Guide & Tutorial

Vocabulary Ji, 笄 (jī) - the most simplistic hair accessories to secure updos used by ancient Chinese.  Zan, 簪 (zān) - a more complex version of Ji. What hanfu hairpins are now called. On one end are accessories, and the other is a pin that is inserted into a hair bun. Chai, 钗 (chāi) - also a hairpin quite similar to Zan. Chāi have two split pins on one end. The two pins will get pushed into the hair bun and stay much more securely than one pin in Zan and Ji. Guan, 冠 (guān) - literal translation is "crown". The crown in ancient China looked more like a net hat that encompassed hair buns within. Based on the crown, any sort of hairpin can be used to further secure the hat to the head.   Materials and Purpose Ji are considered the earliest and plainest hair accessories. It takes on the shape of a stick with or without a simple carved out design on one end and a single stick on the other. It is often carved out of a single piece of material or cut out separately then assembled at the end. This accessory is said to exist even…

Historical Background The Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties were the most important period in Chinese history. From the end of the 6th century to the mid-10th century A.D., feudal rule lasted more than 300 years. Tang Dynasty was the most glorious dynasty in Chinese history. It was powerful, materially abundant, and famous in frontiers and overseas. In 581 A.D., Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian seized the Northern Zhou regime and established the Sui Dynasty, and then destroyed Chen and unified ancient China. However, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty was exacting and profligate, which made the Sui Dynasty last for only 39 years. Since the founding of Li Yuan and the pacification the various forces. Li Shimin succeeded to the throne as Emperor Taizong. During his reign for more than 20 years, logical administration and harmonious people. Historically, this peaceful and prosperous era was called the Governance during the Zhenguan Reign. After that, until ten years of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, the country was prosperous and the people were safe and the society was rich, and historically known as the KaiYuan Period. After the An Lushan Rebellion, the Tang Dynasty changed from prosperity to decline. In 907,…

Hey everyone! College applications have been kicking my ass for the past few months so I've been pretty silent for a while, but I'm finally done—which means more hanfu content for you all to see! For those of you who don’t know me, I’m redsugar, or Tangtang (or a bajillion other variants of red and sugar in multiple languages that people have given to me as nicknames)! I’m a gender fluid Taiwanese-American hanfu designer based in the US. I’ve been part of the Newhanfu community for a couple years now and written extensively about my historical research and designs. Today I’m going to give you all a little summary of the designs modeled in our January 2023 model call outing! This includes five out of my eight 2023 Lunar New Year collection, photographed at the Chinese Cultural Garden in San Jose. Special thanks to all the participants for modeling these samples, and hope you guys all had plenty of fun! Let’s get to it then~ 機杼/JIZHU (modeled by 采蘑菇的小姑娘背着一只大狂猪) First up is Jizhu! This is a late Ming Dynasty four-piece set consisting of a 百迭裙/百迭裙/bai3 die2 qun2/hundred-layered skirt, a 立領衫/立领衫/li4 ling3 shan1/standing collar top, a waist tie, and a 比甲/比甲/bi3…

History Background In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang has crowned emperor. His regime was established with the name of Hongwu and the whole dynasty was named Ming. In the 14th year of Hongwu, the remaining forces of the Yuan dynasty in Yunnan were pacified and ancient China was finally reunified again. Zhu Yuanzhang abandoned the costume system established in the Yuan Dynasty and adopted the system of the Han and Tang dynasties and tried his best to restore the various rituals of the Han people. From the beginning of the Ming Dynasty to the reign of the second emperor Chengzu, the Ming Dynasty had been quite prosperous, and after Chengzu, Emperor Xuanzong and Emperor Yingzong were still able to maintain prosperity. But since then, due to the eunuchs' disorderly administration and the invasion of pirates, the country had been on the way of declining. In 1644, Wu Sangui opened the Shanhai Pass and led the Qing troops into Beijing to fight against Li Zicheng. And after that the Qing troops entered the Central Plains. The Ming dynasty lasted 227 years from the beginning of the Ming dynasty to the death of Emperor Chongzhen who hanged himself.   Ming Dynasty Makeup Features During…

