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Hanfu Sewing Pattern (1) - Pifeng Cutting Diagram & Making
Diy crafting is a lot of fun, and not only can you be fully engaged in the process, but it's also very rewarding to finish a piece with your own hands. The same goes for making your own Hanfu, which is why we've launched this series, will continue to update the Hanfu sewing pattern and process of making different styles of Hanfu for you in the future. Introduction to Pifeng Hanfu Pifeng(披风, cape) is a form of Chinese Hanfu clothing, mostly straight-necked, Duijin (对襟), with two long sleeves, with slits under both armpits, can be worn both indoors and outdoors. From many portraits as well as notes on the data, Pifeng used to be a popular clothing style of the Ming Dynasty. Sewing Pattern Explained - Making Cuts Tutorial The Pifeng shape is not complicated, and those who like to make Hanfu or DIY Hanfu dress can try to make it if have the right fabric. Overall: A/B/C/D equal width, 50~60cm Cuff width 30-60cm (depending on sleeve size) Width of sleeve heel 30~40cm The collar is opened to the level of the armpit, and the width of the collar opening is twice as wide as the width of…- 9
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Hanfu Making(7) - Banbi Cutting & Sewing Patterns
This section contains Banbi (半臂). Size range: Jiao Ling Banbi (155/80A to 185/104A), Zhi Dui Jin Banbi and Xie Dui Jin Banbi (155/64A to 175/96A). Please read the introduction of the topic and how to use this guide in advance. Introduction Banbi (半臂), also known as "half-sleeve", is a short tunic developed from the upper Ru (襦) since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, and can be roughly divided into two collar types: Jiao Ling (交领, cross-collar) and Dui Jin (对襟, lapel). Compared with long-sleeved tops, the difference is that the sleeve length can reach the elbow. In the Tang Dynasty, the Banbi was already a popular garment worn by both men and women. In the long years, its wearing method is also basically limited to the set of other long-sleeved clothes, because in formal occasions, the ancient people will never wear Banbi alone and show the arm. But with modern aesthetics, today's Jiao Ling Banbi (交领半臂) can be worn alone in summer, which is somewhat similar to the short-sleeved T-shirts worn by modern people, and because of its shorter sleeve length, it does not hurt to pair it with a modern skirt, and men can also wear a Banbi with…- 9
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The Fabrics of Hanfu: Fibers and Weaves
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…- 9
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Hanfu Accessory: Ronghua History and Basic DIY Steps
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…- 9
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Hanfu Accessory Yunjian Making Tutorials
Introduction Yunjian (云肩), is considered to be one of hanfu's accessories. It is often matched with Ming Dynasty clothing, such as long tops (长袄) and folded skirts, known as mǎ miàn qún (马面裙). Those interested in hanfus might be interested in making their own, including yunjian. But, when it comes to making yunjian, there have been little videos that give the full process of making it from scratch. There are, however, kits that can be bought and you just have to attach the pieces. Or, you can just buy the finished product from stores that sell it to match your hanfu set. The reason that there haven’t been many tutorials for yunjian making could be because of the complicated embroidery techniques that are used. Despite yunjian being something small, the intricate designs can require long hours just on sewing itself. If you have a sewing machine, it’ll fasten your pace on the designs, making it much easier for you to do the DIY process. I’ve looked through videos and articles showing steps of yunjian making and I’ll group them here for anyone interested. The steps may be rough, but you’ll get the overall idea of what’s occurring to get the…- 8
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The Manufacturing Process of Hanfu
Hanfu has grown very popular today. In fact, the hanfu industry is now worth over 1 billion and has kept increasing over the years. Even today, it is still increasing. Many young and old people alike wear hanfu daily: in the streets, at school, casual wear, etc. The wearers also say that hanfu gives them a sense of national identity. However, how exactly are the intricate pieces made? There are several steps to it. First, silks and fabrics must be made. Second, embroidery and decorations must be done on the cloth. Then, tailors and hanfu makers buy the cloth and sew it. After much work, beautiful hanfu are made but let's get into detail... 01. Silk making 1. In Chinese mythology, silk is said to be invented by Lady Hsi Ling Shih, the wife of the yellow emperor who ruled from about 3000 BC. However, written references of silk was found at the Shang dynasty site in Anyang. Silk was first discovered and created in China. Real silk is very valuable and is one of the most expensive fabrics in the world. There are several types of silk but the most common type is silk made from the cocoons of…- 8
