Why are there so many young people wearing Hanfu (a traditional Chinese costume) on the streets in China? Why has wearing Hanfu suddenly become so popular in China in recent years? Do you like Chinese Hanfu?

为什么中国街头有那么多年轻人穿汉服(一种中国传统服饰)？现在汉服怎么突然这么流行了？你喜欢汉服吗？

以下是Quora网友的评论：

Cristina Jiang

Simple answer : there are many good ancient costume series. Many of the young people just want to copy their superstars who look stunning in Hanfu.

As simple as that. Why people have to think too much about Hanfu as a political movement to bash Manchu’s qipao, or even a way to show Han’s ethnic superiority? In Beiing, there are still a lot of minorities from Inner Mongolia, or Tib who are wearing traditional costumes. Are they part of political movement too?

简单说就是：好看的古装有好多样式。很多年轻人只是想模仿他们心目中的超级明星穿汉服的样子。

就是这么简单。为什么人们要把汉服当成抨击满族旗袍的政治运动，甚至是展示汉族优越性的方式呢？在北京也还有很多来自内蒙古或西 藏的少数族群穿着传统服装。难道他们这么穿也是运动的一部分吗？

At first, I thought young people who are wearing Hanfu were ridiculous. But then my friends wear Hanfu occasionally, as they are awesome in pictures, and it’s actually pretty convenient to wear. I bought my hanfu - a style from the Qin-Han period, hanfu from the in and Wei period, Tang style hanfu, and Ming Dynasty style hanfu. It would take some historical knowledge to differentiate Qin-fu (pre Han Dynasty) costume, in-Wei-fu (Northen and Souther Dynasty’s clothing), etc. They all different in style - some only minor differences. And calling them as hanfu is just to make it easier to call those ancient clothing. It has nothing to do with Han ethnic or something like that.

最初我觉得穿汉服的年轻人很可笑。但我的朋友偶尔也会穿汉服，因为穿汉服拍照很好看，而且穿起来也很方便。我也给自己买了汉服，有秦汉时期的、晋魏时期的、唐朝时期的，还有明朝时期的。想要区分秦代汉服(汉代之前)、晋魏汉服(南北朝时期)等需要具备一定的历史知识。它们的风格各不相同——有些只有细微的差别。把这些传统服饰称为汉服只是为了方便，和汉族或其他因素都没有关系。

if the Japanese or Korean could wear their kimono on the street, then why the Chinese could not wear their traditional clothing on the street? If you go to Tib, Inner Mongolia, Yunnan province, then you still can see many people are wearing their traditional clothing. Nothing wrong with that.

如果日本人和韩国人可以在街上穿他们的和服，那么中国人为什么不能在街上穿汉服呢？如果你去到西 藏自治区，内蒙古自治区，云南省，那么你仍然可以看到许多人穿着当地的传统服装。这完全没问题。

If after watching some films people eager to wear designer clothing or a certain style of fashion, then why can’t some people after watching Chinese ancient series want to wear hanfu?

I personally like hanfu - they’re pretty practical. You could run, and kick while wearing hanfu. Also, with the wide sleeves serving as a pocket, you don’t even have to bring a wallet. just put everything inside the sleeves. I wear hanfu for some cultural events or company events. More practical than wearing a long night gown.

如果人们在看完一些电影后也想试试名牌服装或某种风格的时尚，那么别人看完古装电视剧后为什么就不能穿汉服呢？

我个人就很喜欢汉服——因为很实用。你可以穿着汉服跑动踢腿，而且宽大的袖子可以当口袋用，你甚至都不用带钱包。把所有东西都塞在袖子里就行了。我会穿着汉服参加一些文化活动或公司活动。比穿晚礼服实用多了。

Just look at these pictures, and you can tell that some people are better looking in hanfu rather than in modern clothing:

看看这些照片，你会发现有些人穿汉服比穿现代服装好看：

Wang Yibo:

王一博：

Carmen Lee:

李若彤：

Vin Zhang:

张彬彬：

Who doesn’t want to dress up and look more beautiful and elegant like that?

谁不想打扮起来更好看更优雅呢？

Feng Jiaxn

Why are there so many young people wearing Hanfu (a traditional Chinese costume) on the streets in China? Why has wearing Hanfu suddenly become so popular in China in recent years?

为什么中国街头突然出现那么多年轻人穿着汉服(一种传统的中国服装)呢？为什么近年来汉服在中国这么流行？

It has cropped up in recent years because people have more money to spend on things like this now. Mainland China has been impoverished for a long time and when you’re poor you’re more focused on feeding yourself than learning about clothes from a thousand years ago. As for why, there are a multitude of different reasons. The “Hanfu movement” is barely cohesive in the first place. There are numerous completely contradictory ideas within the movement. Its practitioners range from hardcore Han nationalists who want a revival of traditions to fashion enthusiasts who just like the aesthetics and are therefore not interested in any historical accuracy.