The rabbit has a positive, kind and transcendent meaning in Chinese culture. According to the ancient Chinese zodiac interpretation, the rabbit is a symbol of resourcefulness and luck, and people have a special fondness for the quirky rabbit. Therefore, the New Year's Eve dressing for the Year of the Rabbit should also reflect the innocent, lovely, witty and lively style.   New Year Hanfu Outfit for Female Compared to the mature dignity of the cross collar hanfu, the straight collar costume is undoubtedly more spirited and playful, with a parallel collar and wide cuffs with a white fluffy edge, which is both warm and beautiful, reminding people unconsciously of a white rabbit hiding in a snowdrift. The two white pompoms on the neckline, whether tied up or naturally drooping, add a touch of girlish sweetness and make the heart grow fonder with just a glance. The bunny pattern on the bottom skirt perfectly fits the rabbit element of the New Year, and the main tone of red makes the whole set overflowing with fire enthusiasm and joyful atmosphere. In terms of color choice, in addition to the common New Year's red, you can also choose many other shades, but all…

The thriving hanfu and its derivative culture are coming back into the public view in a creative, distinct, and diverse way, lending its light and color back to the energetic youth. In this article, follow "THE GREAT SHOKUNIN" and meet Hanfu makeup blogger @Xiao Zhuang (小庄).   Creative Ancient Hanfu Makeup The account @Xiao Zhuang is actually run jointly by two Hanfu enthusiasts, with makeup, appearances, editing and post generally handled by Qing Qing (晴晴), while photography and filming are done by Xiao Zhuang. They have collaborated on over 200 videos, the most popular of which is the series "The Beauty of China's Millennium", which has received nearly 10 million views. In this series, Qing Qing restored the history of the evolution of makeup, hairstyles, accessories, and hanfu clothing of the Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties. Before this, we mostly got a glimpse of ancient women's grooming, makeup and lifestyle from ancient TV dramas, but the style was mostly uniform, lacking in creativity and sophistication. On the contrary, in Xiao Zhuang's video, you can fully experience the changes of women's makeup and costume in different dynasties. Taking the Tang Dynasty makeup of this series as an example, the complete reproduction…

Holliday season is upon us! Many of you may already be shopping for gifts. If you have hanfu lovers amongst your friends and relatives, or if you need to come up with a list of your own to give ideas to your relatives, here are a few inspirations. My choices went to objects that are: versatile, so you can have a few of the item and use them interchangeably hard to make for yourself, so even if the person makes hanfu for themselves, they would be happy to have one ready-made hard to find in stores but available online useful, no matter how many you have   "Mother-child" metal buttons "Mother-child" metal buttons, also know as Zimukou (子母扣). They are so beautiful, there are so many shapes and sizes, and so hard to find in sewing supply stores, especially in Western countries. It adds greatly to the beauty of a Ming dinasty shan or ao, but can also be used on daily wear. Trimmings Especially enbroidered, ancient looking trimmings. They are no longer fashionable for modern sewing supply shops, you can almost only find them online. It adds style to your garment right away, and unless you weave, you cannot…

Winter hanfu dressing wear can probably be summarized as two different types. One is a short lining top + pants and skirt overlay, the other is to rely on a long coat or thick enough outerwear to keep warm. No matter which types is used, matching is the top priority, no one want to become dressed bloated in winter! Follow Hanfu Times to find your winter Hanfu inspiration.   Eye-catching Colors There are many color-matching principles that can be applied in winter hanfu. Clever matching can also make you more brilliant, such as color clash matching. Bright colors can choose peacock green, olive, treasure blue, and other blue and green cool shades. If choose warm colors, it will enlarge the sense of expansion. The middle color can be used as beige, light white, and more natural. The olive color is more suitable for wearing as a jacket, inside with black or khaki. If you wear it inside, it is recommended to add a belt. The lapel jacket + airplane sleeves + two pieces of skirt can be worn as a change of season in autumn and winter. Black with floral patterns, light series of solid colors with white, are bright enough.…

