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A personal account of what hanfu means to me as a gender fluid person.

The long-awaited hanfu prom outfit analysis is here!!!

Not a week later and I'm back again with the details on our even larger, even longer hanfu outing just last weekend on Saturday, August 13th! You can check out our absolutely PHENOMENAL photographer this time at @Ryfucius on Instagram, he was incredibly dedicated and we couldn't have done it without him. Inspired by the fun we had on the East Coast New England outing, Yulan and I decided to plan a second outing for our SF Bay Area friends on the West Coast too. This time with a party of 14 and a whole day's time, our itinerary was expanded to include multiple photo locations and a karaoke session at the end of the day—and hey, I got to participate this time! Our first stop was the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, a beautiful park with a lot of natural beauties. Our main target location was the Chinese Pavilion, an incredible work of archtiecture gifted to San Francisco by Taiwan. With a pointed roof and some enchanting carvings in the pillars and benches surrounding the pavilion, it was a perfect spot for a group photo as well as a lot of solo shots. We couldn't waste the rest…

Why did the Qin dynasty dress admire the black color? What were the forms of women's clothing in the Qin, Han, Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties? What are the characteristics of men's clothing in different dynasties? How was the style and pattern of Hanfu chosen? How did the ancients choose different styles of Hanfu for different occasions? What were the characteristics of makeup in different periods of history? If you are new to Hanfu (traditional Chinese dress), you certainly have many questions and will feel that Hanfu is very complicated. Moreover, the Chinese Hanfu costume covers not only the dress, but also the makeup, hair, and accessories. So we will compile in this post documentaries on Hanfu, if you are interested in Hanfu and Hanfu related culture, you may get your doubts solved through them.   李白 / Li Bai "Li Bai" is divided into four episodes, attempting to sketch a clearer and more complete outline of this artistic giant through the life of Li Bai, and tracing the spiritual character of the Chinese people for thousands of years. To vividly tell the important episodes and present the atmosphere of Li Bai's literary works, "Li Bai" combines realistic scenes and…

This year, the Cantonese opera movie "Snake White (白蛇传·情)" was released, the combination of traditional Chinese opera and modern visual effects, let us surprised: the original traditional culture can also be so fashionable! And the protagonist of today's story, anthropomorphizing the mysterious and mythical creatures in the Shan Hai Jing, recreates the magnificent world of mythology. She has been reported by China Daily, Huaxi City Daily, and many other official media, while triggering the attention of millions of netizens. She is the photographer Huanhuan (焕焕). The "Shan Hai Jing (山海经, Classic of Mountains and Seas)" is an important ancient book of the pre-Qin Dynasty of China, and is also one of the oldest books rich in myths and legends, recording ancient Chinese mythology, geography, plants, animals, minerals, products, sorcery, religion, medicine, folklore and ethnicity, which can be said to be comprehensive.   Recreate the dream of childhood When she was young, Huanhuan was obsessed with the fantasy world of mythology, and her grandmother would often tell her various mythological stories: snakes with nine heads, birds with three legs, fish with wings...all these stories were so fascinating to Huanhuan that she began to yearn for the mysterious "Mythical World". Later, Huanhuan…

The inspiration for this set of photos came from a Qing Dynasty Qianlong porcelain now in the National Museum of China. It was made in Jingdezhen for Haiyan Hall in the Yuanmingyuan Park, and only one survives. The whole artwork contains the meaning of "the sea is calm and the river is clear, and the country is peaceful", and is beautifully crafted and painted, symbolizing the peak of the Qianlong period porcelain! On top of that, this blogger combines traditional elements with cyberpunk style, combining ancient national treasures with futuristic science fiction, a cyan Qing costume, a beautiful Tian-tsui crown, and golden nail guards to show luxury! The focus is on some details of the face, the appearance of the two swallows decorated, the face of the painted lines are all exquisite and sharp, just a few strokes to highlight the taste of the future of technology! Such a creative realization, the effect is really great! And this is not the only wonderful work of this treasure blogger, today we will introduce you to @Lao Ba (老八捌) and her fantastic creations!   Hanfu + Futuristic Elements Ideas The idea of combining traditional hanfu with technology and the future has been…

