Zhou Shen

For decades, a peculiar absence haunted China's grandest family portrait. When the nation's 56 ethnic groups gathered on public stages, one chair remained visually empty. The Han majority, representing over 90% of the population, appeared not in ancestral silk and robes, but in everyday t-shirts and shorts. This glaring omission finally found its correction on this year's CCTV Spring Festival Gala. As singer Zhou Shen (周深) performed the ethereal Ji Liang (吉量), a procession of children in ethnic finery walked the stage. Among the Miao, Tibetan, and Uyghur attire, a Han boy finally wore his own—a Ming Dynasty-style Dao robe (道袍), a scholar's scarf upon his head. For countless viewers, it was a moment of profound validation and a question answered: the Han do have traditional clothing, and it's called Hanfu. A Long-Awaited Portrait The image of that young boy, standing proudly alongside his peers from other ethnic groups, resonated far beyond the gala's runtime. It visually articulated what advocates have stressed for over two decades: Hanfu is not a costume, but the traditional attire of the Han ethnic group. Prior to this, the narrative was different. Official ethnic group photos, like one released by the Ministry of State Security…