“Threading eyebrows, applying grease, dotting the face, dyeing the forehead yellow, drawing oblique red, appliqué... When we are doing some traditional makeup, we will also read some ancient paintings and books. We hope that this will allow tourists to gain insights. 'Authentic' experience." Cao Zixian, a 25-year-old Hanfu makeup artist in Xi'an, had a busy May Day holiday.
The picture shows Xi'an Hanfu makeup artist Cao Zixian (right) doing makeup for tourists. Photo by Dang Tianye
In recent years, "wearing Hanfu and visiting Xi'an" has become a must-have option for many people to experience immersive tourism.
With the increasingly diversified consumer demand in the cultural tourism market and the continuous promotion of local cultural tourism in Xi'an, the focus here is on the innovation of literary and artistic and immersive cultural tourism projects, making the once niche Hanfu gradually become a cultural tourism industry "Internet celebrity" project. Among them, Hanfu makeup artist, as a new profession, also faces new employment opportunities.
During the May Day holiday, Hanfu became a beautiful scenery on the streets of Xi'an. On the social platform, some netizens said bluntly: "A princess takes three steps and a concubine takes five steps in Xi'an."
After graduating from college, Cao Zixian worked in makeup work on some film crews in Beijing. This experience has accumulated a lot of experience for her. Have some work experience. However, when she returned to Xi'an and became a Hanfu makeup artist, Cao Zixian said that she still encountered some "pains" in the workplace, and the difficulty of applying ancient makeup was far beyond her expectations.
“Hanfu makeup generally takes one and a half to two hours, starting from basic skin care, water emulsion, isolation and sunscreen, and then to foundation, concealer, and makeup setting. These steps are more cumbersome than our daily makeup. Many." From being unable to do anything at the beginning to now being able to do it with ease, Cao Zixian said that only continuous learning can ensure that Hanfu makeup artists will not "pretend" the ancient styles.
As the ancient capital of thirteen dynasties, Xi'an has a profound historical and cultural heritage and numerous historical sites, including the Ming Dynasty City Wall, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, and the Bell and Drum Towers, giving it the "atmosphere" of "Chang'an City". "The fluttering Hanfu and the antique buildings complement each other.
Next to the Hanfu Museum where Cao Zixian works is the Chang'an Twelve Hours-themed neighborhood with Tang culture as the background. Stepping inside, you can see many tourists wearing Hanfu, watching Tang operas and listening to Tang music, which makes you feel like you have returned to the city of Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty.In the well.
"Our Hanfu Museum and Beauty Shop have prepared more than 4,000 sets of costumes for everyone to choose from. The Hanfu makeup artists have also been carefully selected and I believe they can bring a better immersive experience to tourists. Experience." Li Yuanyuan, a staff member of Chang'an Twelve Hours Theme Street, told reporters that during the May Day holiday, the neighborhood received about 10,000 tourists every day.
“In the morning, I was dragged to the store by my companions to put on makeup and dress up as a Tang Dynasty warrior to play on the streets. This is a romance unique to Chang’an.” Peng Yao, a tourist from Chongqing, said with a smile on the 5th that as a For a man who is used to wearing a bare face, the experience of putting on makeup for the first time made him feel very strange.
The picture shows tourists wearing Hanfu taking photos in the Chang'an Twelve Hours themed neighborhood. Photo by Dang Tianye
According to platform data, three days before the May Day holiday, the search popularity for "Hanfu makeup" increased by more than 150% year-on-year. The top three search cities were Xi'an, Luoyang, and Suzhou. In Xi'an, "Hanfu makeup plus follow-up photo shoot", "Children's Hanfu makeup", "Big Wild Goose Pagoda Hanfu makeup", "Chang'an twelve o'clock Hanfu makeup", etc. are all related hot words.
Wearing a gorgeous Tang Dynasty lady's costume, sitting in a coffee shop near the Tang Dynasty Evernight City in Xi'an, Shanghai tourist Li Xinxin was pleasantly surprised to find that this combination was not out of the ordinary. "I have to sigh that Xi'an has been very successful in protecting and promoting traditional culture over the years. People wearing Hanfu are not only in scenic spots, but also in every corner of the city."
Cao Zixian said, as Chinese traditional culture continues to "leave out of the circle", and more and more people are becoming willing to "pay" to experience Hanfu. "Horse-faced skirts have become popular this year. In fact, many Hanfu can be used as our daily commuting clothing. As a practitioner, I hope that Hanfu makeup can move from an occasional 'taste' to people's daily life." Cao Zixian said.
As dusk approaches, Cao Zixian enters the busiest time of the day, choosing clothes for tourists and "painting eyebrows and hair". The charm of Chang'an painted by her hands is performed here every day.
(Reporter Zhang Yichen Dang Tianye)
