When East meet West --- A Han Chinese girl's Hanfu story

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Hanfu in Han-Tang Yuefu Music Ensemble's performance "Yan Ge Xing"

Annotate: About Han-Tang Yuefu

       The Han-Tang Yuefu Music Ensemble ( HTYF ) was founded in 1983 by Miss Chen Mei-o of Nankuan  ("Southern Winds") fame. Its purpose was to confirm the major role of Nankuan in the history of Chinese music, to trace the origins to its earliest sources, and to train singers and instrumentalists in the proper art of performing Nankuan music and, while energizing the lifeblood of this ancient tradition, rescue it from the brink of oblivion. Productions of the HTYF are marked by clearly defined scholarly goals, a spirit of in-depth cultural probing, distinctive ethnic characteristics, rich legacies in classical art, and highly polished performance techniques. These have together contributed to their refined and superior elegance. For more than ten years as they performed this ancient music at centres of higher learning the worldwide, Han-Tang Yuefu have earned international renown and admiration at various art festivals in Europe and Asia, winning high praise everywhere.

       In Taiwan, we produced in 1990 a CD record of Nankuan music which was awarded a triple "Golden Cauldron" by the Executive Yuan for the best record, the best performance, and the best production. In 1991 they won the top award given to a musical group by the Ministry of Education. In 1995 they were elected one of the "International Performing Arts" groups to receive support from the Council on Cultural Planning and Development which at last made it possible to implement their long-cherished dream of recording the complete set of 64 ancient Nankuan instrumental suites. In the same year they produced a CD record introducing the

Appreciation of Nankuan and once more won a double "Golden Cauldron" prize for the best record and the best singing. 

 

           In preserving the essence of the ancient Nankuan tradition, HTYF also elaborated upon the Liyuan xi or "Musical Theatre of the Pear Orchard", a branch of southern music popular during the Song and Yuan dynasties (twelfth fourteenth centuries). Here in the telling of a tale, deeply introverted Nankuan music is wedded to highly refined songs and subtle modern movements inspired by the ancient tradition of Liyuan music. Establishing their "Liyuan Dance Studio", the troupe created programmes of classic musicals that are traditional in spirit but contemporary in form. Expressing continuity in the ideal: "contemporary music is ancient music; ancient music is contemporary", it is hoped that such living traditions will firmly implant the music of the Han people on a global stage. It is their constant ideal and goal to "recreate tradition by being rooted in tradition."

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Hanfu MTV (2009 Miss Zhujiang Pageant )

This MTV was produced in 2009. We shot the video at Four Famous gardens in Guangdong Provice. Beauties wore diffrent kind of Hanfu:
 Ru Qun (襦裙): a top garment with a separate lower garment or skirt
 Shan Qun (衫裙): a short coat with a long skirt
 Qu Ju (曲裾): diagonal body wrapping lapels
Abstract: Liangyuan Garden in Foshan, Yuyin Garden in Panyu,Qinghui Garden in Shunde， and Keyuan Garden in Dongguan are known as four famous gardens in Guangdong Province, among which Yuyin Garden is the only one named after “Shangfang” instead of “Garden” in Chinese.
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Hanfu In the Chinese Paintings

Illustrated by Contemporary Chinese Artists

 

 寓目一行白鹭，醉颜几阵丹枫。

A Chinese fairy

槛逗几番花信，门湾一带溪流。  

Boating in stream

 

片山多致，寸石生情。

Cultivating peonies

幽人即韵于松寮；逸士弹琴于於篁里。

Playing the Chinese harp

一派涵秋，重阴结夏。

Strolling in backyard

漏层阴而藏阁，迎先月以登台。

A Chinese princess

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What is Hanfu？

Hanfu refers to the pre-17th century traditional clothing of the Han Chinese, the predominant ethnic group of China.

Hanfu encompasses all types of traditional clothing worn by the Han Chinese ethnic group. As such, it has a history as long as the history of the Han Chinese people. Hanfu was eliminated by Manchu invaders by force in the 17th century, and is largely unknown in China today, except among a small but vocal group of people advocating the revival of Hanfu as a Chinese national costume. 

History of Hanfu

According to Chinese tradition, Hanfu can be keith traced back to the Yellow Emperor, a great sage king of ancient China whom legend says ruled in the 27th century BC. Hanfu itself has a recorded history of more than 3000 years. It was worn by Han Chinese people from the semi-legendary Xia Dynasty (c. 21st century BC - 16th century BC) all the way to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The traditional dress of many Asian countries have been influenced by Hanfu, especially those of Japan and Korea.

Hanfu was regarded by Han Chinese as a very important part of their culture. The wearing of appropriate styles of Hanfu was an important part of courteous refined behaviour. Confucius considered Hanfu a very important part of Chinese ceremony and ritual and many of his quotations contain references to Hanfu.

The disappearance of Hanfu

Hanfu disappeared at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The Qing Dynasty was founded not by Han Chinese who form the overwhelming majority of the population of China proper, but by the Manchus. Taking advantage of the political instability and frequent popular rebellions convulsing China, the highly organized military forces of the Manchus swept into the Ming capital of Beijing in 1644 (which itself had earlier fallen to rebel forces under Li Zicheng), and formed the Qing Dynasty.

The Manchus foresaw that they would have great difficulty ruling the Han Chinese, who outnumbered them vastly and had a more sophisticated culture. Soon after the takeover of China proper, the Manchus forced the Han Chinese men to adopt Manchu hairstyle (the braid) and Manchu-style clothing.(Qipao and Tangzhuang)

There was enormous resistance to these policies, especially against the braid, which required shaving the entire top front half of the head. (Chinese traditional dictated that removing hair was against filial piety because one received one's hair from one's parents.) Popular uprisings flaired up immediately, but those were put down brutally. Up to 30 to 50 million Han Chinese people may have perished in total as a result of the Manchu invasion and conquest. Enforcement of the policies was swift, brutal, and effective. Hanfu was replaced by Manchu-style clothing. Hanfu was still permited for women, however without the traditional support of the palace, women started replacing their hanfu clothing with styles that were influenced by the imperial court and Hanfu was completly gone within a century of Qing rule.

After the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, Manchu dress and the braid disappeared quickly in favour of western-style dress. Today most Han Chinese wear western-style clothing, and Han Chinese clothing is largely unknown. Recent attempts by Hanfu advocates in China to wear Hanfu outdoors have provoked curious reactions from onlookers, many of them mistaking Hanfu for Japanese dress.

However, there is a small but vocal movement in China to revive Han Chinese clothing as a Chinese national custom.

However, more and more Han Chinese young people try to get back their traditions. As a key member, Hanfu, the perfect costume will reborn in the future.

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