Urges as chic fashion among young people
ed in east China’s as one of the largn China. Presently, Hanfu stores and the industry, with lved in the relevant
in Caoxian totaled on yuan (US$129 hinese Year of the d dragon and phoettires. u as New Year gifts nds,” said Li Zilei, a n, adding that apart have also received
tional
o spread to foreign ng Carnival 2024, Italy on February the famous Venice parade of costumes and masks, a display of Hanfu was featured in the vibrant finale of the parade.
Such a show was included in the Venice Carnival for the second consecutive year. Dressed in Hanfu, a group of 22 Italian and Chinese volunteers participated in a parade at the Piazza San Marco in the city center.
Chantal, an Italian student at the Confucius Institute at the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, donned a princess costume made of scarlet silk to join the parade.
“I felt that (dressing Hanfu) is my way of experiencing the beautiful Chinese culture, lifestyle and incredible history of dresses,” she said.
On February 19, a magnificent Hanfu parade unfolded at the heart of Rome, attracting more than 200 local residents in traditional Chinese attire. Volunteers distributed pamphlets in Italian about these dresses.
“Before, I would ask if they were Japanese or Korean, but I now clearly recognize the characteristics of Chinese clothing,” said
Felini Antonio, an Italian citizen attending the event.
According to Chen Yifang, organizer of the event and president of Hua Xing Arts Group Rome, the Hanfu craze was partly triggered by a foreign fashion brand’s alleged replication of the design of the traditional Chinese horsefaced skirt without clarifying its inspiration.
Cultural confidence
The horse-faced skirt is a type of Hanfu featuring a high and flat front and pleated sides that originated in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and prevailed in the Ming and Qing dynasties. “Horse face,” originally a term used in ancient Chinese architecture, refers to the part of the wall extruded on the exterior wall, while the skirt carries the same symmetrical effect in Chinese traditional esthetics.
“Wearing horse-faced dresses and Hanfu indicates a revival of Chinese traditional culture. An increasing number of people in China are rediscovering an appreciation for Hanfu and proudly wearing it in public, which reflects cultural confidence,” said Chen, the Hanfu advocator in Rome.
Dishang Group Co, a clothing enterprise based in Weihai City in Shandong Province, specializes in designing, selling and renting horse-faced skirts. These attires are particularly popular among tourists visiting the coastal city.
“Professional designers have seen a shift toward traditional Chinese culture in public esthetics in recent years. The rise of the ‘Hanfu craze,’ catering to the new esthetic preferences of young people, signals a resurgence of traditional Chinese clothing in everyday life,” said Wang Shuai, chief designer at Dishang.
Wang added that the company boasts more than 3,000 designers at home and abroad, and they incorporate traditional Hanfu structural designs and patterns into contemporary designs. The company has also won applauses for incorporating Hanfu elements into the design of airline staff uniforms, he noted.
(Xinhua)