Last Friday 3/17 I was invited to a local Chinese school to give a small talk on hanfu! The aim was to share hanfu culture with more people here and to present an example to the kids of what doors can be opened to you by maintaining language skills. A little background—I myself attended this once-a-week school from kindergarten up until 6th grade, upon which I pulled out of the school to invite the Chinese teacher that taught me in 6th grade to tutor me at home privately. She was a great tutor and a key part of inspiring my interest in ancient Chinese culture through poetry, history, and more, keeping me engaged while analyzing Tang Dynasty shi and Song Dynasty ci. As I got busy, I stopped the tutoring when I was in 10th grade—and I was introduced to the concept of hanfu not even a few months later! I’ve kept up communication with this teacher for a while (whose name I won’t disclose for privacy reasons) and visited her in Taiwan throughout the years. This year she came back to teach at the local chinese school and invited me to give a talk on hanfu there. For the…

Contributed article from user Camille for 2021 Hanfu Free Giveaways & Contests PLAN C (My Story with Hanfu). It's my first time writing an article, so maybe the content is rather simple, thank you for reading. The first time I came across hanfu was through the TV series: Dream of the Red Chamber, which is probably a common starting point for many people, we are always unconsciously attracted by the beautiful costumes in TV series. But at that time, I didn't know that it was called hanfu, but later I read articles about hanfu, and only then I connected the two together, and in fact. It seems like it was a long time ago that I liked hanfu, but it seems like it happened recently, probably because I used to like it, but I never had the money to buy a set of hanfu of my own, so I remember the state of it very clearly. But the real reason I got my own hanfu was after I worked and took out a little bit of my monthly salary and I got a hanfu. I still remember how excited I was when I got that set of clothes, it was…

Beautiful scenery is what every Hanfu fan yearns for. And autumn, golden leaves are the best theme. Put on the Cloaks, the perfect Chinese Hanfu partner in autumn and winter, let's blend into the beautiful scenery~

Contributed article from user Shengli for 2021 Hanfu Free Giveaways & Contests PLAN C (My Story with Hanfu). Through your dislike of the gauze hat as mean, You have come to be locked in a cangue; Yesterday, poor fellow, you felt cold in a tattered coat, To-day, you despise the purple embroidered dress as long! Confusion reigns far and wide! you have just sung your part, I come on the boards, Instead of yours, you recognise another as your native land; What utter perversion! In one word, it comes to this we make wedding clothes for others! - The Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xueqin, translated by H. Bencroft Joly         In my native culture, we have such a saying: While at first you're welcomed according to your clothes, next you'll be treated according to your wisdom. Indeed, how much we can say of a person by his dressing, how many metaphors on his background, status and way of life can be expressed through dress! Like in words of Shih-yin from The Dream of the Red Chamber, where ideas of complexity and instability of human life and intergenerational relationships were put in words about tattered,…

Contributed article from user xiayang for 2021 Hanfu Free Giveaways & Contests PLAN C (My Story with Hanfu). Recently, I cleaned up my closet and found that I bought a lot of hanfu, some of which I haven't worn for a long time, as time goes by, I've been in love with hanfu for some years now, so I'd like to take this opportunity to write about my story with hanfu. I. First encounter I can't remember when the word Hanfu entered my field of vision, but at that time I had heard a little bit about the "Hanfu revival", and I couldn't help but look at the pictures of beautiful hanfu girls on the internet, but I wasn't a fan yet. Around 2011, I started to notice some girls wearing hanfu in school, and I knew there was a hanfu association, but I was too busy with my studies to care about anything else. 2012 was the year of graduation, and it was popular to take traditional-style graduation photos, and hanfu graduation photos became popular on a small scale. But I didn't have a hanfu yet. Later, I met a schoolmate, and I found out that she was a Hanfu Tongpao (同袍),…

The 9th Xitang Hanfu Culture Week has started, let's take a look at the wonderful pictures of the scene.

