Hanfu

Traditional dress of China's Han ethnic majority

Hanfu is the collective term for the traditional clothing of China's Han ethnicity, spanning over 2,000 years from the Han through Ming dynasties. Its three defining elements — the cross-collar closure, wide sleeves, and waist sash — reflect Confucian ritual propriety and yin-yang philosophy. Dozens of variants existed across eras, from the separated ruqun to the one-piece shenyi. Though suppressed under Qing Manchu rule, a vibrant hanfu revival movement in 21st-century China has brought these garments back into everyday wear among younger generations.