As a Chinese, and especially a Han Chinese, I'm constantly thinking about my own identity. China is a multi-ethnic country with 56 ethnic groups, each of which has its own traditional culture and costumes. The Han nationality is the largest, most numerous and most prosperous one among them. However, in some ways, the traditional culture of Han people is not so well preserved. Traditional dress is one of them. In Japan and Korea, people take to the streets to celebrate sacrifices and festivals in traditional costumes of their own ethnic groups, while Han Chinese rarely do so. We are large and widely distributed, but because of this, we have not been able to preserve this habit as carefully and delicately as ethnic minorities do in other Asian countries. Han Chinese Clothing is not only the beautiful textile, it can pass on the historical memory for our ancestors and keep those elegant and beautiful traditions. It is a symbol of spirit.

 

There is a group of young Chinese who are obsessed with wearing ancient Han costumes. They would choose one or more ancient dynasties in China that they favorited, and then wear costumes in the style of the dynasty. They are young people born after the 1990s. 

 

The post-90s generation, who studied in the United States and insisted on wearing Han Chinese costumes, is one of the most special ones. What do they think? What drives them to distance themselves from popular aesthetics and popular culture? How did they live in Han Chinese Clothing, which many consider "cultural relics"? This is something I care about and want to record through the lens.