As a Taiwanese-American, I'm often asked about my interest in Hanfu. Here's y perspective on hanfu and why it's important to my identity.

What hanfu styles are from which dynasties? Can you tell what dynasty the cover photo for this article depicts?

01 The cheongsam loved by women Eileen Chang once said, "Clothes are a language", and every heroine in her novels would use the style of cheongsam to interpret the sorrow and happiness of love, and the prosperity of silk to lament the impermanence of fate. And Eileen Chang's love for cheongsam can be described as close to crazy. Cheongsam is not only an important prop in her novels, but also an indispensable costume in her life, and it is an expression of her views on life, aesthetics and women. The cheongsam maker who made her cheongsam recalled that he couldn't remember how many pieces of cheongsam he made for Eileen Chang, but he remembered that each piece of cheongsam was made "according to the drawing", and the design came from Eileen Chang herself. Not only Eileen Chang, but also Chinese women in the 1930s and 1940s seemed to be very fond of cheongsams. Soong Mei-ling was no less fond of cheongsams than Eileen Chang, and she had hundreds of cheongsams in her closet. Film and television stars such as Hu Die, Ruan Lingyu, and Zhou Xuan are also fans of cheongsam, they not only wear cheongsam out of their own…

Do you like to dress up and transport yourself back in time to another era? Well now you're in luck because the "Hanfu" fashion is coming back with a bang. The Hanfu - Han Ethnic Dress The Hanfu (汉服, hànfú) is the name given to the traditional Chinese clothing worn long before the 17th century by the Han (汉族, hànzú). In fact, it literally means "clothing of the Han" who are the majority ethnic group in China. The hanfu, has influenced different traditional dresses in Asia, such as the kimono in Japan, the hanbok in Korea, or the áo tú thân in Vietnam. It appeared in China more than 3,000 years ago and it is said that it was the Yellow Emperor (黄帝, Huáng dì), an important character in Chinese mythology and legends, who began to wear it as his regular garment. During the Western Zhou Dynasty (c.1046 - 771 BC) it began to be used as a social class differentiator. Status and prestige could be seen in the degree of decoration of the dress, the length of the skirt, the width of the sleeves, and the patterns. When the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) came, which was founded not by Han…

As in all countries, clothing plays an important role in Chinese culture. Chinese culture has existed for over 5000 years, and during this time some traditional clothing has been created. Traditional Chinese clothes are often based on the religion and social status of the person wearing them. Traditional Chinese clothes usually have a straight cut that is not too tight. This makes the clothes comfortable to wear. Light colors are most popular, but you can also find red, yellow, and purple clothes surprisingly often. White is considered the color of mourning in China and is therefore rarely worn in everyday life. In imperial times, the colors red, yellow, and purple were reserved for the ruler, his family, and high nobles. Today, red clothes are particularly popular, because the color stands for happiness and prosperity. This is the reason why many Chinese wear red clothes, especially on Chinese New Year. Chinese women's clothing is often more detailed and decorated with more embroidery than men's clothing. Everyday clothing is usually made of cotton or linen. On special occasions, people wear traditional clothing made of silk. To this day, there are four traditional Chinese garments that are still worn by many Chinese people:…

The Hanfu Movement has lasted for more than 10 years. Today hanfu is becoming popular, we could see more and more young people wearing hanfu clothes on the streets of China. Looking at the last decade, many people have mixed opinions about it. So let's take a look at the latest views on the Hanfu Movement in 2021. What is the Hanfu Movement? First of all, we should know that hanfu is the traditional costume of Chinese Han nationality. Since the Qing dynasty, it has been abolished for more than 300 years. With the development of China in the 21st century, the living conditions of the people have been continuously improved. The Han people realize that their traditional clothes should not be forgotten any more and began to revive the traditional Han clothing, this is the origin of the Hanfu movement. It's also part of the revival of traditional Chinese culture. We interviewed people from different regions and collected many opinions through online and offline, sort out these views listed as pros & cons, and neutral. And we also hope to hear your particular opinion on this topic. One should understand that when we discussing the national costume or clothing…