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Hanfu in Components V: Collars
"Collar" refers to not only the area of a piece of clothing around the neck, but also the fabric below that. Since hanfu is almost always constructed of two pieces of fabric that aren't fully connected at the front, and put on like a jacket, collar also refers to ways that these two piece of fabric connect once the piece is on your body. 交領/交领/jiao1 ling3/Crossed Collar Probably the first type of collar that you’ll see—the crossed collar, or jiaoling. This collar consists of two overlapping pieces and is usually secured with two to three ties, with a thicker or contrasting border along the edge of each piece. It’s almost always right over left, or if you think about it in terms of how to put it on, you tie the left ties before you tie the right ties. The result is a y-shaped collar when viewed from the front. Ming dynasty people may have done it the other way, as well as various non-Han groups and clothes put on the deceased at funerals, but it’s generally a good rule of thumb to follow right over left. as it’s one of the most important cultural concepts in hanfu. These…- 7
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Hanfu in Components I: Introduction
Hey again everyone! I’m super excited to be introducing a new series that I’m going to be writing over the next few… days? weeks? However much time it takes me to get all of this out! This collection of articles, Hanfu in Components, is a perfect introduction for those of you semi-newbies who feel a little overwhelmed by all the different kinds of hanfu and want to learn more beyond the very basics but can’t find the best place to start. We’ll break down hanfu into its basic components, talk about what parts make up a piece of han clothing, and briefly explore the shape, history, and pattern of each part so that you can get familiar with the way that hanfu is pieced together, no deep historical background needed. WHAT THIS SERIES WILL COVER Introduction (this article) Hanfu Construction Tops & Robes (Body) Sleeves Collars Putting it All Together WHAT THIS SERIES WON’T COVER (may change in the future): Skirts (but you can find my article about Types of Hanfu Skirts here! Also may change in the future) Pants (may change in the future) Hanfu underlayers (but you can find my article about Basics of Hanfu Underlayers here!…- 7
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How to Keep Chest-High Hanfu from Falling
Want to wear chest-high ruqun but can't seem to figure out how to keep it from slipping? Here are five ways to fix this problem.- 7
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How to Make a Hanfu(1) - Song Shirt Sewing for Beginners
Today, we're sharing how to make a Hanfu clothing: Song Dynasty shirt. Let's DIY your own Hanfu. A Video explanation is available at the bottom of the article Sketch The characteristics of the Song-shirt are long sleeves and front opening. When wearing, the front can be folded. The length from the back center to the shoulder is 1/4 of the full length. For overlapping, 1/4BL(bustline)=25CM, armhole depth 23cm. Sleeves can be straight or narrow. Neckline width is 9cm, draw a vertical line in the direction of the hem at the shoulder neck points, i.e. the front. The front is almost straight. There's only a little radian around the corner of the neckline, you can make your front part bigger if you have enough fabric. Cut Prepare a piece of fabric firs. First, fold out the length of a garment along the direction of the weft line. Draw on the fabric at 1:1 size according to the layout you just drew. Cut the neckline, Be careful that the collar is a single layer, so don't cut the bottom layer off. Half of the body will be ready. Cut off the other half of the body symmetrically. Cut out two parts with…- 7
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How to Wear Hanfu (1) - Quju Shenyi
