This Spring Festival, the horse-faced skirt, one of the standard features of Hanfu, has become a popular "New Year's shirt". In live broadcast rooms selling clothing, buyers are constantly asking if the goods are in stock; in subways, scenic spots, museums and other places, girls wearing down jackets and coats can be seen everywhere, with fluttering horse-faced skirts exposed at the feet of their clothes. At the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, the traditional Chinese pattern creation show "Nian Brocade" allowed people to see the oriental beauty of traditional clothing such as Song brocade vests, Xiangyun gauze jackets, and embroidered horse-faced skirts.
Data from multiple e-commerce platforms show that since January this year, the number of searches for Hanfu has skyrocketed, and the horse-faced skirt has become one of the most popular items in the Hanfu category. As one of the production and sales bases of Hanfu in my country, Caoxian County, Shandong Province, has sold more than 300 million yuan of clothing for the Year of the Dragon this year, mainly horse-faced skirts.
Why are horse-faced skirts so popular all of a sudden?
Photo courtesy of Visual China
The "new jersey" coming out of the museum
The blue satin skirt with four seasons flowers and gold makeup in the Shandong Museum (Ming Dynasty), the yellow dark flower silk embroidered horse face skirt in the Suzhou Silk Museum (Qing Dynasty), and the red dark flower silk embroidered figure and landscape on display at the Tsinghua University Art Museum Horse-faced skirt with fish scale pattern (Qing Dynasty)... In many museums, you can admire the exquisite horse-faced skirts woven by the ancients.
Photo courtesy of Visual China
The word "horse face" first appeared in "History of the Ming Dynasty": "It is dragged and spread, and its back collar is constantly controlled,There are hems on both sides, two sections on the front, and horse pleats on the bottom, rising to both sides. "After the horse-faced skirt became popular, many photos and videos of people wearing horse-faced skirts riding horses appeared on the Internet, which made many people mistakenly believe that "horse-faced skirts" are related to horseback riding. But in fact, the "horse-faced skirts" here are related to animals. It doesn’t matter much. There are four skirt doors at the front and back of the horse-faced skirt. Two of them overlap, the sides are pleated, and the smooth surface formed by the overlap of the skirt doors in the middle is called "horse-face".
Yao Lan, the young inheritor of Su embroidery and the manager of the Yao embroidery brand, told reporters that the history of the horse-faced skirt can be traced back to the Song Dynasty. It was one of the main skirt styles for Han women in ancient China. In 2022, a black mid-length skirt released by a major foreign brand attracted a lot of attention because of its similarity to the traditional Chinese horse-faced skirt. This also made more people begin to realize that the best way to protect traditional clothing is Wear it.
"In fact, there was a lot of discussion about Hanfu before, but the threshold for wearing Hanfu is high. It requires a complete set of makeup and hair to be unified inside and outside. It also requires the wearer to have a certain understanding of its shape. But the horse-faced skirt is different because it is versatile and universal. , so many young people choose it as the first Hanfu in their lives." In Yao Lan's view, the horse-faced skirt is suitable for daily commuting, traveling or some important occasions, and it is also very tolerant to the body shape. This is the basis for its popularity.
Wearing a horse-faced skirt to the Louvre in France, St. Petersburg in Russia, and Tokyo to attend a concert by Swift (American pop singer Taylor Swift)... During the Spring Festival, "wearing Chinese style when going out" has become a way Fashionable, many people even wear horse-faced skirts when going abroad. A young man posted a photo of himself checking in at a foreign attraction, with the caption: "It's not me who is beautiful, it's the five thousand years of China!"
Ji Yibo, director of the Costume Department of Nanjing University of the Arts, believes that these bloggers who are Hanfu enthusiasts, cosplay enthusiasts, and national style promoters have formed a trend, boosting the popularity of horse-faced skirts in the new media era, and actors such as Xu Jiao The wearing publicity also further "breaks the circle" of horse-faced skirts.
But in the final analysis, the "popular horse-faced skirt on the street" stems from the strong national cultural identity of young people. As a cultural symbol, the popularity of horse-faced skirts reflects the cultural confidence of young people today.
A middle school student in Nanjing tries on a horse-faced skirt in a shopping mall.
