Across China, some young people are switching from jeans and T-shirts to long dresses, silky robes and black hats.
They’re not cosplayers or period drama actors, but rather members of a booming movement to turn Hanfu, or ethnic Han clothing, into everyday wear.
The so-called Hanfu movement has gained a large following among the ethnic Han Chinese group, which makes up more than 90 per cent of the Chinese population.
Supporters say Han people need traditional attires to celebrate their own ethnic identity, just like the kimono in Japan and the hanbok in Korea.
Critics, however, have accused the movement of promoting Han supremacism and fuelling tensions between the country’s Han majority and ethnic minorities like the Manchus, Tibetans and Uygurs.
In the southern metropolis of Shenzhen, we joined some one thousand Hanfu enthusiasts on a day of Han clothing and culture. Watch the video to find out why young Chinese are embracing ancient dress.