Hey everyone, long time no see! It's been a while and I promise I'm still working on the Song Dynasty sections of Hanfu Unearthed—in the meantime, enjoy this not-so-short cheat sheet to all of the most commonly used fibers and weaves in hanfu, whether historically or in the industry today. Fibers Fibers are the material from which threads are spun to be made into fabric. These include synthetic fibers made in labs or factories by humans, as well as animal fibers that are grown as fur or silk by animals, or plant-based fibers that we harvest from various fibrous plants. Tencel Rising in popularity, especially last summer, tencel is a kind of semi-synthetic fiber made from cellulose, also called lyocell, originally made to imitate silk. Made by dissolving cellulose into pulp and using dry jet-et spinning to reconstitute the fibers, it’s a clean process that creates a kind of synthetic fiber using natural materials: easier to dye than cotton, more breathable than polyester, moisture-wicking, and softer than linen. The one downside of tencel is that it’s easily wrinkled, but its smooth draping quality and breathability make it a first choice for hanfu manufacturers today. Other rayons are also used, but…

It has been twenty years since the revival of hanfu. During this period, some people think that hanfu should be kept in formal wear and not be popularized to daily wear, as modern people already have convenient and customary clothes, so there is no need to change it; others think that daily hanfu costume is the direction and trend of the future development of hanfu. But in fact, since the epidemic, the decrease in hanfu activities and hanfu stages has in fact pushed the development of daily hanfu costumes, and everyday style hanfu has started to become the new popular fashion. Hanfu Shi Dai has compiled a summary of three routes that have emerged for the current everydayization of hanfu.   Style A The first is to follow the traditional hanfu form and change the color scheme, fabric, and matching to create a more fashionable and everyday effect than the traditional classical style hanfu, which also includes some designs that mix and match different styles within the framework of the basic form.       Style B Style B mixes Hanfu with Western-style tailoring clothing. It is more common for a single item of hanfu, such as Ma Mian Qun…

Seeing many people posting beautiful photos and videos of them wearing hanfu on the Internet, you want to try it too, right? Here are some poses you can try.   1. Dynamic photography If you always sit in one place or stand still while taking pictures, your expressions and movements will easily become stiff, and the pictures you take will not look good. At this time, dynamic photography methods had to be adopted, and photographers had to take pictures by rotating a semi-circle. The dynamic photo method is not only rotating, but can also use a more daily walking photo method. Holding some flowers in one hand and a dress in the other, stepping on the grass path, lifting the eyes for a moment, freezing the beautiful moments and leaving behind precious memories. Or choose to take a picture in the garden, stroking the leaves with your hands and twisting slightly to capture the side of the face, is also a good choice.   2. Using props for static photos Usually I always feel a little monotonous when taking pictures, I don't know where to put my hands, and even the whole body and expression is unnatural? At this time,…

Entering autumn, in addition to adapting to the weather, we also should change the style of clothes we wear. Temperatures in autumn are around 60% cold and 40% hot, because the sun doesn't last long and the weather tends to seem dark. It often rains but not heavily, when in early autumn there is a lot of fog that appears in the morning. So, warm clothes are more suitable to wear during this season. Now, the spread of hanfu is getting more and more widespread, and everyone can definitely see many people wearing hanfu in everyday life. Be it male or female, young or old, there are many people who wear Hanfu. So, what kind of hanfu should you wear in autumn? It's early fall, and the weather is a little cooler than summer, but not too cold. Therefore, hanfu worn in summer can still be worn today. For example, qixiong ruqun. In addition, Song dynasty hanfu, such as xuanqun, beizi, baidiequn, and others are also very suitable to be worn in autumn. When autumn is a little deeper, everyone can wear thicker hanfu. For example, the Ming dynasty hanfu which is very suitable to be worn in autumn. Of…

