Hanfu Guide

Aoqun (袄裙) is the umbrella term for the traditional Chinese women’s ensemble of a jacket (ao, 袄) paired with a long skirt (qun, 裙). While the combination dates back to the Tang dynasty, in modern Hanfu revival contexts the term specifically refers to the Ming-dynasty style — a cross-collar, right-fastening jacket worn over the skirt, […]

The Ruqun is among the most fundamental and longest-lived garment structures in Hanfu. It belongs to the classic “upper garment, lower skirt” (shang yi xia chang) system: the upper body wears a short jacket or blouse called the Ru, typically ending above the knee; the lower body binds a skirt that falls to the ankle. […]

As Qixi approaches, wearing Hanfu on a date is becoming the most romantic way for young couples to spend the festival. Strolling gardens, drinking coffee, watching night views — the mood is maxed out. But Hanfu styles vary widely, and a wrong pick gets awkward: aiming for sweet but dressing like “a formal opera cast,” […]

During the 2026 CCTV Spring Festival Gala (春晚), as singer Zhou Shen performed the song “Jiliang” (吉量), 56 children from ethnic groups across China walked the stage in their traditional costumes. When Zhang Yanbo, a young Han Chinese boy, appeared in a festive set — a black Confucian headwrap (儒巾), a gold-brocade Daopao (道袍), and […]

In the summer of 2026, a sleeveless jacket that predates the Ming dynasty re-entered the social media spotlight. “Ming-style Hanfu is not impractical — this Bijia is perfect for summer outings!” circulated across Chinese platforms, with leading Hanfu brands such as Shisanyu (十三余) releasing modified Bijia pieces. The garment in question — the Bijia (比甲) […]

The term pifeng (披风) entered the vocabulary of Chinese dress in the Ming dynasty, but the coat itself had been familiar for centuries under an older name. A straight-collar, Duijin (对襟) garment fastened at the neck with ties and cut with two long sleeves and slits at both side seams, the pifeng served as the […]

Closed with crossed lapels and cloth or metal buttons, the Yuanlingpao (圆领袍) covered the body more tightly than any Jiaoling (交领) garment of the older Han wardrobe — yet within three centuries it became the most common dress in the Tang empire. Emperors wore it, officials wore it, and commoners wore it, to the point […]

The Hechang (鹤氅), or “crane cloak,” takes its name from a single character that began life not as a garment at all but as an item of imperial regalia — a canopy woven from bird feathers. In modern usage the word carries three meanings: a coat made by plaiting feathers, a general term for windproof […]

Ancient Chinese dress rested on two great structural systems: the “separate upper and lower garments” system and the Shenyi (深衣) system. The first is simply clothing with the top and bottom cut separately; the second joins the upper garment and lower skirt into one continuous body — the ancestor of the modern dress and the […]