Young People Drive Revival of China’s Ancient Hanfu Culture年輕人推動漢服文化復興

莊屏卉 鄧安兒

On weekdays Hu Xin， 21， wears a dark blue suit with a red tie for her job.

Only on weekends can she find peace in the circle of friends she is most comfortable with， dressed in Hanfu， the ancient attire of Chinas Han people， which dates back 4，000 years.

The garments are characterised by the cross collar， right lapel， wide sleeves and a sash that ties everything together in place of buttons.

Hu and her friends play the Chinese zither， drink tea， make traditional embroidery or recite poetry together. Everyone is polite， refined and shares the same interests.

She styles her hair like a conch1， in the Tang dynasty （618—907） way， and paints a red pattern， known as a flower ornament， between her eyebrows. She walks with a solemn look and holds her arms below her chest.

“I have been interested in Hanfu since the eighth grade. It creates that2 artistic3 fantasy world that only the ancient poems can offer，” Hu said.

Last month， Hu asked for leave from her job， took two trains and flew for three hours so that she could join tens of thousands of her fellow enthusiasts—all dressed in the ancient style—for their annual gathering4 to promote Hanfu culture in the water town of Xitang， in the eastern province of Zhejiang.

The trend began in 2003 when a 34-year-old power grid worker wore his self-made Hanfu in Zhengzhou， in the central province of Henan. Since then， Hanfu has been a growing and more visible presence in the daily life of Chinese mainland.

Addressing each other as tong pao—a term which means “people sharing the same robe” and is used in traditional poetry to refer to friends—Hanfu enthusiasts form clubs online and in schools. They brave5 stares and sometimes talk6 of “strange clothes” while on group outings or engaging in traditional cultural activities， such as calligraphy， playing ancient musical instruments or matching couplets.

By reviving the clothes of their ancestors， Hanfu lovers like Hu are trying to show their pride in Chinese culture and recreate an idyllic world， not only of magnificent clothes， but also a state of nobility.

“Hanfu is the perfect bridge for young people to connect with Chinese culture and identity，” said Fang Wenshan， a lyricist who started the Hanfu Culture Week in Xitang seven years ago.

“The threshold is low enough for everyone to get involved—they dont need to be academic7 and by dressing in Hanfu they are showing their feelings.”

“When you see so many magnificent clothes in the past you will want to learn more about the history and culture of the country where you grow up，” said An Congying， a programmer at a bank in Shanghai， who was lured into the Hanfu world because of her interest in ancient Chinese literature.

She wears Hanfu almost every day—sometimes just one part of her clothing to “lay low”8 at work—because “Hanfu brings out the best of a person”.

“I feel a different person when I am wearing Hanfu，” An said. “I unconsciously stand very straight with good manners. I need to behave well enough for the outfit.”

For Zhu Ao， 20， a third-year student at the Hunan Technical College of Railway High-Speed， Hanfu represents the traits of a decent person.

“The open robe with cross-collars signifies being open-minded and accepting of others. The edge of the robe is level， meaning we must be very just and fair. The line at the back of the robe is always vertical to the ground， signifying we must have integrity.

“Its so much more than just clothes. We say you need a good body to pull off Western-style clothes， but good virtue to wear Hanfu，” said Zhu， who wears the styles every day—choosing thinner sleeves for convenience， or the wider sleeves in which he can carry his wallet and mobile phone.

Some people are attracted by the splendour of the custom-made dresses and robes—which can take up to a year to be delivered.

Others are diving deeper， learning the six arts prescribed by Confucius as the requirements for becoming a junzi， or noble and perfect man. These skills—rites， music， archery， chariot racing， calligraphy and mathematics—became popular in the Zhou dynasty as signifiers of a state of perfection.

“Hanfu is the symbol of authentic Chinese culture. We wear Hanfu to promote the Chinese way of life just as Confucian scholars aspired to， mastering arts such as rites and music and achieving a high moral standard，” said Huang Zaiyu， 28， a musician from Hengyang， Hunan province.