Haha so I lied in the last article, we’re actually doing the Tang Dynasty next! This is for sure going to be a favorite of everyone—after all, who can resist the flamboyant, vibrant beauty of the Tang Dynasty? Let’s get right to it and see where some of our favorite Tang Dynasty hanfu comes from. The Tang Dynasty was a period of time (618–907CE) preceded by the Wei/Jin Northern and Southern Dynasties and proceeded by the Five Dynasties Ten Kingdoms period, and then the Song Dynasty (the Five Dynasties Ten Kingdoms period is often regarded as part of the Tang fashion period for hanfu purposes because the fashion trends followed pretty closely). A flourishing golden age for China, the Tang Dynasty saw leaps and bounds in art, poetry, and exchange of culture—the most open-minded society that has existed in the world in a very long time. People freely exchanged cultural norms, aesthetics, and ideas between nations from the Silk Road and beyond, resulting in a blossoming of the world of clothing as well, and a rich collection of art for us to reference our hanfu off of.   Astana Cemetery Interestingly, not a lot of clothing of the Tang Dynasty…

Who says hanfu is uncomfortable for daily use? Some people feel that hanfu is too complicated to wear, uncomfortable, and unsuitable for modern daily life. Hanfu itself is a kind of Chinese national dress that includes the everyday clothes of all the ancient Han people. Back then, no one had ever said that hanfu was uncomfortable and can't be used in daily life. Like ancient hanfu, modern hanfu is a type of clothing that can meet people's daily needs at home, travel and work. Modern hanfu? Modern hanfu is functional and elegant. With a blend of sophisticated cotton & silk fabrics, this style is easy to wear and easy to wash. It is enough to care for it by washing it in cold water on a gentle cycle and then hanging it to dry. The luxury modern women crave, whether it's layering or lounging, this piece is durable and soft. Who tend to wear modern hanfu most often - in some cases on a daily basis - are girls and boys, students and teachers, tourists and cultural workers. In some places with unique views of ancient gardens, it is required to wear traditional or modern hanfu clothing whenever appearing in…

When wearing hanfu, everyone will usually do the hanfu hairstyle. With a beautiful hairstyle, it will indeed be very photogenic when taking photos. However, it does take time and energy to do a beautiful hanfu hairstyle. When you usually go out, you may not have enough time to do a beautiful hairstyle. In fact, some hairstyles can be used to match hanfu in addition to ordinary clothes, as long as you match them properly, they will naturally look good.    1. Low ponytail If you don't want to create an overly complicated hanfu hairstyle, a simple low ponytail that goes well with the hanfu will suffice. Of course, everyone should pay attention to the feeling of laziness when wearing this type of hairstyle. That is, when a low ponytail is tied, it should not be too close to the scalp and should be tied a little looser. Also, it is best to leave some bangs in the front to complete the face shape. If you don't have neat bangs, you can also leave two strands of hair at the temples, which will make the hairstyle softer, and more suitable for matching hanfu.   2. High ponytail The low ponytail mentioned…

  Vocabulary Velvet Flower - 绒花 (rónghuā) - a realistically made flower made artificially from silk threads and copper wire. Palace Flower - 宫花 (gōng huā) - another way to call ronghua with the rise in popularities of ronghua to females in the palace. Untwisted Silks - 无捻蚕丝 (wú niǎn cánsī) - when it comes to silk threads, depending on the type and material of the threads, one single thread can be made up of thinner threads twisted together. Untwisted silk thread means there are no smaller twisted threads. You can directly skip to the brushing steps in ronghua making process. Hunan Embroidery Thread - 湘绣线 (xiāngxiù xiàn) - another type of thread used in ronghua making. Suzhou Embroidery Thread - 苏绣线 (sūxiù xiàn) - another type of thread used in ronghua making.   History 绒花, rónghuā, an artificial handcraft head accessories made from materials such as silks and coppers. It existed since the Qin Dynasty. There are many known “brands” of ronghuas, such as Nanjing Ronghua. In the Tang era, Wu Zetian listed Nanjing Ronghua as a royal tribute to the Yangzhou area becoming a luxury only princes and princesses can use. Eventually, Nanjing Ronghua became something that represents Nanjing but also…

