What is “Hanfu”? According to Dictionary of Old Chinese