Stories

Last Friday 3/17 I was invited to a local Chinese school to give a small talk on hanfu! The aim was to share hanfu culture with more people here and to present an example to the kids of what doors can be opened to you by maintaining language skills. A little background—I myself attended this once-a-week school from kindergarten up until 6th grade, upon which I pulled out of the school to invite the Chinese teacher that taught me in 6th grade to tutor me at home privately. She was a great tutor and a key part of inspiring my interest in ancient Chinese culture through poetry, history, and more, keeping me engaged while analyzing Tang Dynasty shi and Song Dynasty ci. As I got busy, I stopped the tutoring when I was in 10th grade—and I was introduced to the concept of hanfu not even a few months later! I’ve kept up communication with this teacher for a while (whose name I won’t disclose for privacy reasons) and visited her in Taiwan throughout the years. This year she came back to teach at the local chinese school and invited me to give a talk on hanfu there. For the…

I made my first real Hanfu based on patterns from this website. First outing at the beach, with dragons and all. Here is an article with much details on my sewing journey.

Wearing armor, riding a horse, holding a traditional weapon, fighting on the battlefield. Such a scene may have appeared in the dreams of many people when they were young. But there is a person who turned the traditional Chinese armor in the dream into reality, he is the first person to restore the ancient armor of the Tang and Song dynasties, Wen Chenhua (温陈华). He has highly restoration the armor of the Song dynasty, which has been lost in China for 700 years, after 6 years. He founded the Lian Kai Tang (炼铠堂), and with his own strength, he promoted the obscure armor restoration craft, and let Chinese armor on the world-class combat stage.   #01 The first person in traditional Chinese armor restoration There are only about 1000 armor restorers in China, 90% of them are Wen Chenhua's students, and for 40 years, he has been restoring Jiazhou (甲胄, traditional Chinese armor) to the extreme. On Wen Chenhua's social platforms profile, there is only a simple sentence "Top Chinese Jiazhou maker" as an introduction. However, he has shared a lot of armor design drawings and finished armor photos, all revealing his deep love for Jiazhou. Traditional armor restoration and…

Not a week later and I'm back again with the details on our even larger, even longer hanfu outing just last weekend on Saturday, August 13th! You can check out our absolutely PHENOMENAL photographer this time at @Ryfucius on Instagram, he was incredibly dedicated and we couldn't have done it without him. Inspired by the fun we had on the East Coast New England outing, Yulan and I decided to plan a second outing for our SF Bay Area friends on the West Coast too. This time with a party of 14 and a whole day's time, our itinerary was expanded to include multiple photo locations and a karaoke session at the end of the day—and hey, I got to participate this time! Our first stop was the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, a beautiful park with a lot of natural beauties. Our main target location was the Chinese Pavilion, an incredible work of archtiecture gifted to San Francisco by Taiwan. With a pointed roof and some enchanting carvings in the pillars and benches surrounding the pavilion, it was a perfect spot for a group photo as well as a lot of solo shots. We couldn't waste the rest…

Hey everyone—a little busy as of late, but rest assured that I am not dead! I just had to pop back to belatedly report on the 2022 Scholar's Garden Hanfu Outing organized by Yulan/Chlobaltblue in our hanfu discord server community! This half-day event consisted of a photoshoot and group dinner on July 30th, 2022 in the New York Chinese Scholar's Garden with a small group of eight people attending. People from all over New England joined us for this outing, from Conneticut residents to Boston students flying all the way up to Staten Island. Unfortunately I was not one of those people, but I'm here to share with you all the pictures and experience that my sister provided! I'll also be doing a brief summary of some of the outfits that everyone is wearing. Some of our members had their own sets, while others borrowed from each other. A majority of our outfits were Wei/Jin Style (魏晉風)  outfits which consisted of a zhequn, cross collar top, and daxiushan. Ani also wore a Ming-style summer set, with a modified zhuyao with pearl buttons in the front to mimic the zimu buttons of a zhuyao and a Ming helingshan, a style that greatly resembles…

