Hanfu: A Subculture Breaking Counter Attack

"In 2019, there were several Hanfu shops on Taobao, which sold hundreds of millions of dollars in sales. The largest one sold 4 hundred million in a year, and the buyers were young people. How do you explain? There is only one explanation. because Chinese cultural symbols.

"Today, there are 3 million Hanfu fans in China. Their average age is 18-24. If Hanfu is hand embroidered, the price will be between 8000 and 20000 yuan. After 60, 70, remember? When we got the wages after work, the first thing was to go to the shopping mall and buy a suit for ourselves, which means I am an adult and a modern person. Today, a girl bought a Hanfu dress with her salary, indicating that I am a Chinese.

In Luo Zhenyu and Wu Xiaobo's inter annual speech, these two "prediction Emperors" invariably mentioned Hanfu. People suddenly find that Hanfu has changed from minority hobby to Chinese culture symbol.

Yang Na also found that people's attitudes towards Hanfu changed. In January this year, Yang Na taught at the first training course of Hanfu model held by Beijing Institute Of Fashion Technology. During the show rehearsal, a teacher sighed to her, Han Fu performance was much more difficult than fashion show. It had to understand clothes and understand the culture behind the clothes.

This surprised Yang Na. As early as 20 years ago, when she studied fashion shows, teachers and students felt that "ancient Chinese costumes are best performing." The change of attitude reflects the improvement of cognition of Hanfu and respect for traditional culture. "You can only do it well if you only have reverence for culture."

"Chinese people regard their national costumes as kimono".

"The attitude of the public to Hanfu from weird clothes to a cultural symbol has taken nearly 20 years, and this process is not smooth sailing." Yang Na regrets that in 2016, she wrote the book "Hanfu return", who is the main student of sociology. This is one of the few theoretical works on the development of Hanfu sports in the market.

Hanfu movement starts from the people. In November 22, 2003, an electric worker named Wang Letian walked on the streets of Zhengzhou wearing Hanfu. The suit was made by Wang Letian for a Hanfu businessman in accordance with the fashion style of the TV drama "the emperor of the Han Dynasty", consisting of a thin velvet tunic robe and a cocoon silk outer garment. At that time, passers-by looked at him with amazement, and even shouted, "the Japanese, the Japanese in kimono!"

Wang Letian is not the first person to wear Hanfu, but he has attracted the attention of the media to Hanfu. Later, Singapore Lianhe Zaobao reported the incident, and then the media and websites at home and abroad began to pay attention to Hanfu, which allowed Hanfu to really enter the public view. Hanfu uniform will be designated as "Hanfu travel day" in November 22nd each year.

At that time, not only did the public not understand Hanfu, but some people interested in Hanfu were also secretive. In 2006, Yang Na saw a post on Hanfu at the Tianya forum, the first time he knew Hanfu. Over the next two years, she was fascinated by Hanfu, but never wore it out. "At that time, the return rate of wearing Hanfu was 200%. When he looked at you, he would go back to see you again after walking past, and I would not like to wear it." It wasn't until Yang Na studied in England that he wore a Hanfu suit, and all foreigners praised her beautiful.

Strange eyes and questionable opinions made the early Han costume movement very difficult. As a senior lover of Hanfu, Yang Na was involved in the early Han costume movement. In her view, there were two types of special groups who participated in Hanfu sports in the early years. These people are enthusiastic about Hanfu and hope to find their place in this way.

The participants in Hanfu sports also have different purposes. Some people are committed to reviving traditional culture. Some people are only interested in clothes themselves. Some people advocate Chinese culture and Hanzi's purity and superiority by Hanfu. The so-called "Great Han doctrine" and "Han standard" and other so-called extreme thoughts have also been some tributaries, which have gradually subsided in the later development. Yang Na wrote in the return of Hanfu.

When a garment is endowed with a certain group of individuals to identify their feelings of self identification, if another group is in a questioning manner, the two sides will naturally have a strong sense of collision: the more they are not recognized, the greater the voice will be. This is also the reason why early Han costume movement is always accompanied by fierce disputes.

A topic event happened in 2010. In September of that year, the Anti Japanese demonstrations broke out in the Diaoyu Islands. During the Double Ninth Festival, a Hanfu fan in Chengdu wore a Chinese dress and friends. Someone in the procession suddenly rushed up and forced her to take off her clothes - they mistakenly thought it was a kimono. When the girl explained that she had no fruit, she had to hide in the toilet and take off her coat and skirt to the other side. When people get their clothes, they show their Hanfu and burn it in public. Later, there were also netizens in Japan's forum discussing the matter, saying that Chinese people regard their national costumes as kimono.

　 Disdain chain

Hanfu enthusiasts usually call 2003 the first year of Hanfu sports. In the next few years, Hanfu organizations in all localities and universities were established, and early Han costume enthusiasts organized activities under the same line, which were commensurate with internet names. They also asked the media to report.

