by Ziyi Cheng
Hanfu(汉服), the traditional Chinese clothing, carries a rich historical and cultural significance that lasts thousands of years. Narrowly speaking, Hanfu refers to “Han Dynasty clothing”. Broadly speaking, the concept of Hanfu includes the traditional ancient clothing from different dynasties worn by the Han Chinese.
Traditional Hanfu consists of a relatively complex system: normally, a long loose robe paired with a long skirt(for women) or trousers(for men). In addition, diverse accessories are also included, like jade(yupei), perfume bag, headwear and belts. Unlike the past days when Hanfu was considered as the formal, dignified and outdated costume, Hanfu has attracted great public attention with the ongoing Hanfu movement in modern society. This resurgence motivates a growing desire to incorporate this traditional heritage into contemporary fashion.
The Hanfu consumer market has experienced rapid development these years. A reflection of its popularity is that, nowadays, dressing Hanfu outfit is not unusual in normal life. Many famous historical cultural cities in China even have explored a brand-new tourism mode with a combination of Hanfu to appeal the tourists. The Hanfu industry has established a commercial system there, covering every essential experience step from clothing leasing and selling, professional makeup and image designing, to photography. In the cities like Luoyang and Xian, you can simply see the young generation wearing beautiful traditional outfits with different shapes and sizes wandering in the streets, with delicate hairpins and elaborate coiffure. With each gentle step, the hem of Hanfu gently swept the ground, conveying a confident and elegant posture.
Additionally, Hanfu is gaining recognition in fashion industry. Plenty of Hanfu brands have been established with its original design rooted in the core of history, analyzing clothing styles and fashion items from different ancient dynasties. Traditional Chinese elements and textile technology are also introduced into modern clothing design. Neo-Chinese style(新中式) is also invented. With the combination of the aesthetic value from traditional outfit and creative modern thinking, it has gradually become a new fashion trend with both aesthetics and practicality. Not only fashion, the cooperation between Hanfu and museums, games, comics and other industries has also shown great marketing profits to reach a wider consumer group.
Driven by the Internet promotions, Hanfu also gains global influences beyond China’s borders from many perspectives. From international fashion week to social media platforms, Hanfu attracts the attention from all over the world. The content posted by enthusiasts worldwide related to Hanfu has reached hundreds of millions of views on TikTok and Youtube, showing a brief introduction of its timeless elegance and highlighting the widespread fascination.
According to the data from iiMedia Research, the Hanfu market in China is expected to reach 2.61 billion dollars in 2025. The traditional Hanfu gains fascination from a large quantity of audience with its own rich aesthetic connotation, embraces the modern world variously with its own profound historical heritage. There is still significant potential for Hanfu in the future.
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