A woman from China has been travelling the world dressed in traditional hanfu outfits in an ambitious sartorial bid to spread awareness of Chinese culture internationally.
Yang Yue taught Chinese language and culture in Pakistan until she quit her job earlier this year.
She then embarked on a road trip across Asia, Europe and Africa driving her eye-catching van adorned with slogans “China on your doorstep” and “Let Chinese hanfu go global”.
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The former teacher has toured 13 countries in Asia and Europe since August.
Hanfu is the traditional clothing of China’s dominant Han ethnicity, which accounts for 91.1 per cent of the Chinese population, according to the Seventh National Population Census conducted in 2020.
The form of dress dates back more than 4,000 years, first appearing during the reign of the Yellow Emperor, Huangdi. He was later deified in Chinese folklore and literature, and mythology says he is the ancestor of all Chinese people.
The succession of dynasties in China led to changing styles of hanfu, each with unique characteristics.
For instance, the qi xiong ru qun style during the Tang dynasty (618-907) features a high-waisted skirt tied to the chest.
The hanfu of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) had a more conservative style due to the resurgence of Confucian values, which pushed women to be chaste and domestic.
In recent years, China has witnessed a revival of interest in hanfu attire among young people.
The popularity was driven by increasing social media exposure by amateurs who study and wear hanfu in public, as well as popular documentaries about Chinese history and culture.
For many hanfu lovers, wearing traditional Chinese clothing is not only fashionable but also an excuse to learn about the history related to it.
Yang brought a collection of different styles for use on her global mission. She also learned historical makeup and hairstyles to go with the garments.
She said she wants to let people from other parts of the world know and fall in love with Chinese culture through her clothing.
Yang has attracted 1.3 million followers on Douyin, the mainland version of Tiktok, with videos of her wearing hanfu and receiving warm feedback overseas.
People commented on her videos with pride, praising her work to evangelise Chinese culture abroad.
But she is not the only influencer specialising in the hanfu genre.
Another Douyin video blogger, @Zhoubaobao, has 5.4 million followers of videos of her dressing non-Chinese people in the US in hanfu outfits.
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