What is the oriental dress, clothing? Due to the differences in history, culture, and geographical location, the traditional costumes of different countries in the world are not the same. Even in Asia, the oriental dress clothing of different countries is also colorful. On the continent of Asia, each country has its own unique and proud culture. Different states have different characteristics in their clothes, food, residence, and travel. And clothing is one of the things that can best record and show the cultural changes of a country. There are many kinds of traditional asian clothing, including Hanfu, Qipao, Kimono, Hanbok, Sari, Ao Dai, Chut Thai, Tajik clothing, etc. Today, let's learn about some of the most distinctive and representative traditional oriental dress, clothing.   1. Hanfu / Cheongsam China has a long history and its traditional costumes are constantly changing. From the upper and the lower garments system of the Yellow Emperor era, to the crown and uniform system of the Han Dynasty, to the Zhongshan costume of the Republic of China, it is a miniature of China's social environment in different periods. Hanfu: Hanfu is the general designation of "Han traditional costume", also known as Hanyiguan (汉衣冠), Hanzhuang (汉装),…

The story of clothing and costumes is one of the most fascinating developments in human history. Traditional Chinese Dress & Clothing has a long history and cultural content, and it is an important part of Chinese excellent cultural heritage, so It has particular researching value. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaD4vS2GQxw Every nation in the world has its unique traditional clothing. The particular histories and cultures could be recognized so as for people to distinguish one citizen from another. China, as a multi-ethnic and time-honored country, has many ethnic minorities who have their indigenous culture. The mutual influences among these different cultures have contributed to the rich textures and fabrics of history and have made Chinese clothing with great variation and glory. Traditional Chinese dress & clothing has been shaped and developed alongside the interactive influences between the outside world and China’s own dynastic traditions. Every different dynastic has different scopes of territory, social values, social norms, etc. Therefore, many aesthetic standards were made according to the environments (socially, geographically, economically, politically) of certain dynastic. This is the main reason why traditional Chinese clothing has such many styles. 5 Types of  Traditional Chinese Clothing & Dress For exploring the world of traditional Chinese clothing, it is necessary…

Hanfu (汉服, hàn fú), Chinese traditional costume, the full name of which is "traditional costume of Han nationality". It is also known as Han Yiguan(汉衣冠), Han Zhuang (汉装), and Huafu (华服), which was formed from the reign of the Yellow Emperor to the middle of the 17th century (late Ming and early Qing dynasties), in the main residential areas of the Han nationality, with "Huaxia-Han" culture as the background and the dominant idea. With the Chinese ceremonial culture as the center, through natural evolution, formed the unique style and character of the Han nationality, obviously different from the traditional clothing and accessories system of other nationalities. This guide is classified according to the 1: basic feature of the Hanfu, 2: Hanfu shape & style, 3: Hanfu in different wearing scenes, 4: Hanfu in different dynasties, and the 5: related contents of Hanfu, so as to facilitate readers to understand and query.   Basic Feature of the Hanfu 1.1: Basic Structure Hanfu is cut from 50cm wide cloth and divided into parts: Ling (领, lǐng, collar), Jin(襟, jīn, placket), Ren (衽, rèn, overlapping part), Jin (衿, jīn or jìn), Ju (裾, jū), Xiu (袖, xiù, sleeves), Mei (袂, mèi), Dai (带, dài,…

As winter approaches, more and more Hanfu enthusiasts are focusing their attention on the Ming style Hanfu. Whereas in the Ming style Hanfu costume, the combination of an Ao (袄, jacket) on top and a Qun (裙, skirt) on the bottom is especially popular. Ao has several types of collars, and today we are focusing on the standing collar today, briefly introduce the history and how to wear it.   History of the standing collar  Some of you might recognize the standing collar as the mandarin collar, most people think the standing collar is derived from Qing Dynasty Manchurian dress, also known as the cheongsam or qipao, but it is actually originally invented and passed down from the Ming Dynasty, the dynasty before the Qing Dynasty, it is a part of the hanfu system and was later on adapted into Manchurian dresses, and today it’s widely known in the world as the mandarin collar, and recognized as one of the most distinctive features of Chinese clothing. Do you remember this Ming Dynasty painting? Almost every woman and child are wearing the cross collared Aoqun, showing how popular this style was at that time. However, when we look more closely at…

