国潮：风起春城 | Traditional Chinese Elements in the Spring City

The Banquet of the Tang Palace, Chinese Bluish Green, the twenty-four solar terms countdown, the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, seeing friends off with willow branches... Chinese elements have amazed the world again and again. With traditional Chinese culture coming into the spotlight time and time again, Chinese elements become more and more popular among young people.

On the streets of Kunming, you can often see citizens dressed in Hanfu (Han Chinese costume). In addition, there is a dazzling array of Chinese cosmetics, and trendy mock-ups... Like the wind, traditional Chinese elements infiltrate into all aspects of life of Kunming people, including clothing, food, housing, transportation, and entertainment.

Among all the traditional Chinese elements, Hanfu is becoming more and more popular.

With traditional Chinese elements in vogue, the Hanfu industry has witnessed rapid development in recent years. According to Tianyancha.com, there are more than 3,400 domestic Hanfu enterprises, up to now of which 80% were established within the last five years. The rapid development of the industry depends on the vital increase in the number of consumers.

Pan Xiaojie fell in love with Hanfu in 2019. “At that time, I often saw various evaluations and recommendations of Hanfu on the Internet. It originated from Chinese culture. So, I fell in love with it without my knowing.” Like many young people who love Hanfu, Pan Xiaojie thought of a lot of fabrics and colors, and chose the Hanfu with a strapless gown of the Tang Dynasty at the very beginning. After years of development, wearing Hanfu is no longer a novelty. Pan Xiaojie’s understanding of Hanfu has changed from looking good, to an in-depth understanding of Hanfu culture. She can now tell the characteristics of all kinds of Hanfu such as curved front dresses, the short jackets of Jin Dynasty, the round collar dresses of Tang Dynasty, the dresses with straight collars of Song Dynasty, etc. Under her influence, her friends also began to like Hanfu.

In recent years, more and more children begin to wear Hanfu, and many schools begin to host traditional culture-themed activities at traditional festivals. At the Dragon Boat Festival last year, Sun Jiayu and two other classmates made a handwritten newspaper report about this traditional festival, explaining the historical origin and origin of the festival, and received an A+.

Boys also began to be attracted by Hanfu through its profound culture. In addition to the more heroic flying fish suits such as yisa and tieli, they also like round-collar robes, Taoist robes, and jackets. In recent years, robes with armor are becoming more and more popular. Those wearing Hanfu will always come into focus at major events.

It is widely believed that young people seldom choose tea. In fact, in addition to traditional tea, the Chinese are constantly innovating on tea, a classic drink that originated in China, at an alarming rate, which is attracting more and more young people.

In the Bawang Chaji store on Wuyi Road, the waiters are making tea drinks, and the customers are waiting in line. “I’m tired of milk tea. And their tea drinks always surprise me.”Zhou Yu, a young person of generation Z (born from 1995 to 2009), said that he liked cola and coffee when he was in school, but now he prefers tea.

Although we all drink tea, the way young people drink tea is very different from that of the elders. In the context of the rapid growth of new tea drinks, the main consumers represent generation Z. They attach great importance to individuality and diversification, and hope to see more innovative products during the development of tea brands and even some new conceptual elements. According to Zhou Yu, the elders like to make a pot of tea and enjoy it leisurely, and the young people prefer tea that can be taken away at any time because of the fast pace of life and work. And tea drinks from Bawang Chaaji with light paper cups, traditional Chinese design and multiple flavors, especially the fresh milk tea that naturally integrates the aroma of tea and milk, are right in line with the appetite of young people.

Since 2015, the new tea beverage market has been expanding rapidly. According to the Research on the New Tea Beverage Industry in China issued by iResearch, the current new tea beverage market has achieved remarkable results with an estimated scale of 97.9 billion yuan. It is expected to exceed 200 billion yuan in 2030.

“The popularization of Chinese elements, especially the rise of old domestic brands, gives us a strong sense of identity with local culture.” Ms. Li, a citizen, said that during the Spring Festival this year, she developed a new understanding of Yunnan’s food culture through the Spring Festival gift packages from Dehe Canned Food Company and Kunming Guanshengyuan, two-century-old brands.

