"When will the bright moon come? Ask the blue sky with your wine. I don't know what year it is in the palace in the sky?" The song sounded, and on a red stage in Beijing's Yuetan Park, a girl wearing a Wei-Jin cross-collar skirt danced gracefully. Sleeve movement.
This is March 22nd, the Mid-Autumn Festival event of "Hanfu Beijing", which lasts for three days and lasts until March 24th. The dancing girl is named Wang Jiu (pseudonym), a graduate student at Beijing Dance Academy and a Hanfu enthusiast.
Hanfu lovers call each other "fellows". This word comes from the famous line in "The Book of Songs: Qin Feng": "How can I say that I have no clothes? I share the same robe with my son."
Whenever traditional Chinese festivals come, this group of people with different professions appear on the streets and parks wearing various Hanfus. Some people even wear them for half of the year.
"Comrades" have different reasons for being obsessed with Hanfu. Some people simply find it beautiful, some are obsessed with the restoration process of Hanfu, and still others feel that Hanfu is immersed in traditional Chinese culture, and thus become interested in ancient Chinese academics, food customs, etc.
On March 22nd, at the Mid-Autumn Festival event in Yuetan Park, Beijing, everyone wore various Hanfu and balloons were hung. Photo provided by interviewee
"Sit upright without realizing it."
What is Hanfu? Before he came into contact with it, Lu Yang felt that it was something covered by the dust of history.
36-year-old Lu Yang works in a public institution in Beijing and took over the job for the first time in 2014.Touch Hanfu. At that time, he saw a post from a Chinese student who said that most Japanese students would wear Japan's traditional national costume kimono on important occasions such as graduation ceremonies and coming-of-age ceremonies. In China, the styles of academic uniforms and academic caps mostly originate from the West. On the occasion of graduation, this international student wore a customized Hanfu to attend the ceremony, attracting a lot of attention.
Coincidentally, an old classmate posted a photo wearing Hanfu on WeChat Moments. Lu Yang "was touched and felt that Hanfu was very close to him."
From stranger to familiar, Lu Yang has now fallen in love with Hanfu. "In my opinion, Hanfu is one of the symbols of national tradition."
The reason why 22-year-old Wang Jiu likes Hanfu is simple: it is beautiful.
In 2015, when he was still an undergraduate student, Wang Jiu came into contact with Hanfu on the Internet. Elegant and refined, this was her first impression of Hanfu, and she “fell into it” from then on. When Wang Jiu looked at himself in the mirror wearing Hanfu for the first time, he felt that "his temperament had become demure."
Wu Yufei, a student at Peking University, has been obsessed with the process of making and restoring Hanfu since she was in junior high school. She told reporters that the magical feeling of restoring Hanfu is very attractive to her. It is the first curiosity of children about things. .
In her first year of junior high school, Wu Yufei sewed a coat and skirt by hand based on information pictures she found online. Sometimes the needle pricked her finger and blood seeped out from her fingertip, but she didn't mind it and actually enjoyed it. Later, in order to make Hanfu, she learned to use a sewing machine. She often immersed herself in tailoring Hanfu by herself. It took two or three hours at a fast time, but it would take several days if she worked slowly.
Peking University student Wu Yufei wears Hanfu. Photo provided by interviewee
These Hanfu lovers have different reasons for liking Hanfu. But post bars and forums are usually the channels through which they learn about Hanfu. Fans gather on the Internet to discuss everything from the evolution and development of clothing, to its shapes and styles, to which merchants produce more reliable Hanfu. "Many people learn more about Hanfu from information compiled by folk enthusiasts on the Internet," Lu Yang said.
Almost every "comrade" has the experience of shopping for Hanfu online. In 2014, Lu Yang spent several hundred yuan to buy a turban and a mat from the Internet. Wearing it on his body, his first feeling was that it was awkward, but sitting, lying, and standingThings are no longer as casual as they used to be. "Putting on Hanfu will make you sit upright unconsciously," he said. Round-neck robes made in the Tang Dynasty, straight skirts, futou... The number of Hanfu in his wardrobe gradually increased.
Wu Yufei started shopping for Hanfu online in junior high school. During this period, she bought and sold Hanfu. Now she has a total of fifty or sixty pieces in her wardrobe. In 2019, after receiving the scholarship, she spent more than 2,000 yuan to buy a horse-faced skirt decorated with floral gauze to wear at the university graduation ceremony.
But not all "comrades" who buy Hanfu are approved by their families. When 26-year-old Fu Gang (pseudonym) was in junior high school, he bought several pieces of Hanfu from the Internet. His mother found out and scolded him. When the conflict was at its most intense, his mother even tore off one of his Hanfu clothes. Later, he bought it secretly and hid it in his small cabinet. Every time he goes out to play, Fu Gang puts the Hanfu in his bag, puts it on after taking it out of the community, and then changes into his casual clothes when he returns home.
Overcome shame
Almost every Hanfu lover has experienced the "sense of shame" of being scrutinized while wearing Hanfu in public.
The first time Lu Yang went out wearing Hanfu, he was with his wife. In his words - "Give it your all and do whatever you want." Before that, his family was opposed to him wearing Hanfu out because they thought it was embarrassing.