The mythical creature from "Classic of Mountains and Seas" are brought to life again! These ancient records from 2,000 years ago come to vivid reality in this girl's restoration. Xiang Liu (相柳): 《山海经·海外北经》：“共工之臣曰相柳氏，九首，以食于九山。相柳之所抵，厥为泽溪。……相柳者，九首人面，蛇身而青……” Shan Hai Jing - Hai Wai Bei Jing: "Gong Gong had a minister named Xiang Liu, who had nine heads and fetched food on each of the nine mountains. Everywhere the Xiang Liu touched, it would turn into swamps and streams. ....... Xiang Liu, with nine heads, had a human-like face, a snake-like body, and a greenish body." Ling Yu (陵鱼): 《山海经·海内北经》：“陵鱼人面、手足、鱼身，在海中。” Shan Hai Jing - Hai Nei Bei Jing: "There is a kind of Ling Yu, with a human-like face, arms and legs, and a fish-like body, living in the sea." Qiong Qi (穷奇) & Luo Yu (蠃鱼): 《山海经·西山经》：“又西二百六十里，曰邽山，其上有兽焉，其状如牛，猬毛，名曰穷奇，音如獆狗，是食人。濛水出焉，南流注于洋水，其中多黄贝、蠃鱼，鱼身而鸟翼，音如鸳鸯，见则其邑大水。” Shan Hai Jing - Xi Shan Jing: "Two hundred and sixty miles to the west, there is a mountain called Gui Shan. A beast on the mountain, shaped like a cow, with hair like the thorns of a hedgehog, is called the Qiong Qi, which makes a sound like a barking dog and can eat humans. Meng River originates from this mountain and flows southward into the…

Dongmaiying (动脉影) is a cultural artifact and museum photography blogger, who does his job in the finance industry. In the past ten years, he has taken advantage of holidays and business trips to travel to more than 200 museums, taking 470,000 photos. Unlike the official heritage photos released by museums, his photos are clean, quiet, and linear. With the most common photographic equipment, he did not use tripods or flashes, and even used the backs of other visitors to give the photos a background, but he captured the most beautiful angles of the artifacts. Dongmaiying currently has 3.93 million followers on Weibo, and many staff members of famous museums, even curators, are his fans. However, he never shares photos of himself, "It doesn't matter what I look like. I would prefer that more people, through my photography, inspire an interest in traditional Chinese culture and choose to go into museums and have a look at the valuable treasures of Chinese culture." The following is from an interview with Dongmaiying conducted by Yi Tiao reporter Xiao Yue, and is mostly oral I am a cultural artifact and museum photography blogger. From 2012 to now, I have traveled to more than 200…

The long-awaited hanfu prom outfit analysis is here!!!

Her paintings are like the beauty of the East breaking through the scroll. The raised details in the pattern, slightly mottled in the sunlight, like an ancient civilization through the ages, will tell the story anew. Well-known painters in the industry also exclaimed, "She has painted such moving works!" She is Lian Yang (lotulist, 莲羊), the famous "China-Chic illustrator", who created many beautiful works of mineral pigment paintings. As a young painter, her popularity is not a surprise. The romantic narratives of Chinese myths and legends are revived under her brush, rich and full of beauty.   A chance encounter with mineral pigment paintings The road of art is never-ending. In the seven years since Lian Yang came into contact with and studied mineral pigment paintings, the loneliness and hardships she went through were unimaginable to ordinary people. After graduating from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, where she studied CG techniques for four years, Lian Yang founded a studio herself, but it still could not satisfy her desire to create. After trying cartoons, Chinese paintings, and porcelain firing, she hit a wall one after another, unable to find a place to put herself. She was at a loss for…

With the emergence of a large number of hanfu lovers, the demand for hanfu costumes is also increasing, and the fusion of these elements such as hanfu costumes, hairpins, and earrings has become a must-have option for hanfu lovers. With this, many traditional makeup artists seize this trend to transform into hanfu makeup artists, this career is gradually emerging.   Familiarity with different dynasties of hanfu makeup styling is a basic skill For Yang Yuan, a hanfu makeup artist, who runs a hanfu experience store, she has done hanfu makeup styling for about a thousand customers in her 3 years of experience. For a hanfu stylist, the most solid basic skill is to be familiar with different dynasties of hanfu makeup styling, and to make the overall color of the styling present in the same tonal range. Yang Yuan's store has about 400 sets of hanfu and hundreds of accessories of all kinds, most of which are specially purchased. She talked in detail about the dynasties, the groups dressed, the cultural background of the dynasties, and other aspects of each hanfu costume popular in the store, as if it were a treasure. For hanfu makeup to finally have a good…

As a Taiwanese-American, I'm often asked about my interest in Hanfu. Here's y perspective on hanfu and why it's important to my identity.

Just a little introduction!

A personal account of what hanfu means to me as a gender fluid person.

