When people think of traditional Chinese clothing, they often think of the 旗袍(qípáo). However, the Qipao is actually quite modern. 汉服(hànfú) are clothes of the Han Chinese, the ethnic majority during the pre-17th century China and also the ethnic majority to this day. Recently, many people have come together to bring back hanfu clothing through a movement known as The Hanfu Movement. This movement was inspired by a man named Wang Letian around 2003 when he wore the hanfu in public along with western shoes. Since then, more and more people have started joining the movement. In fact, the Hanfu Movement has even spread to social media platforms such as Douyin, the “Chinese Tik-Tok”. Many videos on Douyin have displayed people transforming from modern day western style clothing to the traditional hanfu. Not only that, but tourists can even try on a Hanfu for themselves when they visit certain cities in China such as Beijing.
However, there have been slight controversies regarding exclusion of ethnic minorities in China as a result of the Hanfu Movement. But, hanfu advocates have insisted that they aren’t suggesting the minorities should abandon their own cultural dresses for a style of fashion that is unrelated to nationalistic motives.
The Hanfu Design:
- the left collar covers the right in order to represent the perfection of human nature
- the broad sleeve represents the connection between nature and human creativity
- a girdle used to tie clothing together represents the limiting of human desire by Han culture
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Interesting article! I’ve seen this on social media and knew that it was traditional Chinese clothing, but didn’t know that it was a movement. It’s cool how people are coming together to bring back hanfu clothing through a movement known as The Hanfu Movement. Thank you for sharing!
This article was so cool! I know that I always thought of the QiPao as traditional dressing when in fact it’s the Hanfu. This year when I went to China, my only request was to try-on Hanfu clothing and take pictures at historical sites. I had such an amazing time and I felt like a character straight out of a Chinese drama.
Great article Emily! I had no idea that the Hanfu movement was so popular! I think that it is so cool how the movement has spread to social media, connecting past culture and history with modern technology. What really intrigues me about the clothing is how intricate and ornate it is. Another aspect that I found to be very interesting was how people are connecting modern day western style clothes with the traditional Hanfu. I also think that it is very cool that tourists can try on traditional Hanfu clothes themselves in Beijing. Thanks for sharing!
Amazing article Emily! The Douyin videos always show up on my Instagram feed. I never knew why it became a trend and so popular. I find it fascinating that even in modern times, social media has become a gateway between technology and traditional culture. I love how beautiful the Hanfu clothing is! Overall, great job on your article! It had a very relevant and fascinating topic. Keep up the stellar work. 🙂
Love the article! Many of my friends wear Hanfu also. I love this movement because it showed the Chinese culture. This encouraged young people to learn more about the history of China, especially during the Han Dynasty. Overall, this is a very informative article. Keep up with the great work!
Interesting article! I know Hanfu Movement is very popular now. Because everytime I am browsing DouYin, the Hanfu video always shows up. But I didn’t know it was inspired by Wang Letian around 2003 if I didn’t read this. So thanks for sharing this. I love this article!
This is a very interesting article! It’s interesting how there is symbolism behind the Hanfu dress. For instance, I learned that the left collar covers the right in order to represent the perfection of human nature. The Hanfu movement reminds me of and sounds similar to the Han dynasty in China. I also learned about the backstory as to how this movement started; Wang Letian wore hanfu clothing in public along with western shoes in 2003.