Originally published in China Youth Magazine, Issue 10, 2021 @Correspondent: Fan Tuan (饭团) In recent years, there is a phenomenon that people can easily notice: more and more people in "ancient costumes" walking in the streets, they have wide robes and large sleeves, fluttering clothes, forming a landscape of their own, and most of them are young people. Their clothing is called Hanfu (汉服), and they call each other "Tongpao (同袍)" "Paozi (袍子)". So, what is Hanfu? Why are young people so keen on the Hanfu revival? How can ordinary people become Hanfu Tongpao? In this article, we interviewed 10 Hanfu Tongpao. Among them, there are ordinary people, leaders of Hanfu societies, Hanfu models, businessmen, and social media celebrities. Let's get closer to Hanfu in the stories of Tongpao.   Which Hanfu styles does Tongpao prefer? Hanfu, also known as Han Yi Guan, Han Zhuang, and Hua Fu, is a unique Han style and accessory system that was formed through a natural evolution from the reign of the Yellow Emperor to the middle of the 17th century AD (late Ming and early Qing dynasties) in the main areas where the Han people lived, with the "Huaxia-Han" culture as the background…

It's a hot summer day and time to argue whether or not summer is a good time to wear hanfu. As always, the answer I give remains that summer is perfect for wearing hanfu. In this article, we have found some cool hanfu styles for you, I hope it will help you with your summer hanfu dressing inspiration!   Beizi + Airplane sleeves + Pleated skirt Polka dot design and gradient color. Match the green of mint and the yellow of lemon together, and midsummer will become cool.   Song-style airplane sleeves + Xuan skirt The color is fresher and also in line with the popular color of 2021.   Ming-style short Shan + Pleated skirt The color is a vibrant summer model and the material is chiffon, which is not easily wrinkled. The pattern of the skirt is chosen to be checkered + summer plants, which is very suitable whether it is paired with hanfu of the same color, or with fashion.   Polka dot pleated skirt This Polka dot pleated skirt is very fresh, deep, and shallow small Polka dots do not show monotonous, with a round neck short shirt is very cute and daily.   Qixiong Shanqun…

History has annihilated all the past prosperity, and we can no longer witness the traditional dress aesthetics, but can only get a glimpse from the scrolls and terracotta figurines. But the search for Chinese traditional costume culture never stops, looking back at the lost costumes of the years, restoring them and recreating the glory of today. In the first issue, Modern Hanfu collated the styles that directly applied ancient paintings to Hanfu, while in the second issue, the restored Hanfu styles that will be presented to you are those that appear in ancient paintings and ceramic figurines.   The Night Revels of Han Xizai "The Night Revels of Han Xizai" is a painting by Gu Hongzhong, a painter of the Southern Tang Dynasty during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Depicting the scene of Han Xizai, an official, holding a night banquet at his home, with songs and music. There are five scenes in the scroll, and each scene is cleverly separated by a screen. This set of restored hanfu is based on the costume of the musician girl in "Han Xizai's Night Banquet", with a dark pattern on the top, a flower pattern on the skirt, and an…

Hanfu has grown very popular today. In fact, the hanfu industry is now worth over 1 billion and has kept increasing over the years. Even today, it is still increasing. Many young and old people alike wear hanfu daily: in the streets, at school, casual wear, etc. The wearers also say that hanfu gives them a sense of national identity. However, how exactly are the intricate pieces made? There are several steps to it. First, silks and fabrics must be made. Second, embroidery and decorations must be done on the cloth. Then, tailors and hanfu makers buy the cloth and sew it. After much work, beautiful hanfu are made but let's get into detail... 01. Silk making 1. In Chinese mythology, silk is said to be invented by Lady Hsi Ling Shih, the wife of the yellow emperor who ruled from about 3000 BC. However, written references of silk was found at the Shang dynasty site in Anyang. Silk was first discovered and created in China. Real silk is very valuable and is one of the most expensive fabrics in the world. There are several types of silk but the most common type is silk made from the cocoons of…

During the Ming dynasty, the categories and styles of gold and silver ornaments had greater innovation and development based on the Song and Yuan dynasties, showing different visual aesthetic experiences and artistic styles. Among the various types of gold and silver in the Ming dynasty ornaments, "San Sher (三事儿, sān shèr, three things)" is a unique example. Unlike other ornaments, the "San Sher" are daily life tools, used for repairing and cleaning, and their main components include hooks, chains, connectors, pendants, etc. Some of them also have storage tubes, and the pendant objects are usually toothpicks, ear picks, and tweezers, which can be worn by both men and women. The "San Sher" is a common name in the Ming Dynasty, but in fact, the number of pendants can be increased or decreased, and the types are also different. The Ming Dynasty gold and silver "San Sher" are exquisite and unique, reflecting the high design aesthetic appeal, and also have a rich cultural connotation.   Design aesthetics of Ming dynasty Ornaments - San Sher   01 Small and applicable: the form of pendant design The gold and silver "San Sher" of the Ming Dynasty pursued unity in form, and the pendant…

