Source: People’s Daily Overseas Edition
Hanfu enthusiasts display Hanfu in front of the London Eye in the UK. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Ying
A Chinese brand with the theme of "flowers" and peony as creative inspiration will appear at the 2024 Autumn and Winter New York Fashion Week. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Rui
At the Aiyuncang Hanfu Base in Ancailou Town, Cao County, Shandong Province, designer Liang Li is designing embroidery patterns for horse-faced skirts. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Guo Xulei
Chinese jacket with jeans, buttoned leather jacket with hoodie, knitted sweater with horse skirt... Recently, there is a fashion trend led by "new Chinese style" dressing. Surge quietly, you can always see it in the streets and alleys, and in tourist attractions.
An e-commerce platformTaiwan sales data shows that since January this year, the transaction volume of Hanfu categories such as horse-faced skirts has increased by more than 300% year-on-year; during the Spring Festival, the transaction volume of Hanfu categories has increased by 325% year-on-year. Topics such as “Why do young people like ‘New Chinese Style’” have become hot searches one after another. On a certain short video platform, the number of views of short videos with the topic of "'New Chinese Style' Outfits" exceeded 10.6 billion.
Sought after by the younger generation
It can not only reflect the charm of China’s excellent traditional culture, but also be integrated into daily wear. “New Chinese-style” clothing is becoming popular among the younger generation. sought after.
"The 'New Chinese-style' outfits are so compatible with traditional festivals that I chose Hanfu as my 'New Year's greeting shirt' during the Spring Festival." said Zhou, a graduate student in Beijing, " The Spring Festival is a traditional festival in China. 'New Chinese-style' clothing includes elements of traditional Chinese clothing, which is not only in line with traditional festival customs, but also very festive."
It is the time of spring. When enjoying the spring in the garden, "new Chinese-style" clothing complements the Chinese-style architecture. A self-media blogger shared her story on social platforms: One day, she was wearing Hanfu while visiting the Humble Administrator's Garden in Suzhou, and was praised by a foreign lady for her beauty. The foreign lady took a photo of her: Under the bright sunshine, the whole person seemed to be glowing. "At that moment, I felt more that the five thousand years of Chinese civilization was shining, and a sense of pride arose in my heart." The blogger said in the post.
What’s new about “New Chinese Style”? "New Chinese-style" clothing is not as grand and gorgeous as a full set of traditional clothing. It focuses on retaining traditional characteristics while being fashionable and practical. For example, the dark patterns of flowers, birds, and mountains and rivers in some "new Chinese-style" clothing are very cleverly integrated. These exquisite patterns are only faintly visible in the sunlight. They are low-key and elegant and can be worn for travel or work.
Zheng Chaoying, who is from Fujian, began to understand "new Chinese style" dressing because her favorite singer wore Hanfu during performances. She said: "When I go to work, I wear a 'new Chinese' shirt with trousers, or a shirt with a horse skirt, and it feels very suitable. I also gave a fashionable design cheongsam as a gift to a friend, and she also liked it very much. ."
In the live broadcast room, there are more and more styles of "new Chinese-style" clothing; in the circle of friends, everyone is showing off their own "new Chinese-style" outfits - in the rapid spread of the Internet, More and more people feel the timeless charm of traditional Chinese costumes. Ms. Zhang from Liaoning began to try "new Chinese-style" clothing under the influence of the Internet. "I was inspired by the 'New Chinese Style' by bloggers on social media. I feel so beautiful after wearing it, and the style is really suitable for Chinese people." Ms. Zhang said that she will also share her "New Chinese Style" clothes on the Internet. It has received a lot of attention and praise.
Traditional culture and fashion collide
From freehand ink to plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum; from cheongsam, Chinese tunic suit to horse-faced skirt, "new Chinese" clothing The design elements are diverse and the styles are rich, integrating the profound connotation of Chinese culture into the daily life of "daily use without realizing it"Dressing.