Next week is the Dragon Boat Festival in China, but for some people, they have gradually forgotten what the traditional meaning of this festival is, and only Remember it's a day about the battle over the dietary differences between sweet and salty dumplings, north and south. There is also a group of young people who have chosen to celebrate the festival differently by wearing ancient Chinese clothing and reviving ancient rituals to give the Dragon Boat Festival a different festive feel. The Revival of Ancient Chinese Clothing The APEC at the beginning of the century brought the Tang suit before the eyes of the world, which also raised several questions from Chinese netizens: "Is a Tang suit a Tang Dynasty Hanfu clothing?" "What is the national dress of the Han Chinese?" "Isn't the traditional Chinese dress called cheongsam?" Between 2001 and 2003, some young people who were interested in promoting national culture launched a folk culture movement called "Hanfu Revival" with the help of the new Internet. As the name implies, "Hanfu Revival" begins with the traditional costumes of the Chinese Han nation: ancient Chinese clothing, and proceeds to revive the culture of the Chinese people's clothing. It radiates to…

Samfu means shirt and trousers, also called samku in mandarin, is based on traditional female costumes worn in ancient China. Some of the most popular samfu styles are from the Song, Ming, and Qing eras. Those who have studied China traditional clothing say it is a turning point in history and reflects the change of ancient Chinese women's life and social status, before the appearance of samfu, women rarely wore pants outside. Traditional Samfu Suit Now we know that it's a traditional light suit consisting of a shirt (or a jacket) with a high collar and loose trousers/pants, worn by ancient Chinese women. It's the first time that Chinese people has been able to create samfu suit in Song dynasty. The traditional samfu's top, inheriting the style of Tang dynasty clothing, dignified and retro style, beautiful and pure, which makes ladies feel extremely comfortable and natural. Put on this exquisite shirt, decorate the charming woman, show an unspeakable beauty of graceful. Traditional samfu's pants consist of colorfully embroidered patterns and peplum; not long afterwards, loose-fitting, solid color simple style pants became popular nationwide - is very similar to the current wide-leg pants Samfu vs Hanfu Hanfu, also known as Hanzhuang,…

The traditional Chinese long dress is the symbol of Chinese nationality. Nowadays, we can see many kinds of China's style dresses with admirable textiles and delicate embroidery all around the world. Actually, traditional European costume has similar dress patterns and a corset has been used to emphasize women’s bodyline. Both western and eastern outfits show the approach to how people and society perceive on dress and women. As we know, each region's traditional costume is not only the dress to decorate on women’s body, but also to express the identity of their life and culture. Browse the list of beautiful Chinese dress styles and find the one you love the most to add just a touch of luxury and fun to your every day. And hope you like it. Best 4 Chinese Long Dress in History We should know that China has a long history. In fact, there are more than hundreds of styles of clothing in all periods, but don't worry, we will pick out the most popular dress styles for you. 1. Shenyi The shenyi is a traditional Chinese dress literally "cover the whole body," which is the classic garment for both males and females. Traditionally, shenyi's fabric…

The history of China clothing has a long history. From the primitive society, Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, spring and autumn, Warring States, Qin and Han Dynasties, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Sui and Tang Dynasties, song, yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, to modern times, it has attracted the world's attention with distinctive characteristics. This article will introduce four typical styles in Chinese clothing history: Hanfu, Qipao, Zhongshan suit, and Tang suit. In addition, we will introduce the characteristics and changes of China's clothing in several periods. 4 kinds of classic China clothing 1. Hanfu Hanfu, the full name of "traditional costume of Han nationality", is a traditional costume and accessories system with unique characteristics of Han nationality from the period of Yellow Emperor to the middle of the 17th century (the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of Qing Dynasty). In the main residential areas of the Han nationality, Hanfu was formed through natural evolution with the "Chinese Han" culture as the background and leading ideology, Chinese etiquette culture as the center. Hanfu not only has a long history but also has a profound impact on the clothing of neighboring countries: including Japan, South Korea, Vietnam,…

