Editor's Summary: Overall, Hanke Silk Road is quite good among Ming-style merchants. Although its current reputation does not match the collection-level Minghuatang, it is genuinely dedicated in all aspects and is relatively more suitable for daily activities. If you are a fan of traditional patterns, especially Ming-style Hanfu, you can buy with confidence! This type of merchant generally does not produce knock-offs because the initial research investment requires a lot of effort and funds, making it impossible to produce knock-offs. Additionally, due to the inherent craftsmanship value of gold-woven brocade, it is highly recommended to purchase!
We meet again. Ming-style Hanfu is almost a complete reproduction. For example, Minghuatang references the old collections of the Kong family in terms of color matching, patterns, structure, etc., and even if other merchants have slight differences in their designs, the similarity to ancient artifacts is over 90%. Tang-style Hanfu lacks physical references and can only be made to resemble based on paintings, murals, and figurines. Han Dynasty styles are more complex; while there are physical references for the curved skirt from Mawangdui, merchants have adjusted the data. To understand the specific differences, compare the works of well-regarded merchants like Tongguan, Shuangyuou, and Huaijugu, as well as the completely restored works by the Chinese Costume Restoration Group. Original artifacts are also available online. Apart from the curved skirt from Mawangdui, there are no physical references for other styles such as double-curved, short-curved, and small-curved skirts. The straight skirt is almost entirely restored and is uncontroversial.
With the advancement and in-depth research of Hanfu, and the “Separation of Fairy and Han” incident, the reference to various Ming-style, Song-style, and Jin-style Hanfu became mainstream in the Hanfu movement. In 2008, Lanruoting launched the Ming-style long jacket and mamian skirt set “Taiping Youxiang,” which, due to its high cost-performance ratio, became a super hit at the end of 2008 and continued its popularity into 2009. This move by Lanruoting successfully led many women's clothing stores to enter the market for Ming-style long jacket and mamian skirt sets, and also boosted the sales of other Ming-style Hanfu. In April 2009, the “Huafu Day” event, dominated by overly commercialized and fabricated-style merchants, caused dissatisfaction among many fellow enthusiasts, leading to the “Separation of Fairy and Han” incident. The term “Xianfu” was first proposed, but many “little fairies” opposed the separation, so someone suggested the term “Hanfeng” to mediate. However, the term “Hanfeng” was not very popular, while the term “Xianfu” had already spread widely, and the “little fairies” still needed the name “Hanfu.” Additionally, starting from April 2009, efforts began to clear up the two-piece qixiong style, and the merchants and “fairies” used the term “doubtful” to deliberately confuse the issue.
Amidst these various discussions, there has never been a definitive conclusion. However, due to the unique aesthetic of Qing-Han women, many Hanfu merchants have produced and promoted clothing for Qing-Han women to avoid disputes over styles. These merchants categorized Qing-Han women's clothing under “Ming-style Hanfu” using the vague term “late Ming and early Qing” to express the uniqueness of Qing-Han women's clothing. Regardless of whether Qing-Han women's clothing is considered Hanfu, it represents the continuation of Han culture and Hanfu by Han women. In the difficult environment of forced hair cutting and costume changes, Qing-Han women persisted in maintaining their ethnic traditions and created their own Qing dynasty clothing.
The gradual disappearance of Hanfu, akin to boiling a frog slowly, is even more terrifying. The terrifying part is that many people outside the Hanfu community cannot distinguish between Ming-style jackets and skirts, Qing dynasty jackets and skirts, and Republican era jackets and skirts. They see Ming-style jackets and skirts and assume they are Qing dynasty or Republican era jackets and skirts. Now, some merchants, similar to the Nanjing Yunjin Research Institute, are reproducing Ming-style Hanfu jackets and skirts, and some fellow enthusiasts are forming cliques to praise them. This craze for jackets and skirts will only destroy the Hanfu movement.
Average price: 2000 yuan; an old Ming-style store with excellent designs and restoration expertise. Most designs are referenced from artifacts, with careful research, intricate fabric patterns, and a heavy luster. They offer men's clothing and recommend wearing it as formal wear. Hanke Silk Road, as a Hanfu merchant, has been customizing clothing from fabrics for several years. During this time, they have continuously adjusted their fabric processes as they gained deeper understanding of artifacts. Due to equipment limitations, Hanke Silk Road mainly chose silk fabrics for design and production.
Look at what Hanfu merchants sell: intricate patterns, striking colors; models with meticulous makeup and complex hair accessories. Most merchants themselves have a superficial understanding of Hanfu, not distinguishing between formal and everyday wear. This is particularly true for Ming-style Hanfu: every top must have wide sleeves, at least 40 centimeters wide, with a total sleeve length of 200 centimeters; every skirt must have neatly pleated hems, with skirts reaching four meters or more; embroidery must be rich and luxurious, often using gold-woven or gold-sprinkled fabrics. This is not to say that such Hanfu is bad, but rather that it is too good and more suitable as formal wear for special occasions such as holidays, birthdays, coming-of-age ceremonies, or other meaningful events.
One type is the Ming-style cloak. With the rise of Ming-style Hanfu, Ming-style cloaks have also become popular among enthusiasts. It can be said that people always love large sleeves, whether in large-sleeved shirts or Ming-style cloaks, and various long robes and Daoist robes enrich our Hanfu range. Even merchants who previously focused on aesthetic styles have started producing grand and magnificent cloaks. The exquisite embroidery combined with dark fabrics is not only warm but also very stylish.
If 2009 was the year of Ming-style Hanfu, then 2020 was the year of Song-style Hanfu. Although other merchants had already captured a large number of Song girls through design and embroidery before Lanjia's Song-style “Cijian Chunse” was released, Lanjia entered the Song-style market with the same approach, offering a set for 20 yuan, which created a record of 33.48 million yuan in sales in May. The previous “Taiping Youxiang” operation by Lanjia had already caused a significant drop in Hanfu prices, and this time, the sudden appearance of “Cijian Chunse” allowed Lanjia to break through the competition, squeezing out the excess from the Song-style Hanfu market and leaving other merchants in despair.
The status of Ming-style Hanfu was built up by early Ming Dynasty clothing enthusiasts (not necessarily Hanfu enthusiasts) through reports, catalogs, and accumulated knowledge. From being called traitors and remnants of the Manchu in the Hanfu community to being widely praised today, it is the power of knowledge. However, when this power dissipates, those left behind not only lack ambition but also attempt to use Ming-style packaging as a stepping stone for high premiums. The pedestal of Ming-style will eventually collapse, but considering the overall capabilities of the Hanfu community, the cold rice faction leaders and pretentious merchants can continue to enjoy their success for a few more years.