A professional Chinese zither player， Huang uses his expertise to translate ancient music scores9 and joins fellow tong pao to perform at ritual ceremonies， such as marking the beginning of school by worshipping Confucius.

“In ancient times scholars learned rites to refine ones mind. In modern times we still practise these ceremonies to learn the Confucius philosophy and guide our lives，” he said.

In Beijing， Chen Xuefei， a former art director at a video game company who now specialises in producing Hanfu clothing and accessories， has spent years perfecting the Han archery rite.

“Modern archery is competition. I think its our obligation to revive the traditional rite，” said Chen， who visited museums and studied ancient books to recreate the original ceremony.

Winning is less important than sticking to the rules and showing respect， and so there is much bowing—to show respect for the host， guests and fellow shooters—as well as shooting to the rhythm of music and drinking wine.

“We live in a time of material abundance and have spiritual pursuits，” Chen said， explaining Hanfus importance to him and other young people. “Dressing in these clothes and performing such rites bring us closer to our ancestors.

“We are not old-fashioned people trying to go back to the past. We are not strange people. We live in modern times and we go to work like others，” he said.

The Hanfu revival has not been free of controversy. Among other criticisms， it has supposedly promoted Han dominance in a country with dozens of ethnic minorities. But Hanfu fans distance themselves from that stereotype.

“At the early stage there were some radicals，” Chen said， “but not any more. People are just proud of the culture Han， as one of the ethnic groups in China， has passed on over the years.”

San Bai， 24， a data analyst with a property developing company in Suzhou， in the eastern province of Jiangsu， rejects the criticism entirely.

“I dont know anyone in my circle who believes Han is superior to other ethnicities，” he said.

“Its the 21st century and nobody believes that… I have friends of Yi ethnicity who will dress in Hanfu occasionally and I dressed in Miao ethnicity clothes when I was travelling because they were attractive.

“Why cant I as a Han dress in Han clothes to celebrate my holidays without being judged？”

21歲的胡欣在工作日期間穿的是深藍色制服配紅色領帶。

只有在周末她才能松一口氣，穿上漢服跟最投契的朋友待在一起。漢服是中國漢族人民的古代服飾，其歷史可追溯到4000年前。

漢服的特征包括交領、右衽、廣袖和腰帶。腰帶可替代紐扣將全部衣物收束一處。

胡欣和朋友們在一起時，或彈奏古箏，或飲茶品茗，或引針刺繡，或吟誦詩詞。大家都是知書達理的人，也志趣相投。

胡欣梳了個唐朝（618—907）風格的螺髻，在眉心處描了個叫做花鈿的紅色圖案。走路時她斂容正色，雙手交疊端放前胸之下。

胡欣說：“我從初二開始就對漢服感興趣了。那種由它營造的美妙幻境，只有古詩才能給予?！?/p>

上個月，胡欣請了假，輾轉兩趟火車，飛行三個小時來到位于華東的浙江省。此行是為了前往西塘水鄉參加一年一度的漢服文化周。每年，成千上萬的漢服迷都會齊聚于此，身著古代服飾，推廣漢服文化。

漢服潮始于2003年，當時在中原省份河南的鄭州，一名34歲的電網工人穿上了自制的漢服。從那時起，在中國內地的日常生活中，漢服變得越來越常見。

在網絡上和學校里，漢服迷組建社團，互稱“同袍”?！巴邸绷x為“共用一件長袍的人”，在傳統詩詞中指朋友。他們會一同出游，或是進行傳統文化活動，比如寫書法、彈奏古代樂器或對對聯。他們無懼旁人的異樣目光，勇敢直面“奇裝異服”的議論。

通過復興祖先曾穿的服飾，像胡欣一樣的漢服迷在盡力表達對中華文化的自豪之情，也試著再現一個田園般的世界，在那里，不僅有錦衣華服，更有品行高潔的人。

“漢服是年輕人與中國文化以及中國身份聯系的完美橋梁?！弊髟~人方文山說道。七年前，他發起了西塘漢服文化周活動。

“漢服的門檻很低，低到人人皆可參與。他們不必專門研究漢服，穿上它是在表達自己的所想所感?！?/p>

安聰穎是上海一家銀行的程序員，她說：“你在這個國家長大，當看到這個國家在舊時有這么多華美精致的衣服時，你會想去了解更多她的歷史和文化?！彼詴粷h服吸引，是因為她對中國古典文學感興趣。

