Hanfu Fashion Revival Strengthens汉服时尚强势复兴

Decades ago as a young boy， Zhao Bo loved travelling with his tailor father on visits to ancient towns and villages across China collecting traditional clothes once worn by their Han Chinese ancestors.

二三十年前，赵波还是个小男孩，就喜欢跟着做裁缝的父亲一起游历中国各地的古镇古村，四处收集他们汉族祖先曾经穿过的传统服饰。

The 35-year-old comes from a family of tailors in North China and has continued his father’s passion as an adult， collecting more than 2，000 pieces of ancient clothing， and reproduced dozens more by studying antiquities and ancient books.

现年35岁的赵波生于华北的一个裁缝世家，成年后继承了父亲对服饰的热情。他收藏了2000余件古代服饰，并通过研究古物和古籍复刻了数十件。

Zhao now heads a museum in Yongqing， Hebei province， showcasing antique garments， some more than 500 years old， and handmade replicas of outfits dating back to more than 2，000 years ago.

如今，赵波是河北省永清县一家博物馆的馆长。馆内陈列着一些有着500多年历史的古董服饰，以及2000多年前服装的手工复制版。

An intangible cultural inheritor appointed by the Hebei provincial government to promote Chinese culture， Zhao is a part of a growing movement among younger Chinese that has helped revive hanfu， the name given to clothing once worn by ancient Han Chinese.

河北省政府授予赵波非物质文化遗产传承人的称号，他肩负着弘扬中华文化的使命。同时，他也是中国年轻一代日益壮大的汉服复兴运动中的一员。汉服，即古代汉族人穿的服饰。

Annual sales of hanfu clothing have leapt from around 190 million yuan in 2015 to more than 10 billion yuan （US$1.45 billion） last year， according to Chinese data analysis firm iiMedia Research1.

中国数据分析机构“艾媒咨询”的数据显示，汉服的年销售额从2015年约1.9亿元人民币跃升至2021年超过100亿元人民币（约合14.5亿美元）。

“People barely talked about hanfu when I opened my museum in 2014，” said Zhao. “They didn’t even know whether it meant clothes worn by the Han Chinese throughout history， or clothes specifically worn during the Han dynasty.”

“2014年我刚开博物馆时，几乎没什么人谈论汉服。”赵波说，“当时人们甚至不知道‘汉服’究竟是指中国历史上汉族人穿的衣服，还是特指汉代的服装。”

“But about three years ago I started feeling a craze， especially among the youth， unlike before when hanfu fans were often older people，” he said.

“不过，大约三年前，我开始感受到一股汉服热，在年轻人中间尤为盛行，与之前喜爱汉服的人通常是年长者的情况截然不同。”他说道。

People wearing hanfu-style dress has become a common sight on the streets of major Chinese cities in recent years as increasing numbers of teenagers and young adults turn to the outfits as both a statement of fashion and cultural identity.

近年来，在中国各大城市的街头，人们身着汉服已经屡见不鲜。越来越多的青少年和年轻人选择身着汉服，这既是对时尚的诠释，也是对文化身份的认同。

Hanfu covers clothes worn during a number of China’s historical periods. The most popular styles are from the Tang， Song， and Ming dynasties. The Ming was the last native Han Chinese dynasty to rule China before the Manchu2 seized power in 1636 and formed the Qing dynasty that lasted until 1911.

汉服涵盖了中国历史上多个朝代的服装。唐、宋、明三个朝代的风格最受欢迎。明朝是中国最后一个由汉族人统治的朝代。1636年，满族人夺取政权，建立了清朝，一直持续到1911年。

Hanfu often consists of a flowing robe in beautiful shades of colour and a skirt with intricate3 embroidery.

汉服通常由一件色彩美丽的飘逸上衣和一条带有精致刺绣的下裳组成。

Zhao said the in-vogue hanfu attire4 seen on the streets of China today is not exactly what ancient Han people once wore. However， he said it remains a positive promotion of the more authentic hanfu clothing displayed at places like his museum.

赵波表示，如今在中国街头看到的流行汉服与古代汉人所穿并不完全相同。不过，他表示，对于在他的博物馆和其他类似场所展示的更正宗的汉服来说，这仍然是一种积极的推广。

“Only when there’s great interest from the public will there be people who bother to learn more about hanfu and make it historically accurate，” he said.

他说：“只有当公众对汉服产生浓厚兴趣时，才会有人愿意深入了解汉服，并把它做得符合历史。”

As China’s leaders have pushed for a stronger sense of national Chinese identity and renewed cultural confidence in recent years， hanfu has become a visual symbol of China’s renaissance.

近年来，随着中国领导人推动加强中华民族认同意识和重塑文化自信，汉服已成为中国复兴的一个视觉象征。

Fashion-conscious youth in Chinese mainland have enjoyed the official promotion and turned hanfu cosplay into a way to express themselves and to connect with history and tradition.

中国大陆追求时尚的年轻人积极响应官方推广，并将汉服角色扮演作为一种表达自我、与历史和传统相联系的方式。

Lisa Zhou， a 17-year-old high school student from Shanghai， said she was fascinated by hanfu after seeing videos on social media where girls “look like fairies” in historical attire.

来自上海的17岁高中生莉萨·周表示，此前她在社交媒体视频上看到一些女孩穿着汉服“像仙女一样”，便对汉服产生了浓厚兴趣。

She was also influenced by enthusiasts from her school who formed a hanfu club， something no school had several years ago， she said.

她说，学校里的一些汉服爱好者也影响了她。那些爱好者成立了一个汉服社团，几年前还没有学校有这样的社团。

But the teenager pointed out that she doesn’t just like the clothing because it looks pretty， but it also represents China’s cultural heritage.

但她也指出，她之所以喜欢这种服饰，不仅因为美观，更因为它承载了中国的文化遗产。

“As science and technology develop quickly， we should not forget our traditional culture. As a member of the new generation， I hope we can revitalise our traditional culture in our daily lives，” she said.

“随着科学技术迅速发展，我们不应该忘记我们的传统文化。作为新一代的成员，我希望我们能在日常生活中重振我们的传统文化。”她说道。

It was for this reason that she wore a hanfu outfit to a recent family gathering， she said.

她表示，正因如此，她最近穿了一套汉服参加家庭聚会。

Such attitudes are common among Zhou’s peers， according to the iiMedia report. Nearly 70 per cent of hanfu enthusiasts surveyed said the top reason they wore the garments was to “promote Chinese culture”， with “looking good” listed as a secondary concern by many.