Quju Shenyi (曲裾深衣) is a formal outfit with several layers worn mainly for ceremonial purposes. Come and get for details on how to wear Hanfu Quju Shenyi. History of Quju Shenyi Quju Shenyi is a common style during the Qin (秦, 221- 206 BCE) and subsequent Han (汉, 202 BCE- 220 CE) dynasties, you can find similar styles of Shen Yi in various archaeological discoveries. The style introducing today is a short version of the wrap-around Quju Shenyi, designed largely based on unearthed clay and wooden figurines. Most of these artifacts were found inside the Mawangdui (马王堆) archaeological site of the Western Han Dynasty. Unfortunately, after the Han Dynasty, this style decreased in popularity and was later on completely lost. So it’s almost impossible at this point to replicate it. Now let’s take a look at the individual pieces and how to wear them. Wear inner garments of Quju Shenyi The word Quju refers to the curved hem, and Shenyi is one of the most basic forms of Hanfu which is made up of the upper and lower garment, sewed together at the waist. Shenyi is an outer coat, so people usually wear inner garments made of cotton…- 7
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Brief History of Cloud-Shoulder (Yunjian)
Brief history describing the purpose of yunjian, history, and changes overtime between modern period and past. -
History of Traditional Chinese Hair Accessories
As the old saying goes, "Men are willing to die for those who appreciate them, and women are willing to makeup for those who appreciate them". From ancient times to the present, women have always been the trendsetters in the pursuit of beauty. From Chinese traditional clothing to Hanfu makeup to various accessories, each item has passed through history and left a strong mark in the history of women's lives, becoming a classic art appreciation. Previous articles on traditional Chinese earrings have already done some telling about women's earrings and their culture from ancient times to the present, but today we're going to talk about the history of another type of ornaments - traditional Chinese hair accessories. Derivation of the traditional Chinese hair accessories In ancient China, Confucianism was the orthodox idea of the society, emphasizing "ritual". Hair, as part of the body, is considered unclean and rude if it is disheveled. Therefore, men at the age of 15 years need to tie the hair as a bun, women at the age of 15 years need tie hair as a bun and wear Ji (笄), already a kind of "ritual" custom in ancient time. As to when the custom…- 7
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Chinese Hanfu Hairstyle Tutorial – 3 [Without Wig Buns]
Not enough hair volume to braid? Wear a wig and feel too heavy? Not sure what kind of hairstyle to wear with your hanfu? Let's learn a simple hanfu hairstyle (without adding a wig) today. 1. First divide the hair into the front and back, divided into areas as shown. 2. Divided into four parts, respectively, tied into braids. 3. Divide the back of the ponytail into two bunches, tie the leather band in the middle, with the leather band as a crossover point, and wrap it backwards respectively, similar to a bow. 4. Tidy up the end of the hair to the back of the head, fixed with a hairpin. 5. Wrap the three braids in front around the back, paying attention to the middle one to end up a little bit, and adjust the position in the process. 6. Prepare a hair tie, tie the hair tie to the head. 7. Finally put on your favorite hair accessories. More about ancient Chinese Hanfu hairstyles can be found at Hanfu Makeup Group and Hanfu Makeup tag.- 7
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Exquisite Restored Hanfu from the Ancient Painting
Ancient paintings are one of the most important ways to explore the ancient traditional Hanfu, and the Hanfu styles in some classic famous paintings are even more popular among Hanfu enthusiasts. The charm of the Wei and Jin dynasties, the gracefulness of the Tang Dynasty, the elegance of the Song Dynasty, just flow into reality from ancient paintings. Today, take a look at those restored Hanfu costumes from ancient paintings! Court Ladies Preparing Newly Woven Silk Court Ladies Preparing Newly Woven Silk (Dao Lian Tu, 捣练圖) shows women at work pounding, weaving, ironing and sewing, and is an important custom painting of the Tang Dynasty. The women in the painting are voluptuous and dressed in various colors of Qixiong dresses, if looking closely, you can see that the fabric is decorated with colorful patterns, mainly with Tuan Hua (团花). At present, there are some restored Court Ladies Preparing Newly Woven Silk hanfu, which can be said to be very nicely restored in color and pattern, fresh, natural and antique style. A Palace Concert A Palace Concert (Tang Ren Gong Le Tu, 唐人宫乐图) depicts the life of court lady at a banquet during the late Tang Dynasty. Around the…- 6
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2022 San Francisco Hanfu Outing
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…- 6
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Greet Spring with Tang Dynasty Peach Blossom Makeup!
