Hanfu is a type of traditional clothing, but it does not represent all historical costumes. Historical costumes refer to the attire worn by people in ancient times, which is a general term. In contrast, Hanfu is the traditional clothing of the Han nationality, representing two entirely different concepts. Hanfu can be seen as a symbol of Han culture; any clothing worn by the Han people is called Hanfu. Historical costumes refer to the attire worn by people in ancient times, meaning any garment from that period falls under this category. Historical costumes are a broad concept encompassing many types, while Hanfu is merely one subset of historical costumes. Moreover, the materials used for historical costumes vary widely, whereas Hanfu uses only a few specific materials. Historical costumes contain more diverse materials and stories, having undergone long-term evolution and development. On the other hand, Hanfu is clothing made by the Han people based on traditional styles, embodying cultural characteristics of the Han nationality. Historical costumes reflect the overall features of the entire ancient era, with various styles. Hanfu specifically refers to the traditional attire worn by the Han nationality, such as tops and skirts or one-piece dresses. That's all it means. However, historical costumes include many varieties, with numerous types of clothing, making them more complex than Hanfu.
The article “Discussing the Similarities and Differences Between ‘Historical Costumes' and ‘Hanfu'” was originally posted on Xishan Qin Condition. Historical costumes and Hanfu are often the same thing. However, they differ significantly in spirit. Historical costumes are just clothes, beautiful garments worn by ancient people. Delving deeper, they represent ancient culture. Hanfu is also a piece of clothing. At first glance, it appears almost identical to historical costumes. However, historical costumes stop there, while Hanfu moves forward. Essentially, Hanfu is not just clothing but a spirit, a self-awareness, a national consciousness, a cultural awareness, a historical awareness, and a civilizational awareness. The difference between historical costumes and Hanfu is that historical costumes were worn by ancients, and we cannot wear them. How could we possibly wear them? Don't joke around. Meanwhile, Hanfu was worn by our ancestors, and we can also wear it. Why can't we wear it? No one is joking. The mindset of historical costumes suggests that these clothes have nothing to do with us. The mindset of Hanfu believes that these clothes are relevant to us. Historical costumes are incredibly beautiful but remain in history. Hanfu, initially slightly…
Daiyu, reincarnated as the fairy Jiaozhu, likes to wear red. This is undoubtedly true for anyone who has read the original work carefully. Apart from mentioning red clothing twice during snowy days, the poem “Tao Hua Hang” contains the line “A crimson skirt standing beside peach blossoms,” indicating that Daiyu indeed prefers wearing red. Living in the Xiaoxiang Pavilion, wearing red should be more appealing than other colors. In the Cheng-Gao edition's last forty chapters, Daiyu's attire is described as moon white paired with Yangfei color, i.e., light blue and pink. In summary, red is indispensable.
However, when you say they are wearing historical costumes, it becomes necessary to emphasize the ethnic identity of Hanfu. Thus, they switch to another logic: historical costumes ⊆ Hanfu, implying that historical costumes ≠ Hanfu. They believe that historical costumes are past tense, while Hanfu is an ethnic costume, including both ancient, present, and future times. Here, the term “historical costumes” specifically refers to ancient Hanfu. A classic example within the Hanfu community is that other ethnic groups still wear their traditional attire today. Can you call it historical costumes?
Do you know the difference between Hanfu and historical costumes? It's very likely that what you're wearing is just a historical costume. Historical costumes are merely clothes. Some say, “Hanfu is a piece of clothing, but more than just clothing; it represents a national spirit and national awareness.” The primary difference between historical costumes and Hanfu is that historical costumes were worn by ancients, and we don't need to wear them; Hanfu was worn by our ancestors, and we can also wear them. Why not wear them? Of course, if you choose to wear Hanfu because it looks good, there's no problem with that. Just be happy, without…
Hanfu is a type of historical costume, but it does not represent all historical costumes. Historical costumes refer to the attire worn by people in ancient times, which is a general term. In contrast, Hanfu is the traditional clothing of the Han nationality, representing two entirely different concepts. Hanfu can be seen as a symbol of Han culture; any clothing worn by the Han people is called Hanfu. Historical costumes refer to the attire worn by people in ancient times, meaning any garment from that period falls under this category. Historical costumes are a broad concept encompassing many types, while Hanfu is merely one subset of historical costumes. Moreover, the materials used for historical costumes vary widely, whereas Hanfu uses only a few specific materials. Historical costumes contain more diverse materials and stories, having undergone long-term evolution and development. On the other hand, Hanfu is clothing made by the Han people based on traditional styles, embodying cultural characteristics of the Han nationality. Historical costumes reflect the overall features of the entire ancient era, with various styles. Hanfu specifically refers to the traditional attire worn by the Han nationality, such as tops and skirts or one-piece dresses. That's all it means. However, historical costumes include many varieties, with numerous types of clothing, making them more complex than Hanfu.
