In the middle of the Tang Dynasty, women's hairstyle, makeup, jewelry, and dress style has undergone a huge change. Heavy makeup and high buns, long skirts with large sleeves prevailed, and formed a variety of distinctive makeup styles. At first, it was just regarded as grotesque, considered to be a sign of chaos, but later it developed into an issue discussed in the court. Although prohibited by the court, it is difficult to extinguish, getting more and more intense.   Shi Shi Zhuang During the Zhengyuan period (785-805), the Ti Mei makeup (啼眉妆) and the Duo Ma bun (堕马髻) appeared first. The prototype of the bun hanging on one side already appeared during the Kaiyuan period, but it evolved into more huge and exaggerated in the Middle Tang Dynasty. The eyebrows painted in the shape of characters "八", replaced the previous curved thin eyebrows. The female figurines excavated during the Zhen Yuan period and the ladies of the "A Palace Concert" all showed such kind of makeup style. On this basis, the famous Shi Shi Zhuang (时世妆) was formed during the Yuanhe period (806-820). Bai Juyi, who loved to record the details of the costumes, depicted this makeup detail in…

Have you ever noticed the motifs on a hanfu? They are diverse and can even be considered the finishing touch to a hanfu. Maybe it is some kind of animal from ancient times or different kinds of plants to match. Most of them have a special meaning, and some fantastical motifs even contain mythological stories.   Animal Motifs Qilin Motifs Although the production environment of the ancients was much less than the modern society, the ancients never skimped on their imagination when it came to creating sacred animals. For example, the Qilin (麒麟). With a dragon head, deer antlers, cow hooves, and lion's tail, the Qilin changed several times before the Tang Dynasty and had no fixed appearance. In the Song Dynasty, the body became a common lion-shaped scaly body, basically into the current form. In "Fantastic Beasts 3: The Mystery of Dumbledore", the Qilin appears as a new fantastic beast. This is the second Chinese mythical creature launched in the "Fantastic Beasts" series, Zouwu from the "Shan Hai Jing" appeared in "Fantastic Beasts 2: The Crimes of Grindelwald". Qilin is a symbol of auspiciousness and has a very high status in ancient times, and has been assigned with simple…

Unlike modern clothing, which is updated so frequently, the development of antique Chinese clothing was not only accompanied by the change of dynasties, but also combined with the level of fabrics of the time. However, there is no doubt that different periods in ancient China had distinctive fashion items.   01 Shenyi in Han Dynasty In 1972, when the three-month archaeological excavation ended, the archaeologists of Tomb No. 1 of the Mawangdui Han Tomb in Changsha were still excited. During the subsequent work, they discovered a dozen pieces of well-preserved Western Han costumes, thus opening a window for later generations to peek into the aesthetics of the dress worn by ancient Chinese 2000 years ago. The relics of the tomb that the archaeologists cleaned were from the tomb of Xin Zhui, the wife of Li Cang, the prime minister of Changsha in the early Western Han Dynasty. Based on archaeological and textual records, we know that there were two main types of clothing for the ancient Chinese during the Qin and Han dynasties. Type Yichang (衣裳), in which the clothing of the upper body and the lower body were not connected; Type Shenyi (深衣) in which the upper garment and…

Ready to start deepening your hanfu wardrobe? Start looking into some of your closet staples here: hanfu underlayers!

Wedding dresses have become more and more sophisticated in recent years and continue to bring pleasing looks to the audience. But if we rewind the time to twenty years ago, would we be able to see such a wedding dress look in a costume drama?