The Tang Dynasty, one of the most prosperous dynasties in Chinese history, not only opened the door to foreign exchanges, but also gave women a new attitude to show off their charm. As we know, it was popular in that era to have a chubby-body, a high bun, a light, and fluttering Pibo, and colorful makeup, which made the gorgeous "Tang style". We have previously introduced the makeup of the Tang Dynasty, today we introduce you to the details of the peach blossom makeup (桃花妆, táo huā zhuāng). Steps of Tang Dynasty Makeup Tang Dynasty period, makeup according to the application of different shades of powder, and can be divided into wine Jiuyun makeup (酒晕妆, jiǔ yùn zhuāng), peach-blossom makeup, Feixia makeup (飞霞妆, fēi xiá zhuāng). Yu Wen Shi's "Zhuangtai Ji" has recorded: "The beauty's makeup, face not only apply powder, but also blended with rouge palm, applied to both cheeks, thick for 'Jiuyun makeup'; light for 'peach blossom makeup'; playing a thin vermilion, with a pink cover, known as"Feixia makeup". Overall, the entire Tang Dynasty makeup look can be divided into seven steps: apply lead powder (敷铅粉) apply the rouge (抹胭脂) draw eyebrows (画黛眉) Tie hua dian (贴花钿)…- 6
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Hanfu Making(9) - Zhiduo Zhishen Daopao Cutting & Sewing Patterns
This section contains Zhiduo (直裰), Zhishen (直身), Daopao (道袍). Size range: 165/88A to 185/104A. Please read the introduction of the topic and how to use this guide in advance. Introduction Zhiduo is a kind of costume from the Song Dynasty, the initial is mostly worn by monks, a few literati also wear, Song Zhiduo is generally not slit. By the Ming Dynasty, Zhiduo had become widely popular among literati and scholars, and the basic features of Ming Zhiduo were the cross collar, knee-length garment, slit on both sides without Bai (摆), generally with a collar guard on the collar, and mostly with pipa sleeves. The cutting and sewing patterns in this chapter are based on Ming Zhiduo. Zhishen was also an important costume of the Ming Dynasty, as well as Zhiduo and Daopao, the basic features of Zhishen are the same as Zhiduo, with a cross collar, more collar protection, pipa sleeves, and knee-length, but the difference is that there is outside Bai on both sides in Zhishen. Daopao is one of the traditional costumes of Taoism, but it was also the main style of casual wear and dress for scholars in the Ming Dynasty, so Daopao was not…- 6
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Hanfu Making(5) - Pan Collar Aoqun Cutting & Sewing Patterns
This section contains Pan collar Aoqun (盘领袄裙), which can be divided into: Pan collar Da Ao (盘扣大袄), Pan collar Duan Ao (盘扣短袄). Size range: 155/80A to 175/96A. Please read the introduction of the topic and how to use this guide in advance. Introduction The round collar tunic was not originally a Han dress, but a new type of dress introduced in northern China during the Sixteen Kingdoms period (when the southern part was under the Eastern Jin Dynasty), and became completely popular in ancient China after the Sui and Tang dynasties. However, this costume has evolved over time and has become completely Han Chinese, and as such has become an important and indispensable style in the Han clothing system. The Ming system Pan collar is a kind of round collar, evolved from the Sui and Tang round collar, generally straight cloth is first folded in half, then ironed into shape, along the inner circle with thread sewn tightly, so that the collar edge curved into a round shape, and the end of the collar edge nailed with buttons for fixed. The Pan collar Da Ao (盘扣大袄) can be used as a woman's formal dress, usually with Pipa sleeves or wide…- 6
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Fashion Secrets in Traditional Chinese Jewelry Boxes
A complete hanfu look is certainly not complete without fine jewelry to match. In the course of ancient history, traditional Chinese jewelry naturally evolved, graceful and luxurious, or refined and small. In this article, we will reveal through the order of dynasties, the fashion secrets in ancient traditional Chinese jewelry boxes. Let's see those periods of "China-Chic" how fashionable. Wei, Jin and North and South Dynasties: A Fashion Trend from Abroad? The poem "Ballad of Mulan" contains the line: "She combs her hair by the window and, before the mirror, fastens golden yellow flowers." This "yellow flowers (Hua Hunag, 花黄)" refers to the makeup of women in the Wei and Jin dynasties, which was inspired by Buddhism. Due to the popularity of Buddhism, the Buddha-nature of gold brought inspiration to women, so although the "flower yellow" in makeup may have been a little exaggerated, but it does reflect the characteristics of Buddhism at the time, as well as the pursuit of exoticism. Of course, the rise of the introduction of Buddhism to the fashion circle brought not only makeup, with the matching jewelry also with a clear Buddhist style. In terms of production materials, although gold and silver remained…- 6