The inspiration for this set of photos came from a Qing Dynasty Qianlong porcelain now in the National Museum of China. It was made in Jingdezhen for Haiyan Hall in the Yuanmingyuan Park, and only one survives. The whole artwork contains the meaning of "the sea is calm and the river is clear, and the country is peaceful", and is beautifully crafted and painted, symbolizing the peak of the Qianlong period porcelain! On top of that, this blogger combines traditional elements with cyberpunk style, combining ancient national treasures with futuristic science fiction, a cyan Qing costume, a beautiful Tian-tsui crown, and golden nail guards to show luxury! The focus is on some details of the face, the appearance of the two swallows decorated, the face of the painted lines are all exquisite and sharp, just a few strokes to highlight the taste of the future of technology! Such a creative realization, the effect is really great! And this is not the only wonderful work of this treasure blogger, today we will introduce you to @Lao Ba (老八捌) and her fantastic creations!   Hanfu + Futuristic Elements Ideas The idea of combining traditional hanfu with technology and the future has been…

The rise of short videos has also given rise to a number of "web celebrities", all of which have their different points of attraction. One very popular category is the cosplayer who takes the "contrast beauty" route. They may turn from ordinary people to stunningly beautiful or handsome instantly. This huge contrast always attracts the love of many people. And one of the most typical representatives is the famous "bald web celebrity" Chu Qi. Chu Qi (楚淇), the legendary figure of the Douyin (Chinese Tiktok). By interpreting the great contrast between bald men to beautiful men, after the dressing, he is a long-haired ancient beautiful man. "Is it really the same person?" This was the suspicion of almost everyone who had seen Chu Qi's video. With this, he created a strong dramatic conflict, shocking the crowd while also winning the attention of a large number of fans. So far, he has attracted 43,968,000 likes with 111 videos, and the average likes are as high as 390,000.   Had lost a whopping 33 pounds in 2 months Chu Qi first cosplayed at the end of 2018, when he had just succeeded in losing weight and couldn't wait to arrange a thirteen-day…

LiangYuZuan's personal account with hanfu, a short blog.

This year, the Cantonese opera movie "Snake White (白蛇传·情)" was released, the combination of traditional Chinese opera and modern visual effects, let us surprised: the original traditional culture can also be so fashionable! And the protagonist of today's story, anthropomorphizing the mysterious and mythical creatures in the Shan Hai Jing, recreates the magnificent world of mythology. She has been reported by China Daily, Huaxi City Daily, and many other official media, while triggering the attention of millions of netizens. She is the photographer Huanhuan (焕焕). The "Shan Hai Jing (山海经, Classic of Mountains and Seas)" is an important ancient book of the pre-Qin Dynasty of China, and is also one of the oldest books rich in myths and legends, recording ancient Chinese mythology, geography, plants, animals, minerals, products, sorcery, religion, medicine, folklore and ethnicity, which can be said to be comprehensive.   Recreate the dream of childhood When she was young, Huanhuan was obsessed with the fantasy world of mythology, and her grandmother would often tell her various mythological stories: snakes with nine heads, birds with three legs, fish with wings...all these stories were so fascinating to Huanhuan that she began to yearn for the mysterious "Mythical World". Later, Huanhuan…

Contributed article from user Shengli for 2021 Hanfu Free Giveaways & Contests PLAN C (My Story with Hanfu). Through your dislike of the gauze hat as mean, You have come to be locked in a cangue; Yesterday, poor fellow, you felt cold in a tattered coat, To-day, you despise the purple embroidered dress as long! Confusion reigns far and wide! you have just sung your part, I come on the boards, Instead of yours, you recognise another as your native land; What utter perversion! In one word, it comes to this we make wedding clothes for others! - The Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xueqin, translated by H. Bencroft Joly         In my native culture, we have such a saying: While at first you're welcomed according to your clothes, next you'll be treated according to your wisdom. Indeed, how much we can say of a person by his dressing, how many metaphors on his background, status and way of life can be expressed through dress! Like in words of Shih-yin from The Dream of the Red Chamber, where ideas of complexity and instability of human life and intergenerational relationships were put in words about tattered,…

Contributed article from user LiangYuZuan for 2021 Hanfu Free Giveaways & Contests PLAN C (My Story with Hanfu). I had been exposed to Hanfu early as a child. I remember watching "Liang Shan Bo, Zhu Ying Tai" (1979) and Jacky Chan starring in "The Young Master" (1979) in theater while waylaying in Macau. I also remember seeing Shirley Temple films in black and white with her lavish dresses. My young impressionable years were mired in TV period dramas and folklore made to film available for rental videos out of Chinatown. I would often daydream about the long flowing Hanfu of fairies and gods/goddesses in the Heavenly Courts. Great epics about Sun Wukong in his journey to the west for spiritual scroll or the battles of Nezha challenging the Heaven's Forces were made to real life in long TV series portrayed by performing artists. Seemed they were fictional characters, and therefore their garments were costumes. But when regular people start dressing up like that, they were considered cosplayer. Opera garb was costume, not Hanfu. I felt the clothes were real enough, especially in the series involving historical figures. I even saw them burn incense and pray as if to ask permission to play…