The Duanwu Festival (端午节, Dragon Boat Festival) has long been transformed into a concrete and profound contemporary cultural symbol in the annual ritualistic repetition of the action. As the fifth day of the fifth lunar month approaches, various flavors of Zongzi are marketed, many traditional villages begin preparing for dragon boat races, and Chinese office workers and students await the holiday with great anticipation. Are there any other traditional Duanwu customs that have continued from ancient times? And how did the ancient people prepare for the Duanwu Festival? Let's search the Duanwu Festival in the classic paintings that have been passed down through the ages.   Eat Zongzi Whenever the Duanwu is mentioned, Qu Yuan is the most familiar to people. In order to commemorate Qu Yuan, who committed himself to the Miluo River, on every fifth day of May, people throw Zongzi into the river; at the same time, they make dragon boats to expel the augur dragon so that Qu Yuan's flesh will not be robbed. This is also the most widespread source of Zongzi and dragon boat racing. As the most ritualistic necessity of the Duanwu Festival, eating Zongzi has long been a popular habit for all Chinese. Many…

In recent years, hanfu has been flourishing all over China, and there are large and small hanfu events held every month. So what are the specific cities with the best hanfu atmosphere? Hanfu Zixun launched the Top Hanfu Cities of China contest to reflect the different development of hanfu around the country. With 62.01% of the votes, Chengdu, Sichuan topped the list, the only city with more than 50% of the votes, and was drastically outperformed by all the other cities. Xiuwu ranked seventh, which should have a lot to do with its success in holding the first Hanfu Expo in 2021.   NO.1 Chengdu (成都) The No. 1 hanfu city is: Chengdu. After pandas, hot pot and mahjong, Chengdu has a new calling card: the Hanfu capital. It is not only because of its nationally known "Hanfu Street", but also because it has nearly 220,000 hanfu lovers, the first in China in terms of the number of Hanfu Tongpao (同袍; Hanfu fans call each other Tongpao). Chengdu's excellent hanfu culture atmosphere cannot be separated from the local government's strong support for the promotion of hanfu culture.   NO.2 Hangzhou (杭州) Hangzhou, known as "Hang" for short, was known as…

Want to wear chest-high ruqun but can't seem to figure out how to keep it from slipping? Here are five ways to fix this problem.

So many choices for your first hanfu—what are some factors you should consider before making your first purchase?

The long-awaited hanfu prom outfit analysis is here!!!

The tiger hat (虎头帽, tiger head hat) is a typical child's hat style in Chinese folk costumes with the image of a tiger. Tiger hats, tiger shoes, tiger bibs, tiger dudou, etc. as an important part of Chinese children's clothing, with distinctive characteristics. The tiger is considered a kind of auspicious beast in Chinese traditional culture, and is an important object of totem worship for the Chinese nation. The tiger hat as a folk handed down to this day a kind of children's hat ornament, with the tiger as the image, hat shape, the pattern is also more tiger head model, so-called the tiger hat.   Origin and Development Origin 1: Ancient China was a traditional agrarian society that experienced a lot of hardships in claiming nature's materials, and various symbols and forms of divine power to help ward off disasters emerged. The tiger, as a positive symbolism, was recognized as a sheltering god that could block disasters, and the tiger totem has been passed down to this day in the worship of many evil suppresses. People gradually infiltrated this worship as a belief into the people's daily life, and developed unique handicraft clothing such as tiger hats. Origin 2: Chinese tiger…

Chinese clothing is the epitome of Chinese civilization. Traditional clothing colors are influenced by the "Theory of the Five Elements" and are divided into five colors: green, red, black, white, and yellow. The different colors revered by different dynasties reflect the characteristics of their dynasties. In this article, the most representative six dynasties of ancient China are selected: Han, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing, and their popular colors are analyzed.   Chinese Colours in Han Dynasty Characteristics: Simple and natural Popular colors: Xuan (玄, smoky black), Chi (赤, upsdell red), White (白), Green (绿) In 206 B.C., the Han Dynasty was founded. Influenced by the Taoist art of Huanglao and Confucianism, Han Dynasty costumes pursued the essential beauty. The color of Han Dynasty clothing was mainly monochromatic, and it was a respect for the dark and light colors, which made it look dignified, simple and natural. Carried the idea of "ritual rule and Taoism", and fabric dyeing of Han Dynasty clothing followed the beliefs of the five elements of yin and yang, with dark colors representing dignity. Color Xuan in Han Dynasty clothing After the Han Dynasty destroyed the Qin Dynasty, water virtue was revered according to the doctrine…