The hot summer season does not only represent dullness and bondage, but also softness, ease, breathability and silhouette opening. Besides the hanfu style, there is still a wide range of fabrics to choose from. Han Time's essential guide will start with fabrics and bring you hanfu style suitable for summer wear.   Ramie | Ancient Cloth for Summer Hanfu The ramie is harvested three times a year, and at the time of the Grain in Ear (芒种), the farmers peel off the ramie skin from the pole, which is so coarse that it will break the hands if not careful. But it and Ge Man are the oldest fibers used as the raw material for making clothes. In Chinese, there is a character "Ji (绩)", which refers to the action of spinning hemp fibers into threads, and the process of making hemp threads is called "Ji Sha (绩纱)", which is mostly done by women and elderly people, and then sold to weaving workshops to be made into cloth before it is ready for clothing. Because ramie has a good gap, it has excellent breathability, and the solid color fabric reflects simplicity. If added with the printed and dyed flower color,…

This section contains Quju (曲裾). Size range: 155/80A to 175/96A. Please read the introduction of the topic and how to use this guide in advance.   Introduction The basic style of the Quju is the Jiao Ling You Ren, the back lapel is lengthened to form a triangle, which passes down the back and around to the front lapel, and then a Dadai (大带) is tied around the waist to cover the end of the triangle, with a pleated skirt underneath. The Quju was popular from the pre-Qin to Han dynasties, before the invention of the Ku (袴), and could be worn by both men and women, with the hemline of the men's Quju being wider and the hemline of some women's Quju taking on a unique "trumpet flower" style. Later, men's Quju gradually disappeared, and for a long time, Quju remained in the mainstream of women's clothing. However, in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Ruqun, which was easier to wear and more convenient for walking, became widely popular, while the Quju began to disappear, and in the long history that followed, the most popular women's clothing was the Ruqun style. Although the Quju disappeared early in history, it…

Traditional Chinese painting has a long history, and classic heirloom paintings not only give us an idea of how the ancients lived, but some hanfu styles are even inspired by ancient paintings. The paintings we are going to learn about today have even been "printed" directly on the Chinese hanfu costumes. The traditional style of the hanfu combined with the retro tones of the paintings, makes a difference.   A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains The painting "A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains (千里江山图)", now collected in the Palace Museum in Beijing, is one of the ten most famous Chinese paintings, the work of Wang Ximeng of the Song Dynasty. He was only 18 years old when this painting was completed. Wang Ximeng's "A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains," 51.5 cm wide and 1,191.5 cm long, is painting on silk in green and blue, lavish in its elegance, combining the majesty of a thousand miles of rivers and mountains with the smoky atmosphere of life. There are not only magnificent mountains and rocks in the whole work, but also inhabitants on the riverside, who are either moored or working, adding dynamic beauty to the painting. The whole…

Hanfu models are arguably the luckiest of all, as they are always the first to try on the latest hanfu and take beautiful photos. But becoming a good hanfu model also takes a lot of hard work. Modern Hanfu found four hanfu models and let's hear their stories.   No.1 A Shang (阿尚) I am a college student studying drama performance, and I chose to join the hanfu modeling industry in my freshman year because I wanted to gain more shooting experience to better train myself and to reduce some economic pressure for my family, and I had participated in some aspects of modeling work. When I first joined the hanfu modeling industry, I thought hanfu modeling was the same as print modeling, but then I realized that I had to have my own "Yun Wei (韵味, charm)" to make it work. And the outside world's opinion about hanfu is really too single, each hanfu model as a "show" on stage for a minute or even a dozen seconds, may have to do a full month or two months of preparation off stage. From the understanding of the costume, to the selection of the overall style, to the design of…

Speaking of the Dragon Boat Festival customs, we can certainly think of many. In addition to delicious Zongzi, dragon boats, are also about decorating objects that symbolize good luck to drive away poisonous, as well as a variety of commemorative activities. But do you know what costume elements were used in the Dragon Boat Festival throughout history? Today, let's follow the Hanfu Culture Society and take a look!   Catering to the festive atmosphere, the ancient dressing ideas are generally based on the corresponding seasonal elements, these pattern elements decorated on clothing and accessories. Undoubtedly, in the Dragon Boat Festival, the most common of these patterns is the Wu Du (五毒, five poisons) patterns. In the ancient view, the lunar calendar in May is not a good month, that May is prone to disaster, and the fifth day of May, that is, the day of the Dragon Boat Festival is particularly dangerous. Therefore, the ancients called the lunar month of May for the "evil month (恶月)", also known as the "poison month (毒月)", and the Dragon Boat Festival this day (May 5) is called "evil day (毒日)". Therefore, the main activity of the Dragon Boat Festival is to avoid evil…

