hanfu brands with independent intellectual property rights and core competitiveness. At the same time, Caoxian actively builds e - commerce platforms and expands sales channels, allowing more people to understand and buy Caoxian's Hanfu products. With the support and guidance of the government, Caoxian's Hanfu industry is developing towards brand - building, internationalization, and high - end orientation.
With strong government support, Caoxian's Hanfu industry has received comprehensive support in policies, talents, and funds, showing a booming development trend. To promote the growth of the Hanfu industry, the Caoxian government has carefully planned and built multiple industrial parks, such as the e - Fashion Town • Digital Economy Industrial Park and the e - Fashion Capital • China (Caoxian) Hanfu Intelligent Innovation City. These parks not only gather the Hanfu processing industry but also achieve intensive and economical use of resources. At the same time, the government has optimized the overall industrial layout and determined the '1 + 6' characteristic clothing industry block layout, covering the core area of the clothing industry and multiple characteristic demonstration areas, significantly shortening the cycle from Hanfu design to sales.
In terms of industrial element guarantee, Caoxian has established close industry - university - research cooperation relationships with well - known universities and industry associations, attracting a large number of design masters and students to participate in Hanfu design, providing a continuous source of creativity for the industry. In addition, Caoxian has built a complete transportation network and logistics system, ensuring that Hanfu products can be quickly and efficiently transported to all parts of the country and overseas markets. At the same time, the government has innovated the financial service model, launching financial products such as 'e - commerce loans' and 'association loans' to provide strong financial support for Hanfu enterprises.
In brand building, Caoxian actively guides enterprises to strengthen independent R & D and innovation, establishing multiple Hanfu original R & D bases and experience centers, such as the Doctor Hanfu Original R & D Base of Chenfei Clothing. These bases not only integrate R & D, design, production, and sales but also become important display windows for Caoxian's Hanfu culture. At the same time, Caoxian has carried out in - depth cooperation with many well - known e - commerce platforms and media, comprehensively displaying and promoting Hanfu culture through online and offline means.
It is reported that the rapid development of Caoxian's Hanfu industry is not only reflected in quantity and scale but also in quality and brand influence. In recent years, Caoxian's Hanfu has won many awards in major cultural events and e - commerce platforms, and events such as the Caoxian Hanfu Cultural Festival have also attracted the attention and praise of many netizens. In addition, with the help of e - commerce, Caoxian's Hanfu industry has quickly risen, not only having a place in the domestic market but also showing its unique cultural charm on the international stage. Currently, Caoxian has 2,524 Hanfu enterprises, more than 90% of which are original Hanfu processing enterprises, with over 14,000 online stores, 206 offline Hanfu experience stores, and nearly 100,000 Hanfu practitioners. Caoxian's Hanfu industry has formed a complete industrial chain and brand incubation system, with strong production capacity and market competitiveness. The Hanfu industry has not only become an important way for the people in Caoxian to increase their income but also a new engine for rural revitalization.
