For Hanfu Hong Kong, which was founded in 2013, the practice is a way of life that embodies a unique lifestyle choice rather than just a passing trend. “How to dig into such ideas imbedded in classical attire to better combine traditional culture with modern life is an area that deserves more attention and effort of modern Chinese people,” Cai added. The jackets given to the APEC leaders were a blend of Chinese motifs and western design, made from silk supposedly artificially enhanced to be stronger, softer, more wrinkle-resistant, more water-absorbent, and better ventilated, with longer-lasting and brighter colors. Our bodies, every hair and every bit of skin, are given to us by our parents, and we must not presume to injure or wound them. For example, cutting hair was considered harmful to the body, because hair is considered a gift from one’s parents. In the early history of the Jurchen, the Jurchen liked to wear white clothing and shaved the front of their head above the temples while the rest of their hair hanged down to their shoulders.
China’s clothing system has a long history dating back to the Xia dynasty (2100BC) and has gone through various changes and developments over time. Hanfu’s traditional forms. And as young people gain more knowledge about Hanfu over the years, they will become more sophisticated and demanding,” she said.喵爷碎碎念, a Hanfu KOL on Bilibili, told Jing Daily that consumers are expecting more modern, well-made Hanfu over the next few years. Three years later, not only did the trend refuse to dwindle, but now it is hitting the masses and has grown stronger than ever. Common motifs on the jiangyi include: the sun, moon, Three Heavens, Sacred (Golden) Tower and Flying cranes; Stars and Constellations; Wu yue (True forms of the Five Sacred Peaks); Mountain Peaks and Cosmic waters. Examples include: 古裝 (ancient costume), 仙女 (female divinity) , 民族風 (ethnic style), 表演服 (performance), and 貴妃 (imperial concubine).
Some see hanfu as a tribute to Chinese civilisation and believe it should be treated with respect and hanfu style rules should be followed. This style of dress, translated to mean “Han clothes”, relates to any period in which the Han Chinese ruled. Referred as “汉洋折衷”(the middle way between Chinese and Western styles) in the Hanfu community, this term perfectly sums up the new golden formula of looking cool for young China today: pairing traditional Chinese culture with a bit of Western flair – and add a lot of swag. In ancient China, being dressed in fuyao clothing-style was understood as a form of social confusion in the way one dresses himself; for example, being dressed against what was prescribed by the rules and regulations and therefore having no consideration in the distinction between the higher and lower status; or wearing clothing-style which shows transgression in gender and/or sexuality norms. On the other hand, electronic business platforms like Taobao are the most common way to purchase hanfu products for individual customers. After all, Chinese luxury culture is reflected in Hanfu-making, where precious fabrics like gambier Guangdong silk and cloud brocade are often used. During the Heian period (794-1185 CE), Japan stopped sending envoys to the Chinese dynastic courts.
The guichang eventually became more popular than the guipao during this period as the set of attire ruqun itself had become more popular. Despite the sartorial diversity among China’s 56 ethnic minorities, drab images of stiff Mao jackets or of the “qipao” – a silk dress with a mandarin collar and side slits derived from Manchu fashion- are the first things that come to mind when one thinks of “traditional” Chinese attire. A black changshan, along with a rounded black hat, was, and sometimes still is, the burial attire for Chinese men. The Manchu also adopted the right closure from the Han Chinese as they initially closed their robes on the left side. Arising under the Manchu rule during the Qing dynasty it was quite common for men to wear a Changshan. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), according to the government’s policy of physiocracy and restriction of business, businessmen were forbidden to wear silk clothing, even if they were rich. 100 Some may be reluctant to wear it publicly due to their experiences of being part of a racialized group and/or due to self-loathing due to the experiences of racism and marginalization in various forms, such as physical attacks, ostracism, and bullying, the social pressure to integrate and/or the desire to assimilate in the dominant culture as a protective mechanism even at the expense of rejecting any aspects or association with Chinese culture, identity, and appearance in the dress.