It’s prom season! Now, I know that the age group for prom is pretty small, but I’m going to prom in an outfit of my own this year (I’ll be uploading an outfit analysis of it once I’m done arranging everything in a separate article) and I thought I’d compile a few ideas for anyone else to follow in my steps. This doesn’t only include prom, of course—homecoming, other formal or semiformal occasions (if it’s black tie or has a really strict dress code play  it safe and don’t do something too extravagant), etc. are also great places to show off your hanfu. Matching Ming Dynasty Sets One popular tradition for prom is to match your prom date’s outfit when you go to prom. There’s lots of ways to do this—for western clothing, many people match ties to their date’s dress or vice versa, and a couple wearing both feminine and masculine coded clothing also looks very charming—but, luckily, this tradition matches with a common hanfu trend: couple’s outfits, or CP outfits, as they’re often called. This isn’t just for official couples, of course—plenty of friends, siblings, and the like also wear CP outfits for fun. Some of the most…

Recently, Who Rules the World (且试天下), wuxia drama starring Yang Yang and Zhao Lusi, is being broadcast on Tencent Video. This drama adapted from the novel of the same name by Qing Ling Yue, combines traditional costume, romance, and martial arts. In just one week of broadcasting, the cumulative viewership of Who Rules the World has already exceeded nearly 500 million. The kingdom is divided into seven parts, the emperor's family is the most honored. The person who has the Xuan Ji Ling (玄极令) can command six states. However, the disappearance of the Xuan Ji Ling has led the chaos, and the power-hungry heroes are out in force, they all want to be the first to find the Xuan Ji Ling and achieve their own supremacy power. Hei Feng Xi and Bai Feng Xi are also involved in it, they not only implicated in the huge power and conspiracy between the court and the martial arts world, but also write their own martial arts romance saga. In terms of plot, Who Rules the World is not based on historical dynasties, but the exciting game of court, the thrilling martial arts fighting scenes, as well as the sweet emotional scenes, can…

As for the most powerful woman in ancient China, Wu Zetian must be mentioned. From the time she entered the palace to the time she abdicated, Wu Zetian's life spanned nearly seven decades from the early Tang Dynasty to the peak of the Tang Dynasty, nearly a quarter of the reign of the Tang Dynasty. With the overall national power, economy, customs, and even climate change of various factors, this period of court makeup, whether the overall aesthetic, or makeup, hair, jewelry, and even clothing, have undergone huge changes. As a woman who eventually rose to the top of imperial politics, Wu Zetian had the powerful energy for changing the makeup fashion of the day.   01 From the simple charm of the old dynasty Wu Zetian was born in the seventh year of Wu De (624), and entered the palace at the age of fourteen in the eleventh year of Zhenguan (637). After twelve years as a concubine, she followed the other concubines without children into the Temple of Sensationalism as a nun. The style of Tang women's clothing in the Zhenguan period was similar to that of the late Northern dynasty and Sui, advocating a slender figure and…

Drama The Imperial Age (山河月明), which begins with the "Hongwu Northern Expedition" in the early Ming Dynasty, tells the story of Zhu Di, the fourth son of Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, who have experienced the battlefield at a young age, grows into a qualified military commander and mature politician with the company of Xu Da, and achieves greatness. The Imperial Age has gained a lot of fans since it started, and viewers have fallen in love with the daily life of the imperial family, which is different from the serious royal atmosphere of previous historical dramas, describing it as "the happy life of the first family of the Ming Dynasty", and the elaborate hanfu costumes in the drama have also unfolded a realistic and detailed aesthetic painting of the Ming Dynasty.   Court Dress in the Ming Dynasty During the Ming Dynasty, costumes also became more hierarchical, with strict rules on the types of clothing, accessories, and even colors that different classes could wear. In The Imperial Age, civil officials' uniforms were embroidered with birds, while military officials' uniforms were embroidered with fierce animals. The official uniform system at that time stipulated that the court uniforms and ceremonial uniforms of…