Dunhuang's artistic heritage is the result of the collective creative labor of the ancient Chinese people, spanning nearly a thousand years from the Wei and Jin dynasties (c. 4th century AD) to its gradual decline during the Song dynasty (c. 11th century AD). Through the three forms of plastic arts: architecture, sculpture, and painting, they are interrelated and reflect each other. Pattern art, on the other hand, is a kind of decorative art between the three, with a harmonious and strong artistic style. Let's follow the footsteps of Modern Hanfu and learn about the colors and patterns of Dunhuang murals and how they are used in Hanfu.   Introduction of Dunhuang Murals Dunhuang murals refer to the paintings on the inner walls of the Dunhuang Caves in China, a world cultural heritage and a treasure of human culture and art. Dunhuang murals are a major part of Dunhuang art, and are large in scale, exquisite in skill, and colorful in content. Like other religious art, it is an art that depicts images of gods, their havoc, their relationship with each other, and their relationship with people in order to support their good intentions and soothe their hearts. Therefore, it has…

The soft and romantic spring and early summer is the most suitable for oil painting style dressing, transforming into a hazy beauty in a painting in a minute. In fact, match hanfu can also learn from the oil painting style with the idea, let's follow Tongpao to see how to become "Hanfu beauty in the oil painting". Match hanfu with Oil painting style Everyone should have seen oil paintings, such as Monet's "Water Lilies", "Impression, Sunrise " and so on. And there are currently some hanfu styles that have a color scheme that draws on the artistic style of oil painting, and the colors and textures are beautiful to the extreme, and the overall harmony is comfortable. If you want to wear the unique atmosphere of oil painting style, you need to focus on the color scheme and elements. Color scheme The most important thing about oil painting style is that it is comfortable and durable, and the color scheme is absolutely not eye-catching, romantic and loving, gentle and elegant. The most recommended are the bright and light colors and the Morandi color scheme with grayscale. The former bright colors, moderate purity, high brightness, look bright, happy mood.   The…

In the previous article, we mentioned that the Shenyi (深衣) was slightly similar in appearance to the Daofu, which was inherited from the previous dynasty. But in modern hanfu, Shenyi is often thought to refer to Zhiju Shenyi and Quju Shenyi. In fact, Shenyi is considered to be the Fa Fu (法服) of ancient sages and has been highly revered by Confucians. let's follow Hanfu Culture Society to learn more about Shenyi, one of the oldest forms of Chinese dress!   [Structure and History] Shenyi, Jiaoling Youren (交领右衽), wide sleeves. It is generally white or jade, with Zao (皁, zào, i.e., black) edge at the collar and sleeve edges of the lapel. White and black are the most original two colors, symbolizing the alternation of light and dark, Yin and Yang. The upper and lower parts of the garment are cut separately and connected at the waist, symbolizing the unity of heaven and earth. The lower garment is made of twelve pieces, six at the front and six at the back, symbolizing the twelve months, and the middle seam of the upper garment is connected to the middle seam of the lower garment. The difference between Shenyi and Shenyi system:…

  On the evening of 26 May, a unique discussion was taking place in a courtyard in Yibin, Sichuan Province. The participants were all dressed in "Chinese traditional costumes", including a round-necked robe from the Tang dynasty, a Beizi from the Song dynasty, and a short Aoqun from the Ming dynasty, giving a sense of time travel at first glance. They are members of the Yibin Hanfu Association and are working on a plan for a ritual. Li Juan, the owner of the courtyard and president of the Yibin Hanfu Association, listens carefully and gives sound advice from time to time. Li Juan is a lover of traditional culture and has won awards for excellence in calligraphy in Yibin's Cui Ping District, and for excellence in Chinese painting from the Yibin Artists Association, etc. She came across hanfu in 2013 and loved it so much that she has been promoting it with other hanfu enthusiasts ever since. In December 2019, she took the lead in setting up the Yibin Hanfu Association, and has held many events such as the Flower Festival, coming-of-age ceremony, and the Qu Yuan Ritual Ceremony at the Dragon Boat Festival, bringing hanfu and traditional rituals to…