“Discussing the Similarities and Differences Between ‘Historical Costumes' and ‘Hanfu'” written by Xishan Qin Condition. Historical costumes and Hanfu are often the same thing. However, they differ significantly in spirit. Historical costumes are just clothes, beautiful garments worn by ancient people. Delving deeper, they represent ancient culture. Hanfu is also a piece of clothing. At first glance, it appears almost identical to historical costumes. However, historical costumes stop there, while Hanfu moves forward. Essentially, Hanfu is not just clothing but a spirit, a self-awareness. National consciousness, cultural consciousness, historical consciousness, and civilizational consciousness. The difference between historical costumes and Hanfu is that historical costumes were worn by ancients, and we cannot wear them. How can we possibly wear them? Don't joke around. Meanwhile, Hanfu was worn by our ancestors, and we can also wear it. Why can't we wear it? No one is joking. The mindset of historical costumes suggests that these clothes have nothing to do with us. The mindset of Hanfu believes that these clothes are relevant to us. Historical costumes are incredibly beautiful but remain in history. Hanfu, initially slightly rough, successfully bridged the gap with history, proudly pointing towards the future.
In fact, this is indeed the case. Perhaps due to everyone watching historical dramas on TV before, where actresses wearing historical costumes were always extremely beautiful, historical costumes and Hanfu share significant similarities. Therefore, people formed a somewhat rigid impression, believing that those wearing historical costumes must be exceptionally pretty girls. However, with the continuous revival and promotion of Hanfu, ordinary girls began wearing it, creating a conflict with this rigid impression. As a result, many feel that girls wearing Hanfu are “not good-looking.”
Historical costumes and Hanfu are often the same thing. However, they differ significantly in spirit. Historical costumes are just clothes, beautiful garments worn by ancient people. Delving deeper, they represent ancient culture. Hanfu is also a piece of clothing. At first glance, it appears almost identical to historical costumes. However, historical costumes stop there, while Hanfu moves forward. Essentially, Hanfu is not just clothing but a spirit, a cultural heritage, a continuation of national culture, history, and civilization. The difference between historical costumes and Hanfu is that historical costumes were worn by ancients, and we cannot wear them. How can we possibly wear them? Meanwhile, Hanfu was worn by our ancestors, and we can also wear it. Why can't we wear it? Historical costumes, incredibly beautiful, remain in history. Hanfu, initially slightly rough, successfully bridged the gap with history, proudly pointing towards the future.
“The Hanfu market is getting hotter, driving related industries like ready-made clothing processing, modeling, photography, travel photoshoots, etc.” Guo Qi introduced. Walking outside the Donghua Gate of the Forbidden City, one can see a Hanfu experience shop every few dozen meters, many of which are new faces. The Lantingxu Historical Costume Hanfu Experience Shop on Nanchi Street transitioned two years ago, specializing in renting and photographing Hanfu and Qing Dynasty palace costumes. After the transition, the average spending per customer increased to about 1000 yuan, attracting even more customers. More than half of the customers came specially from Shanghai, Guangzhou, Sichuan, and other places to take Hanfu photos in the Forbidden City. With the weather warming up, the store is purchasing a batch of new costumes to prepare for the upcoming small peak in tourist numbers. “Except for snowy days, the spring flower viewing season is the busiest time for the store, receiving over 30 people daily. Some popular costumes are even worn in rotation,” said Jingjing, a store employee.