Hanfu boom: EP3 The future of hanfu industry | Girl City

Hanfu was actually first promoted by Hanfu lovers. In 2012, as long as it was Hanfu, it could be sold. Before 2019, as long as it was beautiful embroidered Hanfu, it could be sold. Me or Hanfu, It's already out of the period of selling feelings. The next development will be more professional and more intense. I hope I can stay. Kuanpao, Daxiu, and everything else Hanfu. There's something getting youngsters in China excited about the ancient ways. The Hanfu has come to symbolize a meeting of the old and new, with a potential consumer market of 400 million people. What's behind this growing trend and what does it mean for Chinese people? Growcity finds out. In the first two episodes of this series, Growcity producers Sarah and Lin went to northern, southern, and central parts of China to discover why and how the Hanfu, or traditional costumes of the Han Chinese, has made a comeback. Links in the description. But where does the Hanfu industry go from here? Is the Hanfu merely a garment that entertains young people? Or can it be something more? We spoke to Ao Luojia, a Hanfu designer and a key opinion leader, whose pictures wearing Hanfu went viral on the internet in China a few years ago. She kicked off China's first national Hanfu model contest in 2019. At least 6,000 participants from 86 cities joined the second edition of the contest earlier this year. I think that if you make Hanfu into a piece of clothing, it will be short-lived. Hanfu is a medium, a way of life for Chinese people. If you wear Western-style clothing now, all of its design and origins come from Western-style clothing, or Western aesthetics. In 2019, I launched a model contest called Li Yi Huaxia. All of the cultural and artistic concepts now are based on Western concepts. We hope to redefine our own cultural aesthetics and clothing aesthetics. Ao Luojia is now visiting Xiuwu County in Henan Province to find partners for the third Hanfu model contest next year. Xiuwu County has a history of more than 3,000 years. In an effort to attract younger visitors, Xiuwu has chosen Hanfu as the key element of its growth plan, aiming to become the Hanfu capital of northern China. More than 60,000 people live in downtown Xiuwu. The county tested the waters by holding two rounds of the never-ending Hanfu Festival in August and October this year. Together, the two events attracted at least 100,000 visitors, which greatly lifted its tourism revenues in a short time. In the past Hanfu Festivals, there was only one Hanfu Festival in a year, which could not meet the needs of Hanfu lovers. We wore Hanfu for 365 days a year, socializing, doing activities, and looking for scenic spots. At present, there is no other place that can achieve production, sales, fashion shows, trend releases, and add-ons to the industry. We hope that Xiuwu can become a hub for young people who are passionate about Hanfu. In the long run, 20 million Hanfu lovers can come to Xiuwu every year. This will bring a long-term, sustainable, and stable income When we do the next Hanfu Festival, can we launch a campaign to announce that Xiuwu will host the Grand Finals? In this way, we can spread the name of Hanfu to the whole country so that people can pay attention to Hanfu Town. Mr. Ao said that we can introduce the brand through a series of events. This is not a problem. But in fact, what we need more is the support of the brand. As you mentioned, it is very difficult to introduce the current brand. However, if you have the ability to do this, and you are doing a fashion competition, then the promotion of the brand is the most important thing. Through this event, how many brands can I promote and how many brands can I attract is the most fundamental thing that can attract me to do this event. Using a platform like Xiuwu can promote more innovative Hanfu industries. We also call it a new species. For example, in the past, no one thought that Hanfu photography would become a new industry. We imagine that in the future, Hanfu's wedding, Hanfu's ceremony, and even Hanfu's theme restaurant will be created first in Xiuwu. With such a platform, we are confident that Hanfu Town can really connect with Xiuwu. In fact, Hanfu is just a very small piece of them. What they want to do is a comprehensive oriental aesthetic economy. I didn't expect that in a low-level city, there is such a macro idea. In fact, they not only want to attract young people but also want to create a whole Hanfu production chain. I think this is a necessary channel for Hanfu to reach the public. Because the Hanfu show now is still like a puzzle, like a hot spot for fans to have fun. If we can really become a formal show similar to a fashion show, each brand will release a new product according to the season. This is actually what we thought, but we didn't think that the government has already paid attention to it. Because the future market is no longer just for fans. It may belong to more professional people. I think now, for me, even if it is full of aspirations, I feel that there is an infinite possibility. I also feel that the pressure is very big. Because for an old generation who was born as a fan of Hanfu, the future survival pressure will be greater. In episode 4 of our Hanfu series next week, Girl City producer Lin will talk to a developer in the Greater Bay Area who has built a mobile app that helps users spot the knockoff of Hanfu and explore why that matters to Hanfu enthusiasts. Stay tuned for all that next Saturday on Girl City. If you want to know more about girls in Asia, make sure you subscribe to Girl City.