Lin Xiaoying(C), a Chinese Singaporean, stages a Hanfu show at the Yue Hwa department store in Singapore during the 2021 Mid-Autumn Festival.

Having gone through millenniums of evolution, the traditional Chinese Hanfu apparel has long been a signature of oriental clothing, and quite a few Chinese in Singapore have played a role in popularizing the Han-style costumes in the island country.

“Influenced by the Hong Kong wuxia TV dramas, I’ve been fascinated by Hanfu since childhood,” said Tong Weiqiang, a Chinese expat in Singapore, who has been in love with the traditional clothing for a decade.

Now Tong is joining hands with other Hanfu fans in setting up cultural communities, so that the Chinese apparel will be known to more friends and relatives. “For the Singaporeans who are interested in Chinese culture, Hanfu offers a means to get to know Chinese traditions,” said Tong.

Lin Xiaoying, a Chinese Singaporean who also has zest in introducing traditional Chinese culture to the international community, said that she was fond of painting and pretty costumes in childhood, but now she has business tours around the world.

“When traveling in Japan and South Korea, I noticed locals were wearing their traditional costumes with confidence, and I came up with the idea of promoting Hanfu by wearing it during business talks,” said Lin.

Lin held it a pity in her life if she, as a Chinese, had failed to wear the traditional Hanfu with confidence.

People dressed in traditional Chinese apparel perform during a special event to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival at the USC Asian Pacific Museum in Pasadena, Los Angeles County, California, the United States, on Sept. 20, 2021.

“I first got the chance to wear Hanfu in 2012, and have been in love with the clothing ever since,” said Wu Zengxin, a Chinese Tai Chi master in Singapore. So long as there is a Wushu party or others, Wu will stage Tai Chi with Hanfu for both are quintessence of Chinese culture.

“I’m sure that in Singapore I’m the first one to wear Hanfu in performing Tai Chi in public,” said Wu Xinzeng, adding other Tai Chi practitioners also followed his suit later.

Cai Danjun, a professor at the School of Liberal Arts, Renmin University of China, said as a name card of Chinese culture, Hanfu formed a bond among overseas Chinese communities. They are taking the traditional apparel as a medium for cultural confidence.

“Hanfu has a long history of evolution. In general, it entails all the costumes of the Han ethnic group from the pre-Qin period to the Ming and Qing dynasties,” observed Cai, adding Hanfu already had elements of the Northern tribes in the Spring and Autumn period (BC770-476).

Cai pointed out the traditional Chinese costumes formed a system at a quite early date, representing a unique ethnic aesthetics. Under the guidance of Confucianism, Hanfu has involved multiethnic and multicultural elements.

People dressed in traditional Chinese apparel perform during a special event to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival at the USC Asian Pacific Museum in Pasadena, Los Angeles County, California, the United States, on Sept. 20, 2021.

“Singapore itself is an international arena that gathers people from across the world, and I once came across some western tourists admiring my Hanfu costume in surprise,” said Wu, adding the easiest way to promote Hanfu is to wear it.

However, Tong pointed out the Singaporean nation was built out of a culture of grassroots. Since most of their forefathers initially came to the island just for a living, some of the new generation of Chinese Singaporeans hold practicalism and objectivity, lacking a sense of mission in passing down the Chinese culture.

“It is for this reason that I devote myself to promoting Chinese culture in Singapore, serving the Chinese communities and contributing to local multiculturalism,” said Tong, who took it meaningful to make friends with those of similar cultural interest.