Relevant data released by iResearch shows that the market size of China's new Hanfu industry in 2021 is 10.1 billion yuan, accounting for only 0.8% of the clothing market; and by 2023, during the "Double Eleven" period alone, Taobao sold more than 73 Tens of thousands of horse-faced skirts can cover 105 football fields. The emergence of horse-faced skirts means that Hanfu has gradually moved from the niche to the masses.
Horse-faced skirts appear more and more frequently in daily life. Some teachers wear horse-faced skirts to class, some girlfriends wear horse-faced skirts to meet for coffee, and many prospective newcomers wear them to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get their certificates. "The shape of the horse-faced skirt is similar to a pleated skirt, but it has a solemn feeling. With the addition of gold and silver weaving and other craftsmanship, who can resist the sparkling self!" said Ye Zi, a Yangzhou Hanfu enthusiast.
The relatively affordable price is also a key factor in the popularity of horse-faced skirts. In the past, a set of Hanfu cost thousands of yuan, which put many young people away. However, the popular horse-faced skirts on the streets can be bought in live broadcast rooms for one or two hundred yuan.
A small county town has become the "center of the universe"
For every three pieces of Hanfu sold nationwide, at least one comes from Caoxian County. The popularity of horse-faced skirts has brought Caoxian County, a small county in Shandong Province, into the public eye.
Xinhua News Agency pictures
During the Spring Festival, the topic "Caoxian sold 300 million horse-faced skirts and the demand still exceeds supply" became a hot search topic, and some young people couldn't wait to start "reverse tourism". A blogger shared his experience of visiting the Hanfu base on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year on social media: "I watched the live broadcast and saw that the factory was open. With the excitement of looking for business opportunities, I set out facing the sun. I have to say that Caoxian County is really Every household is making Hanfu, walking around the streets, 'digitally printing' fabrics and 'pressing pleats'... The division of labor is so harmonious at every step, and each small village has successfully lifted out of poverty."
Business opportunities have also given rise to many “turnarounds”. A curtain factory in Haining, Zhejiang Province, crossed the border and started making horse-faced skirts.
"The fabrics of the horse-faced skirt and curtains feel very similar. They both have satin patterns and the fabric is very thick!" Ji Yibo said, the reason why the horse-faced skirt looks dignified when worn on the upper bodyHeavy and high-end are related to its traditional shape and the fabrics used. Horse-faced skirts in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties mostly used brocade fabrics, while horse-faced skirts in the Qing Dynasty were sewn with solid-color satin, "with Made of high-grade brocade material, the skirt can remain wide after pleating, which can better reflect the cultural spirit of the Oriental people."
Looking back on the rise of Caoxian County, we can see that “wealth and wealth” did not happen overnight.
Cao County predicted last year that horse-faced skirts would be popular this year, and about 40% of merchants did not have a holiday during the New Year; among the 300 million horse-faced skirts, only the "Taobao Village" market town sold 150 million yuan, and 400 people still live in the town. A college student who went back to his hometown to sell horse-faced skirts... The media's competing reports outline the growth history of a small county. It also shows the focus of hot words of the times such as rural revitalization, county development, e-commerce economy, and returning to hometown to start a business.
Xinhua News Agency pictures
From being the most populous county in Shandong with “a lot of bachelors, old people, and left-behind children” to becoming rich by eating clothes; from producing wedding clothes, performance clothes, and Hanfu to today’s horse-faced skirts, Caoxian’s "Take off" is the opportunity of the era of "e-commerce" and "national trend", and it is also a step-by-step step forward. In the digital age, the innovative nature of the Internet has allowed a small county to create a new "local specialty".
How to make new Chinese style a landscape
When the horse-faced skirt, the representative of new Chinese-style clothing, becomes a unique landscape, opportunities are just around the corner for the traditional home textile industry.
Lu Mei, vice president and secretary-general of the Jiangsu Federation of Industry and Commerce Textile and Garment Chamber of Commerce, said that garment companies in Jiangsu are also quietly entering the "new Chinese style". Whether it is clothing design or fabrics, many companies are trying to add traditional Chinese elements.