Today, I will introduce you to a photographer. Her name is Dang xiaoshi (当小时). She is a Sichuan girl. She spends most of her time in Beijing. Like many people, Dang xiaoshi has been shooting some "commercial works" in order to live. However, due to a strong preference for "Chinese Style", there are occasional works of ancient style in private. At first, Dang xiaoshi just liked the costume style, but all the changes started with an invitation. A friend of hers got married and invited her to Nepal to take wedding photos. At that time, Dang xiaoshi put forward the idea of shooting with the theme of "Hanfu" to her friends. Originally, she just wanted to take a meaningful wedding photo for my friends, but when the photo came out, it got a lot of praise. Looking at the endless praise of Chinese clothes, she found that the charm of the original culture is so great. So she left beautiful pictures around the world with her Chinese clothes. Let's see what beautiful places she's been to. Hanfu in the United States When Hanfu, music and American enthusiasm are combined, there is a different spark. Hanfu in Nepal Hanfu in Japan…

Hey everyone—a little busy as of late, but rest assured that I am not dead! I just had to pop back to belatedly report on the 2022 Scholar's Garden Hanfu Outing organized by Yulan/Chlobaltblue in our hanfu discord server community! This half-day event consisted of a photoshoot and group dinner on July 30th, 2022 in the New York Chinese Scholar's Garden with a small group of eight people attending. People from all over New England joined us for this outing, from Conneticut residents to Boston students flying all the way up to Staten Island. Unfortunately I was not one of those people, but I'm here to share with you all the pictures and experience that my sister provided! I'll also be doing a brief summary of some of the outfits that everyone is wearing. Some of our members had their own sets, while others borrowed from each other. A majority of our outfits were Wei/Jin Style (魏晉風)  outfits which consisted of a zhequn, cross collar top, and daxiushan. Ani also wore a Ming-style summer set, with a modified zhuyao with pearl buttons in the front to mimic the zimu buttons of a zhuyao and a Ming helingshan, a style that greatly resembles…

A few days ago, we published an article about how to take beautiful hanfu pictures. Today we are going to show you how to take photos of handsome hanfu pictures. Stand Usually, when shooting, most of the postures stand more, start running in from a simple stand. You can try to relax, meditate and lean on objects. Squatting Squatting or sitting posture, easy to combine the environment, create emotions, as well as the overall sense of story. Running and Jumping Running and jumping is one of the best ways to make the picture look dynamic. Create character dynamics with lines. Use the dust and clothes raised by running. Using the dust and clothes raised by running can form the interaction between characters and objects and increase the tension of the picture. Lift up gently, just like a swordsman flying over the eaves. A Small Proportion of the Environment Popularly speaking, it is a long-term shooting, which combines artistic conception to show the interaction of characters. The position in the picture can be either the center or the corner, making the characters the finishing touches of the whole scene. When taking this kind of photograph, the picture needs to be concise…

On October 5-6, 2022, the "2022 Guo Feng Da Dian (国风大典, Chinoiserie Grand Festival)" was held in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, with a host of celebrities and Hanfu netizens attended the event in gorgeous Hanfu. As always, all of the hanfu costumes in the Chinoiserie Grand Festival were gorgeous and retro, perfectly replicating the look of various ancient costumes in China. Works from photographer Li Ge: Works from photographer Zaitao Xianyufan: Works from Tu Qi Qi Hanfu: It is the persistence of organizers such as the Chinoiserie Grand Festival in organizing Hanfu events that has brought more and more people to the traditional Chinese Hanfu culture. We also hope that through the continuous transmission, more and more young people will turn the culture and skills of Chinoiserie style from a hobby to a way of life. Complete Video of 2022 Guo Feng Da Dian: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnMy86GRTBE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUzdErtpyf8