At the same time, Hanfu merchants also got more. Yang Na believes that the promotion of early Han clothing is inseparable from businesses. But at that time, almost all businessmen were not born in a professional class, but they were deeply studied by a passion. Due to the lack of standard Hanfu system, the early Han costume market is very chaotic. It is difficult to distinguish between the photo studio, COSPLAY and Hanfu. The debate in the circles often occurs, and even evolved into a tool for attacking each other between merchants and merchants, merchants and users.

Against this background, the Hanfu circle is gradually divided into different factions. There is also a hidden disdain chain among the factions: the party despises the Xiu Yi party, the recovery party looks down on the "immortal" party, and the Han costume in the Ming Dynasty looks down on those who wear the song, and the custom despises the goods in Taobao.

Yang Na felt that a circle would have despised the chain, which is human nature. But the root cause of all disputes is the lack of theoretical system. "What exactly is Hanfu? What elements should be included in Hanfu? These theories have not yet been established. Han costume is constructed by modern people. It is the basis for the structure of Hanfu to get the basis from the textual research school, but we can not only rely on textual criticism.

Despite the controversy, commercial capital has entered Hanfu circle one after another. According to the public "Hanfu information" data, 2009 is a watershed. Since the beginning of this year, the number of Hanfu businesses on Taobao has increased rapidly. In 2018, the number of Hanfu businesses in Taobao reached 815, and the total size of Hanfu industry was estimated to reach 1 billion 87 million yuan.

Also in 2009, Yang Na and many early Chinese clothes lovers found that Hanfu exercise was weak in this year. "At that time, the Han costume movement had been going on for 6 years, and the activities were not fresh enough. All the societies were very tired, and the media coverage was not new. We are worried that Hanfu sports will fail. "

The worry of Hanfu fans has not become a reality. Beginning in 2013, with the launching of a number of large-scale activities such as Xitang Hanfu culture week, the Hanfu campaign has come to a new climax. There are also celebrity influences. For example, Xitang Hanfu culture week is initiated by lyricist Vincent Fang. Star Xu Jiao is a fan of Hanfu and set up his own brand weaving feathers. Almost all the public activities, she will wear Han clothing, she also appeared in the Han costume on the red carpet of Shanghai International Film Festival.

In April 2016, a Hanfu public welfare film was broadcast on Times Square in New York. Until then, Yang Nacai felt "see hope".

　 Officially supported subculture

In the 3th day of the third month of the Chinese lunar calendar 2018, the first Chinese dress day was held as a major event in Hanfu circle this year.

However, the quarrel continued from beginning to end. Some people refused to replace the "Hanfu" with the word "Hua Fu". Some people accuse it of wearing cheap "fairy clothes" on the Chinese clothing day. Some people denounced the two girls wearing Hanfu on the poster. They even dyed blue hair. In the eyes of the opponents, this is cosplay, which is a reduction in the cultural significance of Hanfu.

In fact, these controversies have been going on since the birth of the Hanfu movement. But what is worth mentioning is that the sponsor of the Chinese Communist Youth League is the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League. This is enough to show official support for Hanfu. In the same year, Liang Zhenying, former chief executive of Hongkong, attended the seventh Hongkong international costume festival in Hanfu. He also said in his speech: "formal dress is not always a suit and tie."

"From the national level, the current official content of traditional culture, such as Confucian culture and Sinology, is encouraged and supported, which is the impact of a great environment." Han costume enthusiast Li Ling said. She and Yang Na both believed that the government played an important role in promoting Hanfu culture.

What is interesting is that, 14 years ago, official familiarity with Hanfu was not so high. In 2006, the People's Republic of China Central People's Government Network (referred to as the government network) in the "56 ethnic groups to introduce" page, there are 55 ethnic groups are wearing ethnic costumes, only the Han nationality wearing underwear "belly bag". Many Hanfu enthusiasts communicate with government networks through various channels. The government network first removed the "belly bag" map, and then put on a picture of the left Hanzi suit. Fans continue to ask for the replacement of the right side of the Han Dynasty, which is the characteristic of Hanfu. Several times, the government network finally changed to the correct picture.

While the official position gradually recognised Hanfu, the Internet has been playing an important role. Yang Na once compared the Hanfu exercise to the "son of the Internet". "Without the Internet, it would not rise so quickly". However, the Internet platform for Hanfu sports has been transferred from Hanwang and post bar more than ten years ago to the short video platform such as jitter, B station and so on.

In 2019, the energy of shaking and B stations was an important reason for the rapid expansion of Hanfu market. In search of "Hanfu" on the trill, the related popular videos often reach millions of points. On the jitter, Amway, the "Buddha Maiden" shown in the Han costume, has been praised for 14 million 530 thousand, with about 1000000 fans. The handiwork shop in Hanfu shop has been running for seven months, and the video has been praised for 23 million 70 thousand, while the fans have about 2000000.