Scholar, Chivalrous man, taoist priest, traditional Chinese Mens Clothing allows men to temporarily change style and experience another identity. In this article, Yizhi Keke's outfit guide is based on "Spring Men Hanfu" and provides the most comprehensive tips on how to wear Chinese mens clothing. If you master this way of dressing, then you can also explore the countless possibilities of your own personality and show your unique charm and style.   Tips of matching men's hanfu for spring Classical and simple color scheme The Chinese traditional color is derived from Chinese painting (ink painting), and its color mixing medium is mainly water, so the brightness and luminosity of the color itself will not change too much in the process of color intensity change. Therefore, the overall style of traditional Chinese colors is clear and transparent, and the picture is clean even multiple colors are integrated. When we match colors, we take "five colors - black, red, qing (青), white and yellow" as the basis, and choose different colors according to the specific style performance. If you want to maximize the performance of the mood and flavor of the dress, you can choose "black and white ink color scheme", ink…

Although hanfu has a long history, most modern hanfu are restored based on excavated cultural relics, heirloom ancient paintings, and frescoes as prototypes, which can be roughly divided into "style restoration", "pattern restoration", "color matching restoration "and so on. In this article, we will show you 10 beautiful vintage hanfu dresses with rich ancient flavor.   #01 This retro hanfu set is Jiaoling Ruqun, restored from Tang Yin's "Chang'e Holding A Laurel" from the Ming Dynasty. There are six pieces of hanfu in the set, with a double cross-collar upper jacket, a goose yellow jacquard outer layer, black cuffs with cranes in clouds, and a diamond-shaped bean green one-piece pleated skirt underneath.   #02 This is a half-armed, wide-sleeved, cross-necked Ruqun, arestored from the figures in the Yongle Palace murals in Rui Cheng, Shanxi Province.   #03 This Dunhuang mural restoration of a Tang Dynasty Qixiong Shanqun + Pibo is based on the costume in the mural "Donor portrait of Lady Wang from Taiyuan in worship". The upper body is blue light cross-necked upper Shan + dark red light cross-necked Banbi, and the lower skirt is a large red printed two-piece skirt.   #04 This retro Jiaoling Ruqun set is…

When you browse through the tutorials of hanfu hairstyles, you will find that the use of wigs is widespread. Is it true that girls had long and dense hair in ancient China? The eternal problem of thinning hair is not only a problem for modern people, but ancient beauties also needed to rely on wigs to complete the look. The application of wigs has a history of thousands of years. Today we briefly introduce the history of wigs.   Di (髢, dí) and Bi (髲, bì) were the original names for traditional Chinese wigs. However, not everyone had access to wigs in ancient China. At the beginning of the wig's birth, it was not an ordinary accessory. The Rites of Zhou records that Zhuishi (追师), a kind of palace official in charge of the empress' headdress, made wigs and headdresses. 追师掌王后之首服，为副编次追衡笄…… ——《周礼》 Fu (副), Bian (编), Ci (次) are three different levels of wig types, only worn during critical events such as rituals, and only for the exclusive use of noblewomen such as empress and madam. The famous Mawangdui Han tomb has unearthed a well-preserved "Fu" wig. This set of wigs is thick and black, and Lady Xin Zhui chases…

If you are looking for some great ideas about how to choose green hanfu clothing for your spring, then this post will help you get started. Cover five different green hanfu suggestions from the Han Time (汉服时代), as well as beautiful hanfu accessories. The dance "Zhi Ci Qing Lǜ" has brought "A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains" back into the limelight and made the color cyan green popular. The number of products derived from this painting has also increased, and this has given hanfu lovers a wider choice of green hanfu. "A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains" is a silk painting on cyan green color, 51.5 cm in length and 1191.5 cm in width, with a vast and superb atmosphere, now collected in the National Palace Museum. It emphasizes a self-contained landscape mood, with a glimpse of the aesthetics of the Song through color. It must be said that the best blend with this mood is Gambiered Guangdong silk, with nature's own color as a base and the staining of cyan green, which can be said to bring out the subtle details of the ancient painting. Similarly, the cyan green color in "A Thousand Li of Rivers and…