HANFU: TRADITIONAL CHINESE DRESS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY?Address to the Royal Asiatic Society, HK Branch

Speaker: Juni L. Yeung, MA (CUHK), BA (Toronto)

Thanks to…

The Royal Asiatic Society, Hong Kong Branch

Marianne Yeo, and the Friends of the Art Museum, CUHK Ltd.

Toronto Guqin Society

And participants like YOU. Thank you.

The dilemma

Why is our China so distant from its own tradition?

Huaxia Restoration: Continuing since Revolutionary China

A demand for guiding ideology:Hanism New Citizen

Pop Media and Identity

No More “Guzhuang” (Ancient clothes)

Lack of industry standards, or even aesthetic basis

Imagination to dynastic (period) to fashion/sartorial

Settling once and for all the basis of authenticity Good cutting and shape Proportions Colour-matching Materials

The modern Hanfu: Distinguishably different…?

The System of Objects

Classified by article types, or by functionality The latter type describes outfits, rather than

pieces “Period” distinctiveness forgone and

blended Some sub-categories still exist, with remnants of

period terms

A quick pictorial guide

Yi 衣 Shang 裳 Ku 褲 /絝 Pao 袍 Shenyi 深衣

Shoufu 首服

Zufu 足服 Xieyi 褻衣

The market so far

A debate between quantity vs. quality Quantity: Scale production

Pricing and distribution channels: Hancai (Hancolor)

but lacking control of authenticity (Hanyifang) Quality

Restoring materials and weave at all costs (Minghuatang)

Simple materials and colors but impeccable reproductions (Jinglian Mantang)

Few to buy and small atelier, hard to reach