Contributed article from user xiayang for 2021 Hanfu Free Giveaways & Contests PLAN C (My Story with Hanfu). Recently, I cleaned up my closet and found that I bought a lot of hanfu, some of which I haven't worn for a long time, as time goes by, I've been in love with hanfu for some years now, so I'd like to take this opportunity to write about my story with hanfu. I. First encounter I can't remember when the word Hanfu entered my field of vision, but at that time I had heard a little bit about the "Hanfu revival", and I couldn't help but look at the pictures of beautiful hanfu girls on the internet, but I wasn't a fan yet. Around 2011, I started to notice some girls wearing hanfu in school, and I knew there was a hanfu association, but I was too busy with my studies to care about anything else. 2012 was the year of graduation, and it was popular to take traditional-style graduation photos, and hanfu graduation photos became popular on a small scale. But I didn't have a hanfu yet. Later, I met a schoolmate, and I found out that she was a Hanfu Tongpao (同袍),…

Contributed article from user Camille for 2021 Hanfu Free Giveaways & Contests PLAN C (My Story with Hanfu). It's my first time writing an article, so maybe the content is rather simple, thank you for reading. The first time I came across hanfu was through the TV series: Dream of the Red Chamber, which is probably a common starting point for many people, we are always unconsciously attracted by the beautiful costumes in TV series. But at that time, I didn't know that it was called hanfu, but later I read articles about hanfu, and only then I connected the two together, and in fact. It seems like it was a long time ago that I liked hanfu, but it seems like it happened recently, probably because I used to like it, but I never had the money to buy a set of hanfu of my own, so I remember the state of it very clearly. But the real reason I got my own hanfu was after I worked and took out a little bit of my monthly salary and I got a hanfu. I still remember how excited I was when I got that set of clothes, it was…

Mount Song, along the southern bank of the Yellow River, that is known as the central mountain of the Five Great Mountains of China. Incense drifting through ancient cedars, saffron-robed monks, limbs a blur of movement, making quick work of imagined enemies. The boing of a giant bronze bell calling the faithful to prayer. This is the scene at the fabled Shaolin Temple, a cradle of Kungfu and Zen Buddhism nestled in the forests of Henan province, where legend has it monks have trained in martial arts for centuries. Nowadays, the Shaolin has become a successful brand, and one of the most famous scenic spots in China, attracting more than 10 million tourists a year, according to the China Business Journal. Why is Shaolin so popular? Let's through an interview with the chair of Shaolin Temple, unveil its rapid development in the past 30 years. Venerable Abbot Shi Yongxin | Shaolin's High Priest Shi Yongxin, originally named Liu Yingcheng, was born into a family in Anhui Province in 1965. In 1981, he made his way to Shaolin Temple at age 17. There he converted to the Three Jewels and received the Dharma name Yongxin under the discipleship of Former Abbot…

When you were eighteen years old, what kind of adult ceremony would you like to have? Nowadays, many teenagers who know Chinese traditional hanfu will wear elaborate Chinese clothes on the day of the adult ceremony. The graduates of the British International School chose the traditional adult ceremony as their graduation gift and adult declaration. Adult teenagers arrived at the scene on time to make up before the ceremony. Their youth is marked by their beautiful black hair. At ten o'clock in the morning, the guests were seated. The ceremonist, Cai Zehong, dressed in Hanfu and Dongpo scarf, announced the official beginning of the ceremony. Ji etiquette (笄礼) and guan etiquette (冠礼) are an important part of adult etiquette. Boys and girls are sitting in the middle of the stage wearing top Yi and upper Shang (basic Chinese traditional dress). The teacher solemnly put on their Ji (hairpins) and guan (crowns). It marks that they can pull up their hair from today and show people their mature appearance. Later, teenagers wear more solemn clothes. The following links are carried out separately. First of all, the boys are on stage. They put on big black sleeves and showed them to the…

The new season of figure skating from 2019 to 2020 is approaching. Although most of the players'new season songs have been released, there are still some top players whose programs are still kept secret. Sui Wenjing, a Chinese skater, recently uploaded a video of her skating in traditional hanfu on her social account. In the video, Sui Wenjing, dressed in hanfu, covered with light yarn, has a wonderful posture. It's different from all the games and performances in the past. It really has a different style.  In releasing this video, Sui Wenjing also wrote that this is a relatively complete version of "Hanfu on the Ice rink" which she and her companions had been polishing for a long time. In fact, after the World Championship in March this year, Sui Wenjing posted her experimental attempt to put on ice in her Hanfu on her social account. In fact, since the World Championship in March this year, Sui Wenjing has published her experimental attempt in hanfu on her social account. “For the first time, there are pants too long, places that are not suitable for ice, etc. But judging from recent performances, the newly improved Hanfu today has solved this…