Take the horse-faced skirt, a highly recognizable garment, as an example. There are four skirt doors at the front and back, and the laces encircle the waist, visually giving people a "flying down" aesthetic feeling. According to Meng Hui, a scholar of traditional Chinese material culture, the original basic skirt style of the horse-faced skirt appeared in the Song Dynasty, and the mature horse-faced skirt was formed in the Ming Dynasty. It was one of the most distinctive costumes for women in the Ming Dynasty. The horse-faced skirt lasted until the 20th century. At the beginning of the century, it was decorated with various auspicious patterns and is a kind of clothing with a long history. It can be said that the horse-faced skirt has gone through a long period of development and historical and cultural precipitation to form its current appearance. The current horse-face skirts, while retaining the elegant and straight shape, have improved the traditional design, such as adding zippers, concealed buttons and pockets, etc., or by improving the fabric organization and pleating process, making the horse-face skirts machine washable. , more suitable for modern people's daily wear, and also reduces the hidden economic cost of washing and care.
As one of the traditional Chinese clothing, cheongsam is also a typical representative of "new Chinese style" clothing. The cheongsam has graceful lines and slim tailoring. It not only highlights the body shape, but also carries a rich cultural heritage. Today, while retaining the classic design, cheongsam incorporates fashionable elements, such as puff sleeves and lace fabrics, to make it more in line with contemporary aesthetics.
In addition to traditional clothing styles, many traditional fabrics have also returned to the public eye, such as Xiangyun yarn. The original name of Xiangyun gauze is "Xiangyun gauze". It makes a "swishing" sound when worn, so it is also called "Xiangyun gauze". Purely handmade Xiangyun yarn is praised as "soft gold" by the textile industry. In 2008, Xiangyun yarn dyeing and finishing techniques were included in the national intangible cultural heritage list. Nowadays, Xiangyun gauze also has more fashionable styles, such as matching with playful bright colors to create an image of oriental women with both strength and softness.
"The 'New Chinese' clothing style can be simple or complex, sweet or salty, and can be relaxed and casual, or very ceremonial. It embodies the modest and elegant Chinese temperament and is popular in modern times. New vitality bursts out of the design concept," said He Yang, a professor at the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, who hopes that young designers will think more about and study traditional clothing and national clothing at a spiritual level, and reflect more of the Chinese people's philosophical and humanistic views. .
Enhance the sense of Chinese cultural identity
Associate professor Bai Xiaoqing of Communication University of China believes that the "New Chinese Style" trend spreads the aesthetic elements of China's excellent traditional culture. Moisturizing things silently nourishes the public's aesthetic taste and enhances young people's inner identification with Chinese culture. Compared with traditional Chinese clothing, "New Chinese style" combines the modern aesthetics of the Chinese people and is more in line with the public's practical needs for daily wear, decoration and other cultural consumption. It is the inheritance and innovation of China's excellent traditional culture.
Not long ago, Du Haijiang, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and secretary of the Party Committee of the Palace Museum, submitted a proposal on building a Chinese ceremonial clothing system in the new era during the National Two Sessions. He believes that China has a profound cultural tradition and precious resources of national costumes, and should build a new era ceremonial costume system that carries national culture around Chinese culture.Shape the "national cultural image" through Chinese costumes.
Currently, the "fire" of "New Chinese Style" has extended from clothing to home furnishing, beauty, catering and other fields. It continues to tap into the rich resources of China's excellent traditional culture and innovatively expresses oriental aesthetics. For example, Tongrentang combines traditional health care with new consumer demands and launches drinks such as wolfberry latte, Luo Han Guo Americano, Jiaoyan Tangerine Peel and Five Red Soup, etc., which not only attracts young consumers, but also makes time-honored brands "trendy".
The popularity of "New Chinese Style" is a "two-way rush" between consumers and traditional culture, and is also a vivid manifestation of cultural consciousness and cultural confidence. The younger generation is increasingly willing to use China's excellent traditional culture as a way to express their attitudes, wear traditional culture on their bodies, and integrate traditional culture into their lives. (Zhang Yaoyu Yang Yuqian)
"People's Daily Overseas Edition" (Page 12, March 20, 2024)