It was the winter of 2024. He was wearing a pair of trousers and t-shirts he bought online and went out to run errands with his wife. When walking on the street, passers-by cast curious and surprised glances. My wife felt awkward and pretended not to recognize him, deliberately walking in front of him and staying far away from him. Sometimes he walked too fast and looked back to see if he was keeping up.
Wang Jiu also had such an experience. When visiting Gubei Water Town two years ago, she wore a suspender top, a mandarin jacket, and Song trousers. She was very eye-catching among the tourist attractions. Some tourists stared at her, which made her feel a little unnatural; Fu Gang was also stared at when she went out wearing Hanfu for the first time. "At that time, I really wanted to find a place to hide."
In addition to being watched, they also experienced some dumbfounding misunderstandings.
In 2024, Wu Yufei and a group of "comrades" were walking on the street wearing Hanfu. An old man carrying garbage in his hand suddenly shouted at them: "You guys...traitors!" The old man cursed, Wu Yufei and her companions felt confused. They explained to the old man, but the old man didn't listen and thought they were quibbling. This made Wu Yufei dumbfounded.
Lu Yang said that in the Hanfu circle, it often happens that girls wearing Hanfu are mistaken for Koreans and Japanese. Once, he was wearing a round-neck robe made from the Tang Dynasty, and his colleagues who were unfamiliar with Hanfu thought he was a Mongolian robe. But over time, they got used to it.
"No one likes to be stared at. But now that I wear Hanfu when I go out, I really don't care what others think." Lu Yang said, "When we meet curious people, we will explain to them what Hanfu we are wearing. If people misunderstand, just laugh it off."
Wang Jiu was not used to strangers looking at her with curiosity and surprise at first. But now, she is used to it. Sometimes, she even feels a little happy when she meets the admiring and approving eyes of strangers.
The first time Lu Yang participated in the "Hanfu Beijing" event was during the Dragon Boat Festival in 2014, before he officially joined. At that time, two to three hundred people came to Taoranting Park. They weaved colorful ropes in the park, dotted realgar on their foreheads, and played with various old Dragon Boat Festival customs, so much so that some tourists thought they were filming a show.
Lu Yang said that they do not approve of those "enthusiasts" who wear nondescript Hanfu. Later, when events were held, some people came to participate wearing studio attire or cosplay, but Lu Yang and others dissuaded them: "Hanfu and costumes are different."
Having been immersed in the Hanfu circle for a long time, Wu Yufei can also tell at a glance which merchants' Hanfu has the wrong shape. In her opinion, the production of Hanfu should be based on the styles of cultural relics and documentary records. However, some businesses now change the shape at will, or use costumes from movies and TV dramas as Hanfu. "These are not true traditional national costumes."
Wang Jiu (pseudonym), a student from Beijing Dance Academy, wears Hanfu. Photo provided by interviewee
"Being in the same robe as your son"
Since 2014, Wu Yufei, Lu Yang, and Wang Jiu have successively joined "Hanfu Beijing". "Hanfu Beijing" has a history of more than ten years. During traditional holidays, they organize "Tongpao" to hold various activities.
In 2014, Wu Yufei joined "Hanfu Beijing". Before that, she was the only one wearing Hanfu beside her. Whenever someone talks about it in a weird way, she defends Hanfu.
When she was in high school, a male classmate said angrily to her wearing Hanfu, "Why do you come to school dressed like this? It's very strange." Wu Yufei countered: "This is Hanfu. Isn't it strange that you came to school wearing a vest?" ”
Despite this, she still felt a little lonely. After joining "Hanfu Beijing", she finally found her "comrades": "It's like finding an organization. There is a sense of identity, because... there are many brothers and sisters wearing Hanfu." They They exchanged their feelings about buying and wearing Hanfu, shared their own experiences, and also helped and cheered each other up.
36Lu Yang, who is 20 years old, considers himself one of the older people who came into contact with Hanfu later. He is called "brother" or "uncle" by some young people, but he is very happy: "Everyone gathers together because of common hobbies, and there is no age gap." This is a pleasure that cannot be replaced by work. He can feel the unrestrained feeling: "It can be said that Hanfu is now my other spiritual home."
Lu Yang introduced that the "comrades" in "Hanfu Beijing" have different occupations, including teachers, doctors, students, civil servants, and programmers. In his opinion, there are hidden dragons in the team, but everyone can make full use of their talents. For example, people who have worked as copy editors are responsible for copywriting planning, while "code farmers" will use their professional skills to develop small programs.
Because of his contact with Hanfu, Lu Yang became interested in traditional Chinese academics and folk customs. Today, he is reading "The Book of Songs" and "Historical Records". In his opinion, Hanfu is steeped in rich history, and it also allows him to feel the charm of traditional culture and understand the principles of life.
"It's like brewing a cup of tea with hot water. There will always be some tea leaves floating on the water. But when enough water is absorbed, the tea leaves will sink to the bottom of the cup." Lu Yang said, "It was exposure to traditional culture that made me become more Be low-key and humble, and feel that there is someone outside of you."
