Nanning, 5 May (ZXS) -- Chinese young people pursue richness in aesthetic expression
Written by Huang Lingyan Wang Yizhao
During the "May Day" holiday, "post-95" Wei Lanying wore a vermilion Ming woven gold imitation makeup flower <>-chapter pattern round neck robe, and participated with his companions in an anime exhibition held in Nanning, Guangxi, with a very eye-catching look. With the rise of the "national tide" culture, in the imported cultural products such as comic exhibitions, young people with buns and long skirts in buns greet them from time to time.
Wei Lanying told reporters that he loves domestic animation works such as "Qin Shi Mingyue", especially longing for the character image of chivalry and righteousness in related works. Since 2017, he has been "in the pit" of Hanfu, and he uses his spare time to party games with "fankao" to display Hanfu, trying to integrate traditional aesthetics into modern life.
Like Wei Lanwin, Jian (pseudonym), a sophomore majoring in Internet and Media, is passionate about Hanfu makeup. She participated in the qualifiers of the "2023 ChinaJoy Rookie Competition" at the Animation Festival, and competed on the same stage with 40 contestants wearing Chinese costumes around manners, talents, etiquette, etc., presenting the audience with a visual feast with the characteristics of Chinese traditional culture.
On April 4, the contestants of the Hanfu makeup competition. Photo by China News Agency reporter Wang Yizhao
"I also mix and match Hanfu elements with modern clothing in my daily life, such as a top that is particularly preferred with a collared design, or a pendant tied around a skirt." Jian said that she usually learns Hanfu makeup through videos on social platforms, refers to imitating the hairstyles of characters in some anime games, etc., and hopes to cosplay the image in her favorite Chinese style mobile game.
China's "two-dimensional" circles (animation, comics, game subcultures) have emerged due to the introduction of Japanese, European and American animation works, and now many national style elements have begun to appear.
Zhu Yi, the head of the festival's organizer, said that this year, for the first time, the comic festival will be combined with Hanfu competitions to add more traditional cultural content and ethnic elements. The comic exhibition site launched embroidery, paper-cutting handicraft experience, and the interactive game with the Zhuang folk tale "Hundred Birds Clothes" as the background set up hydrangea throwing, archery, Zhuangjin puzzles and other check-in links, attracting players to queue up for a long time. The popular random dance challenge with the Zhuang bamboo pole dance "mix-and-match" is also popular.
On April 4, girls dressed in anime costumes experienced the traditional Zhuang bamboo pole dance. Photo by China News Agency reporter Wang Yizhao
With the continuous enhancement of Chinese consumers' cultural self-confidence, especially the "Z generation", the social aesthetic fashion of chasing the "national tide" has quietly emerged. In recent years, the popularity of national comics such as "The Return of the Great Saint" has integrated traditional cultural elements with animation games, a field favored by young people, adding vitality to the new trend of "national tide". At the beginning of 2023, the animated short film collection "China Qitan", jointly produced by Shanghai Art Film Studio and Bilibili, rooted in traditional Chinese aesthetics and showing Chinese imagination, has been broadcast 2 million times on station B.
Some observers believe that the current "archaeological fever", "museum fever", "intangible cultural heritage fever" and "poetry fever" are all important signs of the revival of traditional culture. In the field of fashion products, domestic and overseas brand sneaker designs have appeared traditional Chinese cultural elements to attract the attention of young people, and domestic makeup brands have also been recognized by more and more consumers.
Experts say that the "Z generation" has been exposed to the Internet since childhood, grew up in the context of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and China's economic take-off, has a broad vision, is more accepting of new things, and begins to pursue the richness of aesthetic expression. Young people's interest in in-depth understanding of traditional culture through animation and games will also promote the innovation of "national tide" in reverse. (End)