The ancient clothes of the twelve constellations, the exclusive ancient clothes of the twelve constellations, the simple drawings of the guardian gods of the twelve constellations in ancient costumes. How do you say “exclusive ancient clothes of the twelve constellations” in English? (Clothes: clothes; clothing; dress; habiliment).
I once met Weiwei at the Yunshang Hanfu Experience Hall in Xixi Ancient Village during a cultural gathering. She said that a few years ago, when she first saw a girl wearing Hanfu at the crossroads in front of Guomao, she would wonder, “Why is someone wearing ancient clothes on the street?” However, now, through frequent exposure to short videos on platforms with over 500 million views related to Hanfu, she has gradually understood professional terms such as upper-lower garment style, connected upper-lower garment style, upper-lower pants style, and continuous upper-lower style, and no longer refers to it as “ancient clothes.”
Let me add a couple more points. While Hanfu has become commonplace in some places, passersby might just think, “Oh, another Hanfu enthusiast.” (This thought is mostly neutral without any particular meaning). However, many passersby find this type of clothing strange, not modern fashion, and not all passersby have searched for or learned about Hanfu. It's quite normal for many passersby to think, “This looks similar to the clothes in ancient costume dramas” or “This looks similar to the outfits in ancient-themed photo albums.” There are always places where these things are not so popular, and there are always people who don't understand them well. I hope some Hanfu enthusiasts can be more understanding. When passersby refer to Hanfu as ancient costume, it's purely out of habit and not meant maliciously.
I believe there is a difference between ancient costume and Hanfu. Some might say that Hanfu is ancient clothing, clearly ancient costume. But I disagree because ancient costumes, like those seen in TV dramas, are designed for aesthetics, often very sheer, with short sleeves, which is not historically accurate. The average temperature in ancient times was around ten degrees Celsius, making sheer clothing impractical, especially for conservative women. Therefore, Hanfu enthusiasts generally do not consider their attire as ancient costume. Moreover, ancient costume refers to the clothing of all ancient peoples, while Hanfu is specifically the traditional attire of the Han Chinese.
This program not only features cosplay performances but also large-scale ancient costume photoshoots. I'm not criticizing the contestants; I just feel that having everyone dressed in ancient costumes and Hanfu transforms the show into an ancient costume photoshoot. Does representing national style necessarily mean wearing ancient costume? Please don't equate national style with an ancient aesthetic. I believe that national style should be about inheriting and developing traditional culture.
By the way, I forgot to mention earlier that another distinction between Hanfu and ancient costume is that Hanfu represents only Han Chinese attire, while ancient costume can represent the clothing of all ancient peoples. If you're unsure how to distinguish between them when shopping for Hanfu, look at the name. Any item labeled “Hanfu” or “Chinese style” is Hanfu, even if it's a replica. Other items without these labels may not be. Don't accidentally buy a Qing-style ancient costume and claim it's Hanfu; that would be awkward.
“When I wear Hanfu out, I often get laughed at,” says Peng Jiaxi. Some people unfamiliar with Hanfu mistake it for ethnic minority clothing. “Sometimes it also attracts stares and questions,” adds Zhang Cuixia. Many people mistakenly think they are fans of ancient costume dramas or that they are seeking attention. “Out of my ten outfits, Hanfu is just one of them,” says Peng Jiaxi. To her, Hanfu is just another piece of clothing in her daily life. She wears it when she feels like it without worrying about others' opinions. “Western suits and jeans are also foreign imports, yet we wear them. Why can't we wear Hanfu?” asks Kan Jing.
The article “Discussing the Similarities and Differences Between ‘Ancient Costume' and ‘Hanfu'” was reprinted from Xishan Qin Condition. Ancient costume and Hanfu are often the same thing. However, they differ in spirit. Ancient costume is a piece of clothing, beautiful garments worn by ancients, and deeper still, ancient culture. Hanfu is also a piece of clothing, seemingly identical to ancient costume at first glance. However, ancient costume stops there. Hanfu continues forward. Essentially, Hanfu is not just a piece of clothing but a spirit, a self-awareness, a national, cultural, historical, and civilizational consciousness. The difference between ancient costume and Hanfu is that ancient costume is something the ancients wore, which we cannot wear; why would we? That's a joke. Hanfu, however, is something our ancestors wore, which we can also wear; why can't we? No one is joking. The ancient costume mindset holds that these clothes are irrelevant to us. The Hanfu mindset believes these clothes are relevant to us. Ancient costume, despite its beauty, remains in history. Hanfu, though newly emerging, carries forward.
Hanfu is becoming increasingly popular because the current styles are very beautiful, and people want to see how they look in ancient costumes. Some women may also want to take artistic photos with their children in Hanfu, which is more meaningful. However, putting on Hanfu can be complicated, and children usually need help from adults. So, how do you tie the waistband of children's ancient costume Hanfu in a video tutorial or diagram? How do you tie the front laces of children's Hanfu?
In the tenth year of the Kangxi era, General Governor Eshan of Sichuan and Shaanxi invited Ming dynasty remnant Li Yong (alias Qu) to lecture at the Guanzhong Academy. The academy made a set of Qipao for Li Yong, but he still went to the academy wearing Hanfu and explained to the academy that Qipao was the attire of officials and soldiers, while Hanfu was the common clothing of the people, so Li Yong believed that as a commoner, he should wear Hanfu. He did not face any difficulties and was still treated respectfully. This is different from what the ancient costume circle has long claimed? Wasn't Hanfu said to be discontinued during the Qing dynasty? How could it still be the common clothing of the people during the Kangxi era? Why wasn't Li Yong punished for wearing Hanfu? According to Li Xuewen's “Miscellaneous Records of the Forbidden City” published in 1986.