汉服热是近年来突然出现的，原因是人们现在生活富裕了，有能力为这种喜好花费更多钱。中国大陆在很长一段时间都很贫穷，没钱的时候大家想的主要是怎么养活自己，而不是研究一千年前的服饰。首先，“汉服运动”并没有太大的凝聚力。很多人对汉服运动持有完全矛盾的观点。汉服支持者既有希望复兴传统的铁杆汉族民族主义者，也有喜欢美学的时尚爱好者，因此大家对历史的准确性都不太在意。

Certain men in the Hanfu movement think the re-introduction of the hanfu would mean a strengthening of Chinese patriarchal norms as many traditional designs of the hanfu enforce gender essentialism. They hope Han Chinese women will be encouraged to become more stereotypically “feminine” and subservient to men via the Hanfu movement, particularly if they combine Confucian teachings with the clothing. The extreme misogynists even want footbinding to come back.

汉服运动中的某些人认为，汉服的重新走红意味着中国父权制度的强化，因为许多汉服的传统设计强调性别主义。他们希望通过汉服运动让中国汉族女性变得更加具备传统意义上的“女人味”，更顺从于男性，尤其是把儒家思想与服装结合起来。极端的厌女主义者甚至希望重新掀起裹足陋习。

On the other hand, a feminist angle within the movement argues that the hanfu feels more comfortable than the qipao and hides the female form. Some Han Chinese women hate wearing formal qipao because of how much it constricts their movements, how they need be thin to look acceptable in them, and they are annoyed by how sexualised the qipao is. They desire some type of traditional clothing that isn’t seen as fetish fuel. I totally understand this because I’ve tried on some Taoist priest hanfu before — it is not only more comfortable than qipao but it also makes me feel like a wizard. The qipao was seen as “feminist” when it first came out but not so much now.

另一方面，汉服运动中也有女权主义者认为汉服比旗袍更舒适，遮掩了女性的形体。一些汉族女性讨厌穿正式的旗袍，因为旗袍限制了她们的活动，必须身材纤瘦穿着才好看，而且她们对旗袍的性感风情也很抗拒。我完全理解这一点，因为我以前也试穿过一些道袍汉服——不仅比旗袍更舒服，而且让我感觉自己像个巫师。旗袍刚问世时被视为“女权主义”的象征，但现在人们已经不这么认为了。

There’s plenty of division within the Hanfu movement and most of its criticism comes from within mainland China with arguments such as “the hanfu people wear are too modern”, “they are not modern enough”, “it is too Han-centric”, “not Han-centric enough”, “only Ming hanfu is valid because it is the most recent”, “all time periods are valid”, “incorporating Manchu elements is acceptable”, “Manchu influences are absolutely not acceptable”, etc. To say that the goal of the Hanfu movement is to promote Han ethnonationalism, to bring back neo-Confucianism, and that it should strive to be as historically accurate as possible is a narrow-minded view of the diverse subculture.

汉服运动内部也存在很多分歧，大多数质疑声来自中国大陆，诸如“现在这些汉服太现代了”、“他们还不够现代”、“太以汉族为中心了”、“不够以汉族为中心”、“只有明汉服才是对的，因为它们离我们最近”、“所有时期的汉服都是对的”、“融合满族元素的汉服也可以啊”、“带有满族风格的汉服是绝对不能接受的”等等。如果说汉服运动的目标是促进汉民族主义，复兴理学，并努力做到复原历史，这就是对多元亚文化的狭隘看法。

The Hanfu movement is a very “mainland Chinese thing” whereas most Chinese Quorans are Hong Kongers, Chinese-Singaporeans, etc. They are quite disconnected from mainland Chinese popular culture and tend to provide iffy answers whenever this topic comes up. I have noticed some overseas Chinese and white people get particularly prickly about it despite it barely even affecting them. I wonder if its because of their exposure to Western propaganda which has popularised the narrative of the Hanfu movement being a “Han supremacist and anti-Manchu plot”.

汉服运动是“中国大陆的事情”，而Quora上大多数华人是香港人、新加坡华人等。他们和中国大陆的流行文化完全脱节，每当这个话题出现时，他们往往会给出不确定的答案。我发现有些海外华人和白人对此特别敏感，尽管这种事和他们几乎毫不相关。我很好奇这是不是因为他们已经被西方的媒体洗脑，把汉服运动等同于“汉人至上主义和反满清阴谋”了。

Zhao Dashuai

It’s a combination of government promotion and grassroot interest in anything traditional Chinese.

这是政府的鼓励推动和草根阶层对中国传统文化的兴趣的结合。

From the Government’s perspective, it’s merging modern Socialism with Traditional Chinese values and philosophies.

