More Women Wear Modern Hanfu

Nine of ten modern Hanfu wearers are women, 21 years old and above, according to research published on the Chinese social media website Sohu.

Some people enjoy the practice as a way to escape reality and revel in the dream of fashion, while others use it to protest the Han’s historical persecution in the 1600s.

Rising nationalism, local brand savvy, and social media buzz among China’s Gen Z all contributed to the hanfu craze’s meteoric development in 2018, which many saw as a reflection of young China’s blossoming cultural confidence.

Today, not only has the trend not faded but it’s now aimed squarely at the public, growing in popularity ever since.

This nationalistic trend results from young Chinese people’s continued devotion to the clothing code as a sign of their growing pride in their ancestry.

The Hanfu Explained

The Hanfu is a silk robe with a belt that fastens at the waist. It’s typical to see red and green dragons and flowers painted on it. The Han Dynasty, which ruled China for four centuries and is sometimes called the country’s “golden age,” introduced this elaborate style.

However, after the 1644 conquest of the Han dynasty by Manchu forces, wearing Hanfu attire was outlawed and replaced with qipao and the high-collared coats favored by the Manchu.

With its Manchu monarchs, the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) witnessed a decline in adherence to the traditional Han attire code. Following the collapse of the Qing Dynasty, many Chinese people turned to Western-style clothes due to liking their simpler cuts and use as workplace dress. Reclaimed by millennials and, especially, Gen Z women, the attire is making a comeback.

The Hanfu Renaissance

Since 2001, Hanfu has been undergoing a renaissance, with the introduction of the internet playing a crucial part in its growth.

Thanks to online communities like Hanwang (the Han Network) and others, followers of the Hanfu revival movement could communicate.

People posted images of themselves going about their daily lives dressed in robes and photos of themselves making and wearing the garments.

Twenty years after its inception, this community is stronger than ever.

Given the Chinese people’s love of fashion, this trend has swiftly become a significant cultural phenomenon throughout the nation. Hanfu exhibits were a big part of Shanghai Fashion Week SS21 last year.

Young Chinese people have transformed the dress code from a harmless hobby into a potent tool of cultural expression and a multibillion-dollar enterprise in just a few short years.

Many loyal fans feel inspired to discover more about their ancestors when they wear traditional clothes.

Rather than complying with Western beauty standards, young Chinese individuals would want to dress according to their own cultural traditions. Although there is a sense of national pride, what draws Gen Z to hanfu is not full-fledged politically-fuelled patriotism but rather a resistance to being pulled in all directions, a battle against uniformity.

Wearing Hanfu: A Sign of Protest

Most Hanfu fans are identified as “Han nationalists” who want to see China take on a more prominent role in international affairs. Each wearer of Hanfu is acting out their private set of fantasies. Professor Kevin Carrico, a specialist in contemporary Chinese history at Australia’s Macquarie University, argues that nationalism is a kind of fantasy and one of the critical modalities of the story in the movement.

He draws attention to the complexities of the movement, such as the fact that some Han nationalists see the return to traditional dress as a protest against Manchu rule. 

In Conclusion

There has been a renaissance of Hanfu in recent years, and with it New Hanfu offers the global audience the chance to celebrate both Chinese tradition and a feeling of national and personal identity by offering only the most popular quality men’s and women’s hanfu for everyday wear as well as anyoccasion.Please check out New Hanfu at store.newhanfu.com.

Traditional Chinese clothing, or hanfu, harkens back to a time before the Cultural Revolution stifled freedom of expression in China. Women nowadays are finally free to choose their own clothing without male interference.

The potential of traditional clothing is shown by the thriving Hanfu business. With the help of the internet, the cultural revival known as Hanfu, founded on traditional Chinese values, is expanding rapidly outside China.