The ancient outfit has seen a resurgence in recent years, with massive demand prompting some manufacturers to experiment with modern mashups.
Ancient Chinese couture is getting a holiday makeover.
Bringing cheer to the internet are hundreds of young people in traditional Chinese clothing known as hanfu, but with a Christmas twist. Over the past few days, social and video platforms such as Douyin, Bilibili, and Weibo have been flooded with users posing in “Christmas hanfu,” with holiday hues of red, white, and green.
“It’s Christmas. As a hanfu lover, I naturally thought of Christmas hanfu,” Li Feihong, a 25-year-old hanfu enthusiast, told Sixth Tone.
Hanfu are historical styles of clothing worn by Han Chinese. But the popularity of characters wearing such costumes in period dramas, coupled with the country’s quest to preserve tradition and promote national identity, has led to a renaissance for the centuries-old outfit, so much so that it even has its own commemorative day of the year: China Huafu Day.
In recent years, some hanfu lovers have taken their costumes a step further, incorporating Christmas themes to sprinkle in the holiday spirit and demonstrate how ancient couture is being adapting to new tastes and trends.
Li, a graduate student, said she first heard of Christmas hanfu in 2019, and thought of tailoring her own style this year. She and her friends bought the same costume ahead of the December holiday and matched it with a red cape for a photoshoot. Continue to read the full article here
– This article was written by Li You. It originally appeared on Sixth Tone.