从政府的角度来看，这是现代社会主义与中国传统价值观和哲学的融合。

《关于实施中华优秀传统文化传承发展工程的意见》

http://www.scio.gov.cn/xwfbh/xwbfbh/wqfbh/37601/38768/xgzc38774/Document/1634775/1634775.htm

This is a very interesting document released by the State Council of China, where it outlined how the chinese will work towards the promotion of Traditional Chinese culture and values based on the foundation of modern socialism.

这是发布的一份非常有趣的文件，概述了中国将如何以现代社会主义为基础，弘扬中国传统文化和价值观念。

An opening quote from the document.

Culture is the blood of a nation and the spiritual home of the people.

This is a lot more nationalistic than any previous leadership.

More importance has been placed to better integrate aspects of traditional Chinese values and philosophies such as Legalism and Confucianism with Socialism, and as a result, more importance is put on the Chineseness of the China model.

这份文件的开头是：

文化是一个民族的血脉，是人民的精神家园。

这比以往任何一届政府都更具有民族主义色彩。

我们更加重视将法家、儒家等中国传统价值观和哲学思想与社会主义的更好融合。

The Document goes over how the government will:

该文件详细说明了政府将如何完成以下目标：

Protect tangible and intangible Cultural heritage

Promote modern cultural soft power by develo traditional cultural products, like movies, tv shows, computer games and other media.

Promote Traditional Chinese values, virtues and etiquette throughout the society and education system.

Introduce more traditional customs and values into the daily life of the people, through promotions of Traditional holidays and festivals,

Such as: Chinese New Year, Lantern Festival, Qingming Festival, Duanwu Festival, Qix Festival, Zhongqiu Festival, Chongyang Festival etc.

保护物质和非物质文化遗产

通过开发传统文化产品，如电影、电视剧、电脑游戏等媒体，提升现代文化软实力。

在整个社会和教育系统中推广中国传统价值观、美德和礼仪的教育。

通过传统节日和节日的宣传，将更多的传统习俗和价值观引入人们的日常生活，

如：春节、元宵节、清明节、端午节、七夕节、中秋节、重阳节等。

Now for the relevant part to this Question, the document also specifies:

实施中华节庆礼仪服装服饰计划，设计制作展现中华民族独特文化魅力的系列服装服饰。

Translation: Implement appropriate traditional dress code for the aforementioned traditional holidays. Design and showcase the unique fashion attire of the Chinese nation.

There you go, the Chinese State Council Document basically outlines the plan to promote people to wear Hanfu during traditional Chinese holidays and festivals.

也就是说：在上述的传统节日里，提倡适当的传统着装要求。设计和展示中华民族独特的时尚服饰。

好了，国务院文件基本上概述了在中国传统节日期间鼓励人们穿汉服的计划。

Shun Bot

I’m going to give a really unpopular answer here. One that I suspect many of my followers are going to hate.

I don’t like the hanfu revival movement as it stands now.

Here’s why:

我要给出一个非常不同的答案。我怀疑我有很多粉丝会讨厌这个回答。

我不喜欢现在的汉服复兴运动。

原因如下：

An appreciation for traditional Chinese culture is a mostly good thing. There are plenty of cultural practices that should be revived. For one thing, we need to bring back the traditional ideas of 君子 and 小人.

欣赏品鉴中国传统文化是好事。确实有很多文化习俗应该恢复。首先，我们需要恢复君子和小人的传统概念。

This is a fun example of what separates 君子 from 小人, something that any “influencer” can benefit from appreciating. It’s a verse from the Analects.

Focusing on just dressing like you’re from the Song Dynasty without actually appreciating Song Dynasty philosophy achieves nothing. You’re just cosplaying as your ancestors.

这是君子和小人之所以不同的一个有趣例子。这是《论语》中的一句话。

只在乎穿得像宋朝人，而并未真正欣赏宋朝的哲学，是毫无意义的行为。这么做只是模仿先人的穿着，徒具其形、不具其神罢了。

If our goal is to revive traditional Chinese culture, then we should start with traditional Chinese philosophy, not traditional Chinese dress. A guy in jeans and a T-shirt with an aspiration to be a 君子 is infinitely more Chinese than a guy in hanfu who barely even understands the concept of 君子.

如果我们的目标是复兴中国传统文化，那么我们应该从复兴中国传统哲学开始，而不是从中国传统服饰开始。一个身穿牛仔裤和T恤但渴望成为君子的人，要比一个穿着汉服但不理解君子之意的人更像中国人。

Noel Leong

There’s a trend of wearing Hanfu among certain groups of youth; but on average there’s more young people wearing modern clothing than Hanfu. I’m not from China, I have no special preference for Hanfu, but in daily life, it’s still more convenient to wear modern clothing.

在某些青年群体中出现了穿着汉服的风尚；但平均来看，穿现代服装的年轻人还是比穿汉服的年轻人多。我不是中国人，我对汉服也没有特别的偏爱，但在日常生活中穿着现代服装还是更为方便的。