culture · 5 May 2026
Hanfu Wearing Today: What the Revival Looks Like in 2026
Hanfu — the historical clothing style of Han Chinese people — has gone from a fringe internet subculture to a mainstream fashion presence. Here is what the movement is, who participates, and where you will see it in Chinese cities.
By Jamie Wu · Editorial writer, China Visit Guide
In 2026, if you visit the West Lake in Hangzhou, the hutongs around the Drum Tower in Beijing, Lijiang's old town, or almost any scenic heritage site on a weekend, you will see young people wearing hanfu — the historical clothing style of the Han Chinese people. Some are dedicated enthusiasts who have spent months selecting and assembling an accurate historical outfit. Some are tourists who rented one from a shop near the gate. Some are people who simply own hanfu and choose to wear it in appropriate contexts. The movement has moved from the fringes of Chinese internet culture to a commercial and social mainstream in the space of about twenty years.
What Hanfu Is
Hanfu (汉服) literally means 'Han clothing' — the clothing tradition of the Han Chinese people, as distinct from the clothing of the Manchu-ruled Qing dynasty (1644–1912), which produced the qipao/cheongsam and Mandarin collar that most Westerners associate with 'Chinese dress.' Han Chinese clothing predates the Qing by millennia.
The defining structural characteristics of hanfu across all its historical periods are:
- Cross-collar (交领, jiāolǐng): the collar folds across the body with the right side over the left. This is consistent across all dynasty periods and is the quickest way to identify genuine hanfu.
- Wide sleeves (宽袖, kuānxiù): most formal hanfu styles have wide, flowing sleeves, though working styles have narrower ones.
- Sash or belt fastening (系带, xìdài): garments are tied closed rather than buttoned or zippered. The sash arrangement varies by style and period.
Historical Styles and Dynasty Periods
Hanfu covers a range of distinct styles associated with different dynasty periods:
Ruqun (儒裙): a short upper garment (襦, rú) worn with a long wrap skirt (裙, qún). The dominant female style of the Tang and Song dynasties. The skirt can be worn high, at the waist, or chest-high depending on the specific dynasty period being referenced. This is the most commonly seen style at heritage sites.
Zhiju (直裾): a straight-cut robe with a collar that wraps around to the right side, associated with the Han dynasty. More masculine in historical association but worn by all genders in modern hanfu culture.
Shenyi (深衣): a formal garment combining upper and lower sections in a single cut, associated with Zhou and Han dynasty formal ceremony. Less commonly seen as casual wear.
Aoqun (袄裙): a padded or quilted upper garment worn with a skirt, associated with the Ming dynasty. The style most commonly seen in period dramas and the basis for many commercial hanfu products.
Changpao/Daopao (长袍/道袍): long male robes associated with the Ming dynasty literati. The daopao is a flowing, broad-sleeved robe worn by male scholars; it has become popular in hanfu culture as a male formal style.
The Movement's Origins and Growth
The hanfu revival began online around 2001–2003, when forums and early Chinese social media hosted discussions about Han clothing traditions and critiques of the dominance of Western-influenced modern dress. Early participants were often motivated by a combination of historical interest, cultural pride, and reaction against the perception that Han Chinese people had lost their distinctive traditional clothing when the Qing dynasty mandated Manchu dress conventions.
From these origins in relatively small online communities, the movement grew through the 2010s as social media platforms (Weibo, then WeChat, then Douyin/TikTok) gave hanfu a visual medium suited to its aesthetic appeal. The crossover with period drama entertainment was significant: massively popular historical dramas dressed their cast in visually appealing dynasty costume, which drove interest in the underlying clothing traditions. The hanfu market was valued at several billion yuan by the mid-2020s.
Who Wears Hanfu in 2026
Dedicated enthusiasts (汉服爱好者): people who research historical accuracy, invest in quality garments, follow specific dynasty styles, and wear hanfu regularly in their daily life. These are a minority within the broader hanfu-adjacent population but they drive the cultural content and the vocabulary of the movement.
Casual occasion wearers: people who own one or two hanfu outfits and wear them for specific occasions — temple fairs, Spring Festival, photography outings, hanfu-themed events. This group is much larger than dedicated enthusiasts.
Tourism renters: at heritage sites across China, hanfu rental shops offer outfits for ¥80–200 including hair styling done in period style by the shop's staff. The rental process takes 30–60 minutes for hairstyling. Tourists — including foreign visitors — wear rented hanfu for photographs at scenic locations. This is entirely commercial and has no particular cultural authenticity claim, but it is a large and visible part of how hanfu appears to visitors.
Young people via gaming and entertainment: Genshin Impact, Dynasty Warriors, and various Chinese mobile games have large audiences who encounter hanfu aesthetics through gaming before encountering the historical clothing itself. This pipeline from gaming to the actual movement is well-documented in Chinese media.
Where to See and Rent Hanfu
Scenic areas and heritage sites: rental shops cluster near the entrances to the Forbidden City (though some days it is crowded enough to make hanfu photographs challenging), West Lake in Hangzhou, Lijiang's old town in Yunnan, Wuzhen water town in Zhejiang, and most major UNESCO heritage areas. The scenic area of Chengdu's Jinli Ancient Street also has rental shops.
Temple fairs: during Chinese New Year and the Lantern Festival, temple fairs attract a large concentration of hanfu wearers. The Beijing and Xi'an temple fairs are particularly good for this.
University campuses: most university campuses in China have hanfu associations (汉服社) that hold gatherings on significant calendar dates.
For Foreign Visitors
Hanfu rental at tourist sites is genuinely accessible to foreign visitors — no Chinese language is required and the rental shop staff are accustomed to dressing tourists. Being tall or having a different body shape than the average Chinese fit may limit the available options in some shops. The hair-styling process — which typically involves the staff creating an elaborate updo with period-style accessories — takes time and is worth planning for if you want the full effect for photographs.
Tags
hanfu, fashion, culture, identity, traditional-clothing
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