"After visiting the scenic spots, I saw 50 or 60 ladies wearing horse-faced skirts!" Zhang Nan, a tourist from Zhengzhou, sighed after returning from Kaifeng's Qingming Festival Shanghe Garden: "But horse-faced skirts are indeed related to this kind of history and culture. The breathtaking attractions go well together."
Since this year, the horse-faced skirt has become the “first skirt in spring”. Many young people not only wear it when shopping and visiting the garden, but even wear it at work. The "Hanfu craze" represented by horse-faced skirts has not only driven an upsurge in traditional cultural consumption, but also fueled people's enthusiasm for cultural and tourism activities.
So, with so many styles of new Chinese clothing, why is it that only horse-faced skirts are “out of the circle”? What are the cultural codes behind this skirt becoming a hit?
Horse-faced skirt becomes “the first skirt in spring”
"Wearing a horse-faced skirt will make you feel good, just like the protagonist of an idol drama that has come into reality." Since the beginning of spring, Hairong often wears a black horse-faced skirt embroidered with silver patterns when going to work. She said that her "new Spring Festival outfit" allowed her to "establish a fairy-like image" when she returned to her hometown during the Spring Festival, and became a "princess sister from ancient times" among the children, brothers and sisters.
This good feeling makes Hairong often wear horse-faced skirts to work even after starting work. In her opinion, this skirt is not only dignified and elegant, but also convenient and practical.
There are four skirt doors on the front and back of the horse-face skirt that overlap in pairs, with pleats on the sides. The smooth surface formed by the overlap of the skirt doors in the middle is called "horse-face". The flat skirt doors at the front and back make the wearer more elegant; while the pleats on both sides stretch during movement to facilitate movement. "Compared with traditional Hanfu, horse-faced skirts are more everyday-oriented. In some work and life scenes, traditional Hanfu may appear exaggerated, but horse-faced skirts can be well integrated into daily wear," said Hairong. .
There are many people who have the same understanding as Hairong. "In recent years, young people prefer oriental aesthetics, and even milk tea drinks have been replaced with Chinese-style packaging." Duoyang, a post-95s graphic designer, believes that the improved horse-faced skirt, in particular, has a unique new Chinese-style design , can attract the attention of young people.
then, on the self-media platform, the horse-faced skirt seems to have become a "traffic password". Many young people wear it to visit historical sites and even travel abroad. Through the wide spread of social media, horse-faced skirts have now become well-known to the public from a niche hobby. According to a report released by a short video platform, in 2023, users of the platform posted videos related to horse-faced skirts in more than 90 overseas countries and regions. Relevant content has become a typical case of Chinese culture going overseas.
The popularity of horse-faced skirts is no accident
For most consumers, the first time they got to know horse-faced skirts was the "plagiarism of horse-faced skirts" incident by an international brand in July 2022. On the streets abroad, many Chinese and international students wore Hanfu and held placards to protest, calling on the international brand to "plagiarize horse-faced skirts". Brands stop cultural appropriation.
After this incident, horse-faced skirts began to appear in the public eye. From international students wearing horse-faced skirts to visit museums and attend graduation ceremonies, to Internet celebrity bloggers showing off their horse-faced skirts on social platforms. Horse-faced skirts Skirts are gradually gaining popularity.
According to e-commerce platform data, more than 730,000 horse-faced skirts were sold on the platform during "Double Eleven" in 2023, and horse-faced skirts were rated as one of the top ten products on the platform in 2023.
The popularity of horse-faced skirts has also brought about traditional Hanfu. In the Year of the Dragon CCTV Spring Festival Gala program "Nian Jin", four stars Liu Tao, Liu Shishi, Li Qin and Guan Xiaotong performed in costumes from different dynasties of Han, Tang, Song and Ming dynasties respectively, conveying New Year blessings to the audience, and making Hanfu made in Song Dynasty, Traditional Hanfu such as Ming Dynasty Hanfu has captured the public's attention.
According to data from an e-commerce platform, since the Spring Festival Gala live broadcast began, the transaction volume of new Chinese-style clothing increased by 215% year-on-year, and the transaction volume of Hanfu category increased by 325% year-on-year. Among them, the horse-faced skirt has become the most popular item in the Hanfu category since January this year. According to media reports, sales of new Chinese-style clothing, mainly horse-face skirts, in Caoxian County, Shandong Province this year have exceeded 300 million yuan.
"The popularity of the horse-faced skirt is no accident, but the accumulation of many years of hard work." Guo Xiaodong, general manager of an e-commerce company that operates the new Chinese clothing business, said that as one of the highest-selling items on each of the company's platforms, horse-faced skirts are Face skirts have actually gone through many years of market development..
Guo Xiaodong introduced that the number of Hanfu manufacturing companies in Zhoukou, Henan Province has gradually increased, and the local industrial belt has grown rapidly by more than 200%, becoming a rising star leading and supporting the development of Hanfu. "Manufacturers have made many improvements to traditional horse-faced skirts and other Hanfu based on consumer demand. Improvement and iteration. For example, in order to meet the needs of consumers to wear to work, horse-faced skirts incorporate more and more fashion elements, from traditional silk to modern synthetic fibers, and the length of the skirt is also more suitable for the aesthetics and needs of modern people."
Traditional culture "bloodline awakening"
The "Hanfu craze" represented by horse-faced skirts has not only led to the rapid development of the new Chinese clothing industry, but has also driven people's enthusiasm for cultural and tourism activities.
As Hanfu "goes out of the circle", more and more tourists wear traditional costumes to visit special attractions such as Kaifeng Qingming Riverside Garden and Luoyang Luoyi Ancient City. Correspondingly, Hanfu makeup, travel photography and other supporting services are also available. Then follow up; in the ancient city of Dali in Yunnan, the Tang Furong Garden in Xi'an, and large and small Hanfu makeup making experience centers have sprung up. "Hanfu craze" and "cultural tourism craze" complement each other, creating new economic growth points and creating new lifestyle trends.
Zeng Guang, former director of the School of Journalism and Media in universities and a self-media practitioner, believes that the "out of the circle" of horse-faced skirts is a "two-way rush" between consumers and traditional culture. "In addition to the promotion of social media and the popularity of Internet celebrities, In addition to selling goods, there is actually another key point in the popularity of horse-faced skirts, which is that Chinese people have regained their cultural confidence - the traditional culture in more people's bones has 'awakened their bloodline'."
Media commentator Li Dasen noticed that young people's enthusiasm for Hanfu has led them to pay attention to and learn many intangible cultural heritage skills, intangible folk customs, festival culture, etiquette culture, etc. related to Hanfu. "Affected by Hanfu culture, there are more and more fans of traditional Chinese culture: buckles, embroidery, brocade, fan making... these intangible cultural heritage skills are gradually entering life." Li Dasen said: "Driven by young people, Traditional culture is becoming more and more 'vivid'!"