The beauty of autumn is that you can apply different dressing rules even though the seasonal temperature changes. Blending hanfu and fashion elements together to explode with an unforgettable sense of tradition and fashion. In this article, Hanfu Times recommends three types of hanfu items and the best dressing principles for fall to find your own fall hanfu street fashion.   Round Neck Shirt/Robe The round neck shirt/robe is the most suitable hanfu item for all skin types and body types. The collar can be decorated with nice buttons and can be folded into different lapel styles, which can be worn as a top or as a windbreaker jacket depending on the thickness of the material. The cuffs can be added or modified with cufflinks, turning them into arrow sleeves or bubble sleeves, suitable for a mix of different personalities. The lower skirt can be mixed with a Poqun, or a Mamianqun. If it is a solid color, the waist and then add a medium width belt, can cover the original skirt waist, but also to trim the body shape. The bottom can also be mixed with fashion pants, fashion chinos, lantern pants, or wide-legged pants.   Stand Collar Shirt…

Hey everyone, thanks for waiting! Our next topic is gonna be pretty exciting for most of you who love the classic ruqun aesthetic: we’re going to be going over the historical relics for the Wei/Jin and Northern/Southern Dynasty! Since there are so few of these relics, this article is going to focus on the Wei/Jin Dynasty as a whole, including restored relics, art references, and misconceptions about the Wei/Jin Dynasty. It might be a bit of a shorter article due to little material, but I know that people are really interested in this period of time, so let’s get to it! 魏晉南北朝/魏晋南北朝/wei4 jin4 nan2 bei3 chao2/Wei/Jin and Northern/Southern Dynasties refers to the period of time between 220 and 589CE. Also known as 六朝/六朝/liu4 chao2/Six Dynasties, this set of dynasties are compressed into one general block of time by historians because of the rapid exchange of power. Following the Eastern Han dynasty, the Three Kingdoms period had the Cao Wei kingdom at its forefront, with the Western Jin Dynasty coming right after ruled by Sima Yan. This was followed by the Northern Dynasties, when the Northern Wei, Western Wei, Easter Wei, and Northern Zhou and Qi Dynasties followed each other rapidly,…

If you are a traditional Chinese culture and clothing fan, then the 1987 version of Dream of the Red Chamber is a drama you can’t miss. Although it was a drama 35 years ago, relying on the strong support of the original work and high-quality clothing, makeup and props, it is still the top Chinese costume drama in many people’s minds. A blogger that is introduced to everyone today, she is obviously also a loyal audience of The Dream of Red Mansions. She has successfully imitated several characters in Dream of the Red Chamber and won the love of netizens. She is @Wo Shi Ba Pi Ya (我是扒皮呀). Let's take a look at her interpretation of the characters in Dream of the Red Chamber.   Wang Xifeng Wang Xifeng, one of the heroines in Dream of the Red Chamber. She is beautiful, with a pair of phoenix triangular eyes and two slender and long eyebrows, slim and good-looking. Appearing dressed in colorful embroidery splendor, laughter first gets, like a divine concubine fairy. Because of her beautiful appearance and charming bearing, Jia Rui was fascinated by her. The left picture is the 87th version of "Dream of the Red Chamber" Wang…

