Have You Ever

Fairy tales are our sweetest childhood memories. “What is your favorite fairy tale role”? When I was a child, I always dreamed of dancing with Cinderella, joining the army with Mulan, and singing with snow-white in the jungle. I also like to imitate their make-up. The princesses not only have their own personalities and stories but also have their own characteristics in dressing up. They are so beautiful that people can envy them! However, have you ever thought about what Disney Princesses will look like when they wear traditional clothes from other countries? 1. Japanese Style Elsa and Anna sisters in Frozen are classical and beautiful after wearing traditional Japanese clothes. Cinderella, compared with the image in the fairy tale, is more plump, feeling particularly soft. Although changing a style, the color matching of Snow White’s dress is still very similar to that in animation. The little mermaid, Ariel, not only has the painting style of Japanese Geisha but also looks like the beautiful image of the Tang Dynasty in China. 2. Korean literary style Nayoung Wooh, a Korean illustrator, puts on Korean traditional clothes for the Disney Princesses in fairy tales. For example, in the picture below, can you…

Have you ever wondered about the animal motifs on your hanfu and what they stand for? Why are there so many dragons in traditional Chinese art? And what’s up with the monkey statues everywhere? Let's delve into the symbolism of animal motifs. It will only take about 5 minutes of your time, and hopefully, you'll learn something new or revise what you already know! Each hanfu garment is unique. It has various styles and designs, that reflects different historical periods and regional influences. Although the differences are significant, many of them include similar animal embroidery and motifs. Animals that have been deeply intertwined with Chinese culture from its earliest days. Animals in Chinese culture are thought to be symbolic representations of various aspects of life. Understanding the symbolic meaning of an animal will lead to grasping the hidden message of the art. It is not only an important decorative element but also adds meaning, symbolism, and cultural significance to the art, particularly in the context of Hanfu garments.   Most commonly used animal motifs are: Birds: Birds are often associated with the sun and allegorical folk-tales. Each bird carries its own unique symbolism, though most are connected to happiness and…

Have you ever noticed the motifs on a hanfu? They are diverse and can even be considered the finishing touch to a hanfu. Maybe it is some kind of animal from ancient times or different kinds of plants to match. Most of them have a special meaning, and some fantastical motifs even contain mythological stories.   Animal Motifs Qilin Motifs Although the production environment of the ancients was much less than the modern society, the ancients never skimped on their imagination when it came to creating sacred animals. For example, the Qilin (麒麟). With a dragon head, deer antlers, cow hooves, and lion's tail, the Qilin changed several times before the Tang Dynasty and had no fixed appearance. In the Song Dynasty, the body became a common lion-shaped scaly body, basically into the current form. In "Fantastic Beasts 3: The Mystery of Dumbledore", the Qilin appears as a new fantastic beast. This is the second Chinese mythical creature launched in the "Fantastic Beasts" series, Zouwu from the "Shan Hai Jing" appeared in "Fantastic Beasts 2: The Crimes of Grindelwald". Qilin is a symbol of auspiciousness and has a very high status in ancient times, and has been assigned with simple…