Written by: Waseem Abbas
Posted on: December 20, 2022 | 
| 中文
Hanfu Festival in Wuhan, China
China produced and exported silk during ancient times, mostly trading through the historic Silk Road. Even before being connected with the rest of the world through the famous Silk Road and exporting silk, China had developed its own traditional clothing that was easy to make and comfortable to wear. Hanfu (Han clothes) is the most popular dress of that era, invented by Xi Ling-shi, also known as Leizu, the wife of the Yellow Emperor (2697-2597 BCE). The Hanfu dress has evolved over time, incorporating cultural features of many eras, but the ancient traditional Hanfu usually consisted of a long flowing robe (Yi), with long sleeves (Shung) and an apron (bixi) at the waist. The Hanfu dress has still maintained its unique identity in mainland China and other countries, like Korea and Japan.
The clothing of Han women during the 19th century
Hanfu dress has changed considerably, incorporating the dresses of the successive dynasties and rulers, while also maintaining its unique identity. During Sui, Tang, and Song Dynasties (581-1279), dresses for women became more relaxed and revealing, because of the influence of Confucianism by this time. Over time, more decorations and embroidery were added to women's dresses.
Empress Cao (1016 - 1079) with court ladies wearing Hanfu
During the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), the first foreign rulers of China, features of Mongolian dress were incorporated in the Hanfu outfit. In particular the Mongolian Zhisunfu, the Mongolian 'robes of honor', was added to the dress code of men. The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the last Han-led dynasty, wanted to restore Han culture, traditions, clothing, food and hence, women's clothes were more prone to be conservative and old-styled.
Mural of two women with Han hairstyles
The traditional Hanfu dress consisted of inner and outer garments, upper and lower garments, and full-body cloth. It also included headwear (such as caps for men and hairpieces for women) and footwear, as it was considered taboo to remain barefoot. Headwear was a symbol of status, as it was different for kings and royal families as compared to the common people. Other components of the dress included collars, sleeves, buttons, and fittings (such as belts).
A woman wearing Hanfu dress greets a kid with smile
Hanfu dress has made a resurgence in recent times amongst youth, and in order to cater to the rising demand, entrepreneurs and industrialists are adding new characteristics to the traditional attire. There have been reservations about the contemporary modified dresses being a true representation of Hanfu, such as the one-piece chest high dress, or the two-piece dress. The influential Weibo blogger Meixuewuming is dismissive of "the two-piece type (Hanfu dress). The reason for its popularity is because the dress is good for taking photos." While the admirers of Hanfu dresses argue that there is no need to abide by ancient rules about the dress and term the modern trends as the result of the clothing's natural evolution. 'Hanyuansu' (Clothes with Hanfu Elements) is the term that has been coined for clothes with Hanfu features.
Modern Hanfu dress
Hanfu has recently developed a huge market locally in China, and its demand is only increasing with time. According to Guangzhou-based iiMedia Research, one Hanfu dress can cost from 200 to 10,000 Yuan (30-1500 dollars) and Hanfu sales amounted to 10.16 billion Yuan in online stores annually in 2021, with six million people regularly wearing Hanfu. While the sale of Hanfu dresses increase exponentially during festivals and important regional events.
The increasing popularity of Hanfu dress represents the growing awareness amongst the Chinese people of their unique identity and cultural heritage. There has been a new movement since the start of this century to promote and restore old customs, namely the Hanfu movement. At the core of this movement lies the aim to popularize Hanfu and integrate traditional Chinese clothing into contemporary dresses in China.
A man wearing Shenyi, an iconic part of the historic Hanfu dress
Hanfu represents China's culture and history, and it has inspired and influenced many traditional attires around the world. Hanbok, Korean traditional dress, Kimono, Japanese traditional dress, Trang phục Việt, Vietnamese clothing, are a few traditional dresses shaped by Hanfu influence. With China's meteoric rise globally in the 21st century, China's culture and heritage are also making rounds in China and around the world, and Hanfu is a case in point.
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