The mythical creature from "Classic of Mountains and Seas" are brought to life again! These ancient records from 2,000 years ago come to vivid reality in this girl's restoration. Xiang Liu (相柳): 《山海经·海外北经》：“共工之臣曰相柳氏，九首，以食于九山。相柳之所抵，厥为泽溪。……相柳者，九首人面，蛇身而青……” Shan Hai Jing - Hai Wai Bei Jing: "Gong Gong had a minister named Xiang Liu, who had nine heads and fetched food on each of the nine mountains. Everywhere the Xiang Liu touched, it would turn into swamps and streams. ....... Xiang Liu, with nine heads, had a human-like face, a snake-like body, and a greenish body." Ling Yu (陵鱼): 《山海经·海内北经》：“陵鱼人面、手足、鱼身，在海中。” Shan Hai Jing - Hai Nei Bei Jing: "There is a kind of Ling Yu, with a human-like face, arms and legs, and a fish-like body, living in the sea." Qiong Qi (穷奇) & Luo Yu (蠃鱼): 《山海经·西山经》：“又西二百六十里，曰邽山，其上有兽焉，其状如牛，猬毛，名曰穷奇，音如獆狗，是食人。濛水出焉，南流注于洋水，其中多黄贝、蠃鱼，鱼身而鸟翼，音如鸳鸯，见则其邑大水。” Shan Hai Jing - Xi Shan Jing: "Two hundred and sixty miles to the west, there is a mountain called Gui Shan. A beast on the mountain, shaped like a cow, with hair like the thorns of a hedgehog, is called the Qiong Qi, which makes a sound like a barking dog and can eat humans. Meng River originates from this mountain and flows southward into the…

The beauty of Chinese hanfu is varied and charming. Foreign students studying in China have more opportunities to get in touch with Hanfu. Guangdong University of Foreign Studies' overseas students wear Hanfu and appreciate the beauty of Chinese traditional culture. Learning the Knowledge of Etiquette and Music Lakeside Scenery Record Unforgettable Moments It is hoped that such activities will be held regularly so that more people can experience the charm of Chinese Hanfu~

I made my first real Hanfu based on patterns from this website. First outing at the beach, with dragons and all. Here is an article with much details on my sewing journey.

Explain in detail the makeup process of Hanfu with video. https://youtu.be/RtKnwXLC7ak

8th Xitang Hanfu culture week was held from October 31 to November 3. We also found some wonderful pictures to share with you. Let's enjoy the visual feast of Hanfu.

On October 3, a wonderful Hanfu festival was held in Chengdu, bringing together many Hanfu lovers, not to mention the latest Hanfu styles and models. Let's take a look at the live show. Large number of pictures, recommend browsing on a wifi network   Photo courtesy of Hanfu Photographer: Songxi Daqu (松溪大曲) More about Hanfu festival & Hanfu fashion can be found here.

Dongmaiying (动脉影) is a cultural artifact and museum photography blogger, who does his job in the finance industry. In the past ten years, he has taken advantage of holidays and business trips to travel to more than 200 museums, taking 470,000 photos. Unlike the official heritage photos released by museums, his photos are clean, quiet, and linear. With the most common photographic equipment, he did not use tripods or flashes, and even used the backs of other visitors to give the photos a background, but he captured the most beautiful angles of the artifacts. Dongmaiying currently has 3.93 million followers on Weibo, and many staff members of famous museums, even curators, are his fans. However, he never shares photos of himself, "It doesn't matter what I look like. I would prefer that more people, through my photography, inspire an interest in traditional Chinese culture and choose to go into museums and have a look at the valuable treasures of Chinese culture." The following is from an interview with Dongmaiying conducted by Yi Tiao reporter Xiao Yue, and is mostly oral I am a cultural artifact and museum photography blogger. From 2012 to now, I have traveled to more than 200…

In winter, it's a good time to take pictures of the snowscape of Hanfu. However, we believe that everyone will encounter the same problem when taking photos: "Stiff posture when taking pictures" (well, this problem may exist in any season). But! Don't worry, we have found some super easy-to-use winter Hanfu snow props for you. Oil-paper umbrella How can you make a snow scene without an oil paper umbrella? It's not only 100% utilized when taking a picture, but also can block the wind when you are frozen for beauty. And no matter how you shoot it, it will be super artistic conception. Usage: Open the umbrella: open the umbrella, but don't fully support it. Keep it half-open, and just look at the umbrella naturally. Support umbrella: open the umbrella, support it flat or tilt it slightly. Back image: put the open umbrella behind your shoulder. Holding umbrella: close the umbrella, hold it in front of your chest, and pay attention to relaxation. Mili Mili: 幕篱; an ancient hat for women to cover their faces when they go out. When taking Hanfu photos, you will also encounter the situation that it is not natural to look directly at the lens.…