她幾乎每天都穿漢服，因為“漢服讓人展現自己最好的一面”。上班期間為了保持低調，有時她只穿其中一部分來搭配其他。

“穿上漢服時，我覺得自己變了個人?！彼f，“我會不自覺站得筆直，舉止得體。我要表現得足夠好，才能配得上這套衣服。”

20歲的朱敖，是湖南高速鐵路職業技術學院的一名大三學生，在他看來，漢服代表了一個正派人所具有的特質。

“漢服敞袍交領，代表思想開闊，接納他人。下擺平直，意為平允公道。背線垂直，象征誠實正直。

“漢服遠不只是衣服。我們說，你要身材好才能撐起西式服裝，但你得品行佳才能穿好漢服?！敝彀秸f道。他每天都穿漢服，圖方便的時候就穿窄袖，想把錢包手機收進衣服里的時候，就著廣袖。

定制型漢服裙和長袍華美奪目，一些人為之傾倒，其交付時間可達一年。

另一些人更進一步——學習六藝。在孔子看來，要成為“君子”，也就是高尚完美的人，必須通貫六藝。六藝指禮、樂、射、御、書、數。六藝興于周朝，被視作德行完備的標志。

“漢服象征著正宗的中華文化。我們穿上漢服，推廣儒家學者過去追求的那種中式生活之道，掌握禮、樂等藝術，到達崇高的道德境界。”來自湖南衡陽的黃在宇說。28歲的他是一名音樂演奏者。

作為一名專業的古箏樂手，黃在宇運用自己的專業知識翻譯古代曲譜，和其他同袍在開學祭孔等典禮儀式上演奏。

他說：“古時文人習禮是為了修身養性。在現代，我們仍會舉行這些典禮儀式，去學習孔子的哲學，指導我們的生活?！?/p>

陳雪飛曾在一家電子游戲公司擔任藝術總監，現在，他在北京專門從事漢服及其配飾的生產制作。他已經花了幾年時間來完善漢族射禮。

陳雪飛說：“現代射箭就是比賽。我認為，我們有責任復興傳統射禮。”他遍訪博物館，研究古籍，以再現原汁原味的射箭古儀。

遵守規則和展現敬意比取勝更為重要，因此射禮要求多次鞠躬，以表示對主人、賓客及箭友的尊重。此外，還要按照伴樂節奏引弓放矢，射箭完畢還要舉杯飲酒。

“我們生活在一個物質豐盛的時代，有自己的精神追求。”說到漢服之于他自己，之于其他年輕人的意義，陳雪飛解釋道，“穿上這些衣服，舉行這些儀式，我們離祖先更近了。

“我們不是一心想回到過去的老古董。我們不古怪，我們生活在現代社會，跟其他人一樣上班干活兒?！?/p>

漢服的復興并非毫無爭議。在眾多批評聲中，有一種觀點認為，在這樣一個多民族國家，漢服復興鞏固了漢族的主導地位。然而，漢服迷卻不認同這種刻板看法。

“早期是有些激進的人，”陳雪飛說，“但現在不會再有了。漢族是中國的一個民族，其文化久經歲月傳承下來，人們純粹是為漢文化驕傲自豪?！?/p>

24歲的三白，是位于華東的江蘇蘇州一家房地產開發公司的數據分析師。他完全拒絕接受這一批評。

他說：“據我所知，漢服圈里沒人認為漢族高其他民族一等。

“都21世紀了，沒人相信這種說法……我有些彝族朋友，他們偶爾也會穿穿漢服。我在旅游的時候會穿苗族服飾，因為那很好看。

“我作為一個漢族人，穿漢服慶祝自己民族的節日，憑什么就要被人指指點點呢？”

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎者）