On November 17 local time, the first French Hanfu festival was held in Paris. The event was hosted by China general nuclear power group and hosted by Développement France-Chine and Vision Chine. The Hanfu festival began with a lively lion dance, followed by more than 20 tall and beautiful French models dressed in Chinese clothes. Models have displayed more than 100 sets of Chinese traditional clothing, mainly Chinese traditional Hanfu, as well as the distinctive clothing of different times in China. On the day of the activity, a 15-minute walk show will be held every other hour. Through four shows, many audiences enjoyed traditional Chinese clothing such as Hanfu, Tangzhuang (唐装), Qipao (旗袍), etc. The host explains the history and characteristics of various costumes on the spot. Many audiences not only feel the inheritance and innovation of Chinese clothing culture and exquisite handicraft but also really appreciate the splendid culture with a long history of China. During the activity, workshops such as Chinese paper-cut, calligraphy, rope art, the pattern of the make-up (脸谱) and photography were also set up, which were favored by many people, especially teenagers. The atmosphere of the Hanfu experience area is more active. French people put…

Some time ago, there was a Chinese fashion show at Paris fashion week, which amazed the world. Maybe you think this fashion show is a traditional fashion show of Hanfu, Qipao, and Tangzhuang, but this show is actually like this. This show is actually a combination of Oriental elements and modern fashion. It's really beautiful. Those who only exist in the scroll "reappear" on the gorgeous skirt. The Dunhuang murals, which only exist in grottoes, appear on the stage of the show. Light yarn, "thin as cicada's wings", applied inherits generations' Suzhou embroidery (苏绣) and Pan gold embroidery (盘金绣) for Royal use. Each model is full of fairy spirit, showing Oriental beauty. The headdress of the model is particularly attractive, and the exquisite design is classic and luxurious. Even the accessories, bags, and fans of models are very meticulous. And the most touching is the amazing details of clothing. The overall style of design can see the unique creativity of designers. The color matching of the Chinese style is more elegant and soft. In a moment, the eastern beauty sublimated from gentle and graceful to magnificent and immortal. With the traditional fine brushwork, ink, and hand-painting technique, you can see…

Lifen is a cardiologist in China and a Hanfu fanatic at the same time. She accepted our invitation to share her experiences about collecting and wearing Hanfu. She collects different styles of Hanfu and loves Cheongsam (Qipao) in particular. Let’s see how she falls in love with Hanfu. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Newhanfu: You’re a doctor, right. Would you mind sharing your working lives with us? Lifen: I’m a cardiologist. It’s been about 15 years since the first day I face cardiac diseases. Speaking about this career, as you can imagine, I’m living under serious stress everyday. It’s me who decides if my patients’ can continue their lives. The white coat I wear, the demeanor I bring with me, and the reputation of the profession I entered, all of these stand for a sacred trust that comes with great responsibility. Newhanfu: No doubt it’s a sacred profession. As you mentioned, there’s a lot of pressure you need to face in your career life. Are there any hobbies or interests that help you to reach a work-life balance? I know you‘re a Hanfu fanatic, and that’s why we have today’s talk. Could you talk about it? What is the role Hanfu play in your…

In recent years, traveling to China has become more and more popular around the world. Many people come to enjoy the unique life of China, taste delicious food, visit beautiful scenery, and experience Chinese traditional culture. But you may find out it is rare to see people wearing traditional Chinese costumes in their daily lives. It seems like traditional clothing has been forgotten by them. So, you might have a question, what is Chinese traditional dress, Cheongsam, Qipao, or Kimono?   Hanfu – The Traditional Costume of China Each country's traditional costumes are one of the symbols that reflect countries' ancient cultures and how native citizens were influenced by the regional environment. China has a long history of more than 5,000 years. Undoubtedly, Hanfu, as the most typical traditional costume of China, is a very important part of Chinese national culture. But compared with other traditional cultures, such as Chinese painting and calligraphy, Hanfu is not getting proper status and glory in the Chinese Culture Circle. Though with its disappearance in some ears, Hanfu still remains its typical features today due to its strong vitality. The clothing of Buddhism, Taoism, and many minority nationalities in China still maintains the characteristics…