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10 Types of Traditional Chinese Hairpins to Match Hanfu
With the popularity of hanfu, more and more people are starting to pay attention to hanfu, but besides hanfu itself, there is one very important thing to match, and that is traditional Chinese hairpins. There are many kinds of Chinese hairpins, and they are as exquisite as the hanfu, so today we will introduce some of the most beautiful kinds of Chinese hairpins for you. 01 Chan Hua The raw material for Chan Hua (缠花) is silk thread, cardboard, and metal wire. It is a traditional Chinese folk craft, which is mainly made by cutting cardboard into different basic shapes, and then wrapping the wire inside the cardboard with silk thread evenly, and finally bending and combination, a beautiful Chan Hua is completed. The silk thread is used to make the flowers, which are delicate, soft, and elegant. In ancient times, it was an ornament often worn by folk girls. 02 Heat-shrink sheets hairpin The main raw material of the heat-shrink sheet hairpin is a kind of sheet (heat-shrink sheet) that shrinks when exposed to heat and colored powder. The flower petals and leaf patterns are traced on the frosted heat-shrink sheet, cut out, colored with colored pencils… -
Hanfu Making(6) - Quju Cutting & Sewing Patterns
This section contains Quju (曲裾). Size range: 155/80A to 175/96A. Please read the introduction of the topic and how to use this guide in advance. Introduction The basic style of the Quju is the Jiao Ling You Ren, the back lapel is lengthened to form a triangle, which passes down the back and around to the front lapel, and then a Dadai (大带) is tied around the waist to cover the end of the triangle, with a pleated skirt underneath. The Quju was popular from the pre-Qin to Han dynasties, before the invention of the Ku (袴), and could be worn by both men and women, with the hemline of the men's Quju being wider and the hemline of some women's Quju taking on a unique "trumpet flower" style. Later, men's Quju gradually disappeared, and for a long time, Quju remained in the mainstream of women's clothing. However, in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the Ruqun, which was easier to wear and more convenient for walking, became widely popular, while the Quju began to disappear, and in the long history that followed, the most popular women's clothing was the Ruqun style. Although the Quju disappeared early in history, it…- 6
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How to Wear Hanfu (2) - Tang Dynasty Qixiong Ruqun
Qixiong Ruqun(齐胸襦裙) is a typical style during the Tang Dynasty, the golden age of China. You can find similar styles of clothing in the famous Tang Dynasty paintings. This is a type of Ruqun with the skirt tied above the breasts and worn with short blouses. Now let’s look at the individual pieces and how to wear Hanfu - Qixiong Ruqun. 1: Wear the Blouse of Qixiong Ruqun The word Ruqun translates into top garment and skirt in Chinese, it is one of the earliest and most basic forms of Hanfu. This blouse has parallel collars and is relatively short to match the long skirt, it is very common to find flower and plant shaped patterns on fabrics during the Tang Dynasty. Put the blouse on first, and tie the knot. 2: Wear the Skirt of Qixiong Ruqun Moving onto the skirt, it is long and pleated, unlike traditional skirts which are usually one piece of fabric wrapped around the body, this modern twist separates the back and front panel and has two sets of ties, it is designed to ensure a better fit and help it stay put on the body. The first step into the center…- 6
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The Basics of Hanfu Underlayers
Ready to start deepening your hanfu wardrobe? Start looking into some of your closet staples here: hanfu underlayers!- 6
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