The reporter found that there are abundant products in the offline stores of Dehe Canned Food. In addition to the main luncheon meat series, there are canned products, seasoning sauces, and preserved products. After years of innovation and development, Kunming Guanshengyuan has more than 100 kinds of products such as cakes, moon cakes, Dian cakes, and zongzi, in the online store.

“Time-honored brands, new packaging, and new promotional strategies are popular among our people.” Mr. Fan, a citizen, said that the current time-honored brands are not “outdated” at all, they are “new” and “trendy”.

In the historical and cultural districts of Kunming, traditional Chinese elements are also in vogue.

“The ice cream from Yunnan Army Academy, which combines history and culture, is popular in Wechat Moments. And many friends desire to have such an ice cream.” “The ice cream with Chinese traditional cultural elements in cultural scenic spots is more than just a snack.” “Walking among the jacaranda with a jacaranda ice cream, and taking a photo, you will be pleasantly surprised.” Both the cultural and creative ice cream from the Yunnan Army Academy and the jacaranda ice cream on the Jiaochang Zhonglu Road are undoubtedly products that combine traditional craftsmanship and innovation. The collision of the old and the new has given them new vitality.

A piece of bamboo music, a pine tree, and a wisp of sandalwood... Every corner in the hotels in Gongxili, Dongsi Street, Kunming are unique. With the music of Guqin, three or five friends can drink tea, read, or do yoga here, and enjoy a leisurely life.

In recent years, a new Chinese style has been sought after in the design of modern hotels, and the number of new Chinese-style hotels is rising.

According to Gong Weimin, a founder of a hotel brand, the so-called new Chinese-style hotel is an accommodation space that combines traditional Chinese elements with modern living concepts and architectural techniques. It combines both traditional cultural heritage and modern aesthetics.

At present, most of the new Chinese-style hotels are mid-to-high-end hotels. According to industry insiders, although new Chinese elements are getting more and more popular, there are not many business hotels with new Chinese styles among mid-to-high-end homestays.

Liu Yang, general manager of Yunnan Gongxili Hotel Management Co., Ltd., said, “New Chinese hotels can be roughly divided into three categories according to their development. The first are purely imitated products that retain historical culture; the second category combines traditional elements in form and modern functions; the third, which innovates in traditional elements, uses modern materials, structures and concepts, and expresses unique Chinese ideas, and common customs and symbols. Gongxili Hotel is in the third category.”

The branch manager of Gongxili Hotel told the reporter that in addition to taking photos by young people wearing Hanfu, the hotel also launched Chinese-style wedding rooms based on its using its own advantages. “Guests choose our hotel to stay away from the hustle and bustle of the city for a while, so that they can better feel the oriental aesthetics of harmonious coexistence.”

As one of the first provincial-level night-time culture and tourism consumption gathering areas in Yunnan, Nanqiang Street, which began to rise in the middle of the Qing Dynasty, certainly reflects the cultural heritage of Kunming. During traditional festivals, various traditional activities will be held on Nanqiang Street. Young people dressed in Hanfu with self-made purses on their waists and fans in their hands gather here from all areas of the city, giving people a feeling of traveling through time.

Zhou Qing is a fan of Hanfu. Once on Nanqiang Street, she met a mother and daughter. “What is she wearing? She looks like a fairy. Can I wear such a dress?” Seeing Zhou Qing, the little girl asked her mother. “This is Hanfu, the clothes worn by ancient people.” After explaining to her daughter, the mother took the child over to take a photo with Zhou Qing. “After this experience, I hope that the culture of Hanfu can be passed on.” Zhou Qing said.

Liu Dan runs a Hanfu experience store. She said, “Hanfu should be expressed well. The collars should be overlapped with the right collar on the top and the left collar on the bottom. The collars should cross, and a knot should be made at the waist by tying the belt at the lower part of the right collar with the belt at the left waist.” Liu Dan said that she saw a business opportunity from the trend and opened the Hanfu experience store. “Whenever there are traditional Chinese festivals, the store will be crowded.”