Shengze Town, Suzhou is an important silk textile production base and product distribution center in my country, and is known as the "Millennium Silk City". The person in charge of a local cheongsam and new Chinese-style clothing brand "Qi Yi" in Shengze told reporters that in the past they mainly specialized in high-end cheongsam. In order to meet customer needs, they began to expand the category of new Chinese-style clothing in September last year. The sales are good, and there are also The customer came specifically to make a horse-faced skirt, for which they even designed one last year.Two horse face skirts. He said, "New Chinese-style clothing actually has a lot of connotation. On the one hand, it must follow the formal beauty rules of design. The clothing style, fabric selection, and craftsmanship are all very sophisticated, such as the sewing of one-line buttons, inlays, inlays, and rolling. It is a test of technique. The culture of the horse-faced skirt has a long history, and there are many kinds of details. Why should its length be two centimeters from the instep, whether to make six or seven pieces, and the margin for pleats, all of which have knowledge."
The person in charge revealed that after the new Chinese style became popular, the price of jacquard fabrics has increased a lot. Song brocade fabrics, for example, were sold for 1,300 yuan per meter last year. "A factory in our town that specializes in Song brocade fabrics added five machines at once last year. Not only Song brocade, but all traditional fabrics including mulberry satin, silk, etc., are increasing in price," he said.
Entry entry "In full bloom or not·Flowers are all flowers"
The reporter noticed that in the Purple Gold Award Clothing Creative Design Competition held every year in Jiangsu, horse-faced skirts also inspired unlimited creativity in national fashion design. Among them, the entry "In Bloom or Not·Flowers Are All Flowers" cleverly combines the loose tailoring and pleat design of the horse skirt with the warmth and fluffiness of the down jacket, presenting a fashion style that combines tradition and modernity; the entry "Even to "Softness Conquers the Strongest", inspired by Laozi's "The best goodness is like water, which benefits all things without dispute" in Laozi's "Tao Te Ching", we redesigned the horse-faced skirt and added beads to express a sense of agility. "Splendid Future" is a set of national fashion school uniforms inspired by horse-faced skirts. It combines digital printing technology with the horse tassel totem of the Yi people, and draws on the rich colors of Dunhuang murals.
Design drawing of "Softness Conquers Hardness"
"Splendid Future" design drawing
Ji Yibo is also the final judge of the 10th Purple Gold Award Costume Competition. He believes that from cheongsam, Hanfu to horse-faced skirts, the revival of traditional culture has given rise to new consumer demands and has also brought breakthroughs and innovations to industrial development. At present, many modern designs of horse-face skirts are explored in the fields of material selection and application. The core concept is to combine practicality with artistry and add more modern expressions on the basis of traditional culture.
Wear a horse-faced skirt and innovate without losing your original intention
The horse-faced skirt changed not only the industry, but also people.
On her first day at work after the Chinese New Year, Xin Tongtong, who works in a government agency, shared her experience wearing a horse-faced skirt to work. "The leader only said, 'The skirt is quite beautiful,' and had no special reaction." In the eyes of Hanfu enthusiasts, this "normal" treatment is particularly precious.
Xiaochuan, who was born in 1992, has been loving Hanfu for seven or eight years. She recalled that when she wore Hanfu on the street, people always looked at her strangely, and some even asked: "Girl, are you an actor?" "Girl, are you filming?"
Today, people's ideas have changed. Walking around popular scenic spots, this change is particularly obvious. On the evening of February 23, the reporter visited the Laomendong Historical and Cultural District in Nanjing. As soon as I entered the door, I met a girl wearing a horse-faced skirt and hurried out following the photographer. She told reporters that Hanfu photos are very popular now. She often sees Hanfu photos taken by young people in museums and scenic spots on social media. They are very beautiful, so she came to follow the trend and experience them.
“In Nanbo and Subo, there are people who wear Hanfu to take photos by themselves, and some people go to professional Hanfu photo studios. They will be responsible for helping you do the whole set of makeup and choose the check-in point. The package I chose today is to take photos of two sets of clothes. Stay in Laomendong during the day and go to Qinhuai River at night." Before the girl could finish her sentence, the photographer came to urge her.