Traditional Chinese nail guards (Zhi Jia Tao, 指甲套), also known as "Hu Zhi (护指, finger protection)". The ancient palace noblewomen used gold and silver to make nail guards to protect their nails and show their status, were extremely fine and gorgeous, with a wide variety. If you have watched the wonderful historical TV drama Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace, you may have noticed that the concubines in the drama have long nails on their slender hands and wear nail guards on their end fingers, showing their nobility and elegance. Such luxurious Chinese nail guards, in addition to showing the identity status characteristics, what is its role, today let's explore it!   History of keeping long fingernails Everyone has a love of beauty. Since ancient times, it has been every woman's wish to have a pair of delicate hands, and the ancient Chinese had three main aesthetic standards for women's fingers: pointed, long, and white. The direct purpose of keeping long nails for women in ancient times was to make the nails extend the fingers, making the hand shape look sharp and long. And in ancient times, both men and women pursued long nails for beauty, many noble families and literati,…

A complete hanfu look is certainly not complete without fine jewelry to match. In the course of ancient history, traditional Chinese jewelry naturally evolved, graceful and luxurious, or refined and small. In this article, we will reveal through the order of dynasties, the fashion secrets in ancient traditional Chinese jewelry boxes. Let's see those periods of "China-Chic" how fashionable.   Wei, Jin and North and South Dynasties: A Fashion Trend from Abroad? The poem "Ballad of Mulan" contains the line: "She combs her hair by the window and, before the mirror, fastens golden yellow flowers." This "yellow flowers (Hua Hunag, 花黄)" refers to the makeup of women in the Wei and Jin dynasties, which was inspired by Buddhism. Due to the popularity of Buddhism, the Buddha-nature of gold brought inspiration to women, so although the "flower yellow" in makeup may have been a little exaggerated, but it does reflect the characteristics of Buddhism at the time, as well as the pursuit of exoticism. Of course, the rise of the introduction of Buddhism to the fashion circle brought not only makeup, with the matching jewelry also with a clear Buddhist style. In terms of production materials, although gold and silver remained…

Source: China Daily According to data from people.cn, Chinese hanfu consumers surpassed 2 million in 2018, tripling the level of 2017. A recent report from Guangzhou-based consultancy iiMedia Research estimated that by 2021, China’s hanfu fans will reach 6.89 million, and the hanfu sales volume will total 10.16 billion yuan ($1.58 billion). Popular Hanfu Currently, there were more than 3,000 registered hanfu-related enterprises in China, among which over 60 percent were registered in the past five years, data from business information provider Tianyancha showed. Guangzhou-based bespoke hanfu manufacturer, Minghuatang, is known as the “Hermes of hanfu.” Data from Minghuatang’s official website on May 17 showed that the customer service is busy handling orders submitted on May 11, and the tailoring period has been scheduled to mid-March 2022. Apart from high-end markets, inexpensive hanfu is also popular. Data from Alibaba’s Taobao platform showed that hanfu that are priced between 100 yuan and 300 yuan took up over 60 percent of sales, while those over 500 yuan accounted for roughly 30 percent of sales.   Why Hanfu became popular Zhang Yi, the chief analyst at iiMedia Research, said during an interview with online fashion media Vogue Business, that from a niche hobby…

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…

In terms of the cultural and economic development of Chinese feudal society, the Tang Dynasty was undoubtedly an apogee in the development of human civilization. The Tang government not only opened its country to the outside world, allowing foreigners to enter for business or study, but even allowed them to participate in the selection examinations for government officials. It was tolerant, and often appreciative of religions, art and culture of the outside world. Chang'an, the Tang capital, became the center of exchanges between different cultures. It deserves special mention that women of the Tang dynasty did not have to obey traditional dress codes, but were allowed to wear clothing that exposed their arms and chest, or dress with exotic elements. They could also wear riding clothes if they wanted to and enjoyed the freedom to choose their marriage and to divorce. The abundance of materials and a relatively relaxed social environment gave the Tang dynasty an unprecedented opportunity to develop culture, reaching new heights in such fields as poetry, painting, music and dance. Based on the development of the textile industry in the Sui Dynasty, and progress achieved in reeling and dyeing, the variety, quality and quantity of textile materials…

In summer, there are long days, lazy afternoons, beautiful sunsets, pink peach, sweet watermelon smoothies, and cold mint sodas ...... Although summer has its share of hot weather, beauty lovers always have the best of both worlds. Modern Hanfu sends you refreshing summer hanfu, please check it out. 1. Pick a summer hanfu according to color In the hot summer, we need fresh and beautiful colors to bring a touch of coolness. So we need to try to choose more fresh colors for our summer hanfu as well. A sky blue hanfu is fresh and elegant without being cheesy, reminiscent of a clear spring in the mountains. If a girl wears a sky blue hanfu, she will be the most playful fairy in summer! Sunset yellow with its unique gentle, unique in the summer. If you like warm tones, don't miss it, a sunset yellow tone hanfu, can make you more gentle and intellectual. Mint green is a name that makes people feel cool from the bottom of their hearts. It is like a breeze, quietly ruffling your hair in the summer, taking away the heat. A mint green hanfu not only makes you look energetic, but also brings a…