Fabric and craftsmanship are both very important aspects of hanfu making. In this article, several common hanfu fabric processes will be briefly introduced to you.   Zhuang Hua Zhuang Hua (妆花) is the most complex variety of weaving technology in Nanjing cloud brocade, and also the representative jacquard silk weaving variety with the most local characteristics of Nanjing, was popular in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Traditional Zhuang Hua is made of artificial weaving, and the Zhuang Hua on nowadays are all "imitation Zhuang Hua", which are made by machines. The Zhuang Hua fabric is characterized by many colors and is rich in color changes. In terms of the weaving method, the pattern on the fabric is partially painted by using a colored fleece weft bobbin. The color matching is very free and there are no restrictions. The main pattern of the design is usually expressed in two or three levels of color, and some patterns are expressed in simple color (such as pedicels, leaves, and buds). A piece of Zhuang Hua fabric with patterns and colors can be matched in more than a dozen or even 20 or 30 colors. Although there are many colors of Zhuang Hua, but…

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.

Quju is a type of hanfu that belongs to the Shenyi dress system and was common during the Qin and Han dynasties, with characteristics such as "overlapping and hooked edges". In ancient times, the more grand the occasion, the more gorgeous the overall look of the Quju was, giving it a sense of grace and elegance. There is a wide variety of accessories and items that can be matched with Quju, and different types of accessories can create different effects with Quju dress. Let's follow Hanfu Shidai (汉服世代) to learn more about it.   01 Dao Shan Dao Shan (刀扇), also known as Bian Shan (便扇), Bian Mian (便面), is a kind of Chinese traditional fan, used to cover the face, shaped like a door. Book of Han - Zhang Chang's Tale has recorded: "自以便面拊马 (patting a horse with a Bian Mian by himself)". Yan Shigu, the historian of the Tang Dynasty, also explained the function of the Bian Mian in his commentary on the Book of Han: “便面，所以障面，盖扇之类也。不欲见人，以此自障面，则得其便，故曰便面，亦曰屏面。” We can learn that the "Bian Mian" can be classified as a fan, but its focus is different, the main function of is not to fan the wind and cool, but to…

In recent years, with the rise of the China-Chic trend, many gold stores have also begun to favor products of traditional culture and launched the so-called ancient gold craft and inheritance series of Chinese gold jewelry. The ancient Chinese used goldware as body decoration, dating back to the Xia Dynasty 4,000 years ago. The gold eardrops unearthed in Gansu is the best proof. The simple circle obviously cannot reflect the skill level of the ancients, so today let’s take a look at the gold earrings and gold bracelets in the museum’s collection of cultural relics. Let’s experience the luxury aesthetics of ancient Chinese gold jewelry.   Eardrop Eardrops (Er Zhui, 耳坠) is a kind of traditional Chinese earrings, with an additional part of the drop than earrings. This pair of gold eardrops in the Warring States Period adopts a cone and spring design, and the color matching of gold and turquoise is even more ingenious. This pair of gold eardrops from the Northern Wei Dynasty is composed of amber, silver ring, gold ring, silk column, hollow gold beads, wheat ear flower and other elements. Through weaving, welding, hammering, wire drawing, and other technologies, it creates a complicated but not messy…

A brief history of waist fan (yaoshan) and steps to DIY one for anyone interested. Vocab Tuan Shan: moon-shaped fan, 团扇, tuánshàn; Zhe Shan: folding fan, 折扇, zhéshàn; Yao Shan: waist fan, 腰扇, yāo shàn; Ping Feng: screen, 屏风, píngfēng.   Introduction When it comes to hanfu, one accessory that it is paired with is a fan. Well-known types of fans are moon-shaped fan and folding fan. But there is another type of fan known as Yao Shan, which translates as "waist fan." The reason why it is called a waist fan is that it can easily be secured at the waist when not used. When the fan is needed, you can just slip it out of the belt and open it up by twisting. It's unlike others where you will either have to constantly hold or unable to close it to take up less space. Waist fans contain characteristics from both moon-shaped fans and folding fans. It took the common round surface of a moon-shaped fan and the ability to close and open when needed from a folding fan. But the round shape is just a common shape everyone goes by. Moon-shaped fans have expanded from simply using a circle…