About 300 days a year, 25-year-old Zhou Zhiluo wears long, flowing robes with big sleeves, a skirtlike lower garment and a belt at her waist. Her long hair is tied in a variety of intricate styles, including loose buns. Wearing hanfu costumes and reviving the culture has become increasingly popular, especially among the younger generation. A recent report by major e-commerce platform Tmall said that last year purchases of the costumes rose by 92 percent year-on-year. Zhou, who hails from Henan province, adding that she has been wearing such clothing for about six years and has more than 200 outfits in her closet. People from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, made the highest number of such purchases. Netizens said Japan has the kimono, South Korea the hanbok, and other Chinese ethnic groups have traditional costumes that are worn on special occasions. So why did present-day Han Chinese have no idea about clothing to represent their cultural heritage? Mo Li, chairman of the Sichuan Hanfu Association, said the revival started in about 2005 when a question was raised during online debate. A large number of enthusiasts formed various online groups to promote the culture. After confirming the existence of hanfu, a revival movement started. Last year, there were more than 2 million keen admirers of hanfu in China, a rise of nearly 73 percent on 2017, according to a report by HanFu Information, a data provider for the sector. Their average age is 21, and some 88 percent of them are female. Coco Wu, cultural strategy consultant for market research company Kantar Worldpanel, said part of the reason for the increasing popularity of hanfu is people’s growing confidence in their own culture, due to the country’s rapid economic growth and continued government efforts to boost cultural development in recent years. Moreover, the huge differences between hanfu and modern clothing makes the costumes ideal choices for cosplay, as wearing them can offer people “novel experiences” and make them feel as if they are traveling back in time to an ancient world, Wu said. They have also held many offline events to showcase the beauty and cultural connections of the clothing. Rebecca Li, an etiquette expert in Beijing, said she likes to wear hanfu when visiting ancient sites. She added that it is now common to see younger people wearing the attire on visits to ancient sites and parks. In April, she also wore the traditional costume on a visit to Japan to see the cherry blossom. Douyin hosts many short-videos of people wearing hanfu during everyday activities, including eating hotpot, skateboarding, hip-hop dancing, and working in factories. While the hanfu revival originated online, it has also spread through short-video platforms such as Douyin and Bilibili that are used by the younger generation, Wu said. On Bilibili, there are an estimated 40 million users who are interested in the country’s traditional culture, and some 88 percent of them were born after 1995, according to the platform. On April 7, Bilibili and the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China hosted the second celebration of hanfu culture. Short videos related to the costumes have received more than 10.8 billion clicks. More than 20 million people watched a livestream of costumes and related performances. Mo said short videos have contributed greatly to promoting the culture in China. One is made by strictly following traditional patterns and is usually reserved for special occasions. The second type, which can be worn in everyday life, retains the general traditional patterns, but also includes improvements or has modern elements and Western-style decorations. There are two types of costume being worn nowadays. According to Hanfu Information, the sector’s revenue reached some 1.08 billion yuan last year, with about 75 percent coming from online sales. Prices range from a few hundred yuan to tens of thousands of yuan. This year, sales are expected to rise significantly, Hanfu Information said. There were more than 815 hanfu stores on Tmall, up by just over 24 percent on the previous year. Lyu Xiaowei, 39, is one of those who started the revival 14 years ago, when she founded China’s first brick-and-mortar hanfu store at a scenic spot in Chengdu. Moreover, as making the costumes is quite different from modern clothing in terms of cut, design, size of fabric and use, it is difficult to find people willing to take on the work, as it is more time-consuming, Lyu said. In 2014, she opened a second store, and her business quickly picked up. The brand’s sales have ranked in the sector’s top three in recent years. Under the brand Chonghuihantang, which dates to the Han (206 BC-AD 220) and Tang (618-907) dynasties, she owns more than 20 offline stores nationwide and an online business. Lyu said these sales have doubled annually on average for the past five years, and about 80 percent are made online. This year, there has already been “explosive market demand”. But as he got to know many people with the same interest, he decided to open a store selling and renting the costumes. The store, which opened in March, has seen good business. Two years ago, Zeng Xiaowu, from Changsha, capital of Hunan province, used to wear hanfu only at home. The popularity of hanfu has also boosted the development of related businesses, including classical makeup, hairstyles and accessories. According to Hanfu Information, some 18 percent of the sector’s revenue comes from related products.
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