Li Ling thought, "some people wear Chinese clothes to circle or run, the picture is very immortal," plus the special effects and the addition of filters, so that the beauty of Hanfu can be vividly displayed. In addition, foreigners praise the short video of Hanfu and get more comments and compliments, which shows that people will still give Han costume special national feelings.

B station was originally a gathering place of two dimensional culture. Hanfu has also been interlinked with two cultures, such as Cosplay and diffuse. Over the past few years, the subculture, such as the ancient wind and other traditional culture, has attracted the attention of young people. Hanfu is one of the most popular sub cultures of youth, and is officially supported.

"Hanfu is actually a subculture. It is a subculture from the Internet. In recent years, the development of the Internet has provided a particularly good way to break the cycle of subculture. Because the mainstream culture is now moving closer to sub culture, and the sub culture is moving away, we can only form a real intersection and collision on the Internet. Yang Na explained.

In addition to the "momentum" of the Internet, people's tolerance for various cultures in the new era provides a good environment for the rise of Hanfu. Coupled with the Z generation (after 95) has grown up, the group of young people who have personality and like niche culture have gradually acquired the mainstream discourse power with the purchasing power of the economy. For them, Hanfu is naturally a kind of self expression, which can show different self expression. Hanfu merchants also added a fire. The Hanfu market is a blue ocean, and the rapidly growing Hanfu businessmen will also expand their customers through marketing means.

　　 Let Hanfu return to Hanfu.

When the Han costume movement moves towards the public's life with the trend of breaking the circle, the temperament of the whole circle has also changed. As Yang Na said, the early Han costume fans bear the sense of cultural mission and hope to revive the great significance of traditional culture in Hanfu. "The more people don't understand, the more they want to wear out and tell others that it's called Hanfu."

In 2018, during the first Chinese clothing day, correspondents interviewed several Hanfu enthusiasts, most of whom entered the circle before 2010. At that time, some Hanfu lovers who focused on textual research often went on the line and walked on the road. If they saw that some people's Hanfu did not conform to the traditional standard, they would even uncover them face to face. An interviewee told her that she had seen a boy's sleeve type mistake in a Hanfu suit. It should be pleated, but turned into a horizontal fold. He rushed up to point out the problem. The other party just nodded awkwardly and did not know how to respond.

The mask of the Beijing Hanfu Association once told the correspondents: "letting the outside know Hanfu and accurately calling Hanfu is what the early days (colleagues) are doing." The word "Tong Yi" comes from "the clothes of Qin Feng and no clothes" by Book of Songs. How can I say no clothes? I would like to wear a shirt with you to express the friendship between the comrades in the army. Hanfu revival extends this to call each other to express the desire to revive Hanfu.

As the public's acceptance of Hanfu improved, participants and surround people began to look at Hanfu with a more pure aesthetic eye and a more peaceful mind.

In 2019, a new concept appeared in Hanfu circle: the compromise between Han and Yang, meaning the combination of Hanfu and Western and modern costumes. For example, Hanfu suits fashion bags, jeans, or modern clothes and patterns to make Hanfu, so that traditional clothes can become everyday wear and integrate into modern architectural environment.

Li Ling appreciates this kind of collocation. She will combine Chinese clothes with modern clothes and accessories in daily life. "Even if you respect history very much, but in modern society, if you want Hanfu to be alive, I think more or less I will make some changes." Li Ling said.

Li Ling also held cross boundary meetings with friends, such as Harry Porter's theme Hanfu tea party, dressed in Hanfu and matching colors to restore the characteristics of the four schools of Hogwarts witchcraft school. "Harry Porter is a popular culture. It is a special western thing, and Hanfu is a special traditional thing. We combine these two things to see what different styles will collide."

As a late Chinese costume lover, Li Ling's friends mostly wear Hanfu for aesthetic purposes. "To tell you the truth, this is a beautiful dress. I like it very much. I think I look good in it, so I will wear it. "

Li Ling's most impressive Hanfu experience was in Japan. At that time, in Japan's maple leaf season, many Japanese wore kimono to Kyoto to take photos. Li Ling appeared on the streets of Japan in Hanfu suits. Many Japanese greeted him, asking what clothes they were wearing, and praised the beautiful clothes. "It felt quite different then. I've seen another girl go to Japan in Hanfu, and she took photos with four or five Japanese women wearing a kimono. They didn't lose their sense of elegance and color matching.

Li Ziqi, a video blogger with 20 million fans, is also a Hanfu enthusiast. In most of her pastoral life videos, she appeared in Hanfu and received great acclaim in overseas markets, which became the aspiration of many people for a better life.

"Hanfu is very interesting. You can understand it very well. You can also understand it. It is a beautiful dress, you are willing to understand or learn deeply, it will give you more knowledge and more fun." Li Ling said.