In the streets and alleys of Laomendong, such "travel scenes" are not uncommon. For example, a couple walks towards each other. The boy is wearing a down jacket and the girl is dressed in ancient costumes from head to toe. The two of them are walking side by side without any sense of incompatibility since ancient times; another example is, on a long and long road. In a narrow alley, two best friends were arranging their Hanfu in front of their mobile phone cameras, preparing for a live broadcast. The reporter saw that many children who came to the scenic spot were also wearing horse-faced skirts.
Due to work reasons, Mr. Sun often walks in the south area of the old city. He told reporters that a few years ago, people came to Laomendong to take photos in Hanfu, but at that time the girls usually came in casual clothes, changed into Hanfu in the toilet in the scenic area, and then changed back after taking the photo. Nowadays, young people wear Hanfu directly on the streets, and some rent a suit at the Hanfu shop at the door.
Today, dozens of Hanfu shops have gathered near Laomendong. Mr. Sun said these stores have literally sprung up like mushrooms after a rain. He said that in the ten years of development of Laomendong, nearby businesses have also experienced some changes. A tea shop has closed, and more creative coffee shops have emerged; and some of these Hanfu shops used to be small sugar, tobacco, wine and grocery stores.
"Career" follows interests, which is the career choice view of many young people nowadays. In Ogawa's view, Hanfu is a good medium.
Ogawa used to work on "intelligent traffic signals". After resigning in May last year, he opened a new business in the Nanjing Dabaoen Temple Museum.A 20-square-meter Hanfu museum provides tourists with Hanfu photo and check-in services.
Before starting his business, Xiaochuan did market research. She found that tourists preferred "fairy" style Hanfu and photos, so Tang Dynasty-style Hanfu was more popular. She originally wanted to open a store in Laomendong, but she never had the chance. "As soon as the store became available, it was quickly rented and it was very popular." Later, she simply opened the store in the "Internet Celebrity" Museum.
During the Spring Festival, Xiaochuan's store has a booming business. Many customers come to experience Hanfu culture, and the horse-faced skirt, which not only embodies traditional culture but also takes into account comfort and beauty, has become their first choice.
Xin Tongtong said that ordinary players pay more attention to good-looking and convenient clothing, while many senior Hanfu enthusiasts pay more attention to craftsmanship, shape, and the source of design inspiration. Although there are many small workshops that make quick money, there are also many designers who go to museums honestly and do their homework seriously. She heard a story shared by the founder of a Hanfu brand, saying that one of his customer service staff became very interested in history because he was consulted a lot by buyers, and eventually got admitted to a university as a graduate student in the history department.
Fan Ning, chairman of the Nanjing Historic City Protection and Construction Group, said that "the scenic spots must take good care of them, because if they are good, the scenic spots will be good as well."
In the era of self-media, traditional culture is good at “drawing traffic”. Because of this, many scenic spots now open an experience center before launching new projects, organize young people to wear Hanfu to play, and then publicize photos and videos to attract more tourists. "Each scenic spot has its own characteristics and needs to be tailored to suit its needs. Laomendong is not as grand as the Tang Dynasty Sleepless City in Xi'an, so it is necessary to create a lightweight, high-quality, original and memorable public space. We work hard on the scene, and the girl in the horse-faced skirt looks back and smiles in such a scene, traveling through the past and present, and it is the most vivid advertisement for the scenic spot." Fan Ning said.
New Chinese style is popular, and horse-faced skirts are popular. This reminds Mr. Chang, a literature and history enthusiast born in the 1970s, of a movie "Red Skirts Are Popular on the Street" that he watched when he was a child. The film was shot in the 1980s and tells the story of Tao Xinger, a female cotton mill worker.A story about breaking through the shackles of old ideas, putting on a beautiful red dress, and boldly pursuing the beauty of life. "People's clothing often reflects the aesthetic preferences, lifestyles and values of different eras. From chasing international trends to the awakening of traditional Chinese aesthetic genes, the popularity of horse-faced skirts is also a reflection of Chinese people's cultural confidence in clothing aesthetics. ."
The Year of the Dragon, Jiachen, presents two interesting sides, one is innovative and the other is retro. Seemingly contradictory, they are actually unified. Because retro is not a return to the past, but a creative transformation and innovative development of traditional culture, allowing us to take the "past" into the "future". The popularity of the horse-faced skirt allows us to see a landscape of "innovation without losing the original intention".
