Song Weixia, a 30-year-old brand designer from the mountainous province of Anhui who incorporates fashion elements inspired by Hanfu into her everyday outfits, says there’s more to this fashion flashback than just holiday spirit. “There are a lot more people – from visitors to tour guides to influencers – wearing Hanfu here at Haikou’s Qilou in these few years,” says Cai Pa, an area historian. Multiple tourist sites in China now offer Hanfu rentals as well, some with makeup and hair styling services, similar to tourist attractions and historical sites in Seoul that rent out the traditional South Korean hanbok for visitors. During the 15-day Spring Festival/Lunar New Year holiday, the busiest travel period of the year in China, many of these sites host colorful lantern displays, providing eye-catching backdrops for photos. Xiaohongshu (or Little Red Book), a popular social media platform in China, found that 83% of those surveyed on their platform between the ages of 18-35 years old claimed that they were planning to take over this year’s Lunar New Year preparations at home. Cai tells CNN Travel it’s also getting more common to see people in other ethnic attires too, given the island province is home to several ethnic minority groups, the largest of which is the Li community.

It’s warm and fuzzy. The four-panel poqun, as the one found in the Mawangdui tomb No.1 dating from the Western Han dynasty, was used as a form of chenqun (衬裙) and was usually worn over the zhijupao or under the qujupao. A Sung dynasty mural reflecting a scene of the daily life of the occupant, found in a tomb unearthed in Tengfeng city. Craftsmen spend hours carving and painting the masks by hand, using bright colors and elaborate patterns to bring the characters to life. The Tang suit comes in a variety of colors and patterns, allowing for individual expression and creativity. Many designers offer bespoke and semi-customized pieces that cater to individual tastes and preferences. Notes: New shop. Mostly caters to student-pricing pieces. Shop now for authentic Hanfu clothing. Now there are over 600K posts about Hanfu on Xiaohongshu. CNN retains full editorial control over subject matter, reporting and frequency of the articles and videos within the sponsorship, in compliance with our policy. In 2019, CNN Style reported on the comeback of traditional Chinese fashion, noting that the Hanfu industry’s total market value at that time was estimated to be worth 1.09 billion yuan, according to state media.

The question of authenticity within Hanfu has been debated for years, with some scholars and enthusiasts pointing out that Han Chinese people wore different clothing through the dynasties, with dozens of styles depending on the time period, geographic region and socioeconomic class. So why not step back in time and experience the timeless charm of traditional Hanfu? Lunar New Year serves as a strong emotional cord that brings you back to the most authentic self as you were a child. “Of course there are people who join the trend only during the Lunar New Year – but for most people, it isn’t just because of the festival,” she tells CNN Travel. Editor’s Note: This CNN Travel series is, or was, sponsored by the country it highlights. Unsurprisingly for a country that has paved the way for e-commerce, Hanfu is sold primarily online. Dressing up in traditional outfits to visit local attractions has become a popular way to express one’s holiday spirit in China in recent years, especially among youth, many of whom have been sharing images of their outings on social media this week.

Others say the term “Hanfu” is too narrow, given the fluid sharing of influences among diverse ethnic groups in China. Hanfu was made up of a yi (Chinese: 衣; pinyin: yī), a narrow-cuffed, knee-length tunic tied with a sash, and a chang (Chinese: 裳; pinyin: chánɡ), a narrow, ankle-length skirt worn with a bixi (Chinese: 蔽膝; pinyin: bìxī), a length of fabric reaching the knees. Apart from wearing a multi-coloured skirt, women also wore other kinds such as the crimson gauze-covered skirt, the red-blue striped gauze double skirt, and the barrel-shaped red gauze skirt. The basic type is the jacket and skirt. There are three main styles of hanfu: the jacket and shirt, one-piece dress, or jacket and trousers. The three layers embrace ten elements: collar, hem, sleeve, lapel, belt, and so on. Earrings: Manchu and Banner women wore three earrings at each ear (which was reinforced by Qianlong’s edict of “一耳三鉗” (pinyin: yīěr sānqián; lit. A whole set of the Han Chinese Garment has three layers: underwear, an inner garment, and an overcoat. It has represented an important aspect of Han culture and it remains a fundamental keystone to understanding China’s traditional aesthetics.