Y You Dressed Like That?
By Mio Chen

Talking about generation Y, their dress is always a favorite point to be satirized and complained about. Those kids love dressing in their own style of fashion, which annoys other people, especially their parents, a great deal. Regarding the attire issue, Asian people may show lower tolerance for the "weird" clothes and become very judgmental.

For a while, the modern Hanfu (Han clothing) movement, a return to the traditional Chinese fashion of ancient dynasties, has got attention in the country. The movement was said to be initiated by Wang Letian, who made Hanfu by himself and wore it in the street of Zhengzhou in 2003.
   
Wang's action astonished many people and was reported by a newspaper in Singapore.  Many people were inspired by him and joined the movement. Y kids occupied a large proportion among the followers and became a main force of the movement. Some Y kids wear Hangfu as daily costume, which annoys some people of generation X.

Last year, a newspaper in Guangzhou reported that a girl named Hu Chen was sent back home from school just because she wore Hanfu in class. One of her teachers was quoted as saying, "Her behavior can cause negative effect to others." Others even commented it as a show-off. Hu is not a single case.
   
According to the information collected from the Internet, many Y kids who joined the Hanfu movement were not supported by the elders, especially their parents. "The 80s and 90s kids are immature," a mother who was born in 1973 was quoted as saying. "It is ridiculous and crazy to wear Hanfu on a daily basis. They do it just because it can stand them out." She also suggested that youngsters' love in Hanfu is nothing different from their love in bizarre dressing in their adolescence.
    
As a matter of fact, it is not as simple as those adults believe. What youngsters want is not simply a grandstand but understanding from the public.
   
Wang, a student majoring in Chinese Studies in the University of Macau, has also joined the Hanfu movement as well. As a daily wearer of Hanfu, she believes that there are no clear boundaries between Hanfu and normal dressings. "Wearing Hanfu or wearing T-shirt is just a matter of preference," said Wang. "It is just like people have right to use a knife and fork or chopsticks as they prefer."
   
When asked about why she wears it every day, she said, "It is just my own hobby and actually Hanfu is quite convenient." She thought some people just showed a bias against Hanfu in regard to the complexity issue. "People won't wear a swallow-tailed coat to climb a mountain as well," said Wang. "I won't wear those complicated Hanfu in everyday life."
   
For many Y kids, the Hanfu movement is aimed at cultural renaissance. Under the overloading information of the world and Westernization after the industrial revolution, traditional cultural artifacts, like Hanfu, are losing their ground. Chinese people have become more unfamiliar with their own dressing culture.
   
"Japanese have Kimono and Koreans have Hanbok. They preserved their culture pretty well," said a netizen, born in 1993, "Chinese have nothing but an economic growth. This is diminishing Chinese culture and affecting its uniqueness and continuity."
          
 "Do you know what's the most hilarious thing I've encountered?" asked Wang. "People kept mistaking it as Kimono or Hanbok. Even some teachers of Chinese Studies could not recognize Hanfu." 
   
However, Wang also admitted that there were certain reasons for the mistakes and she was not angry with that. "Japan and Korea were highly influenced by the ancient Chinese culture," Wang said. "Given the circumstances, they therefore shared many similarities with Hanfu." She said that the misunderstanding reinforced her determination rather than hindered her from wearing Hanfu.

Wang said she was described as an extremist and she was not afraid to admit it. "Where there is reform, there are meant to be some extremists." Wang said with a serious look. "People can be attracted by the clothing first by its aesthetical appeal and then they might be attracted by Chinese culture after that. I believe it can be the start of Chinese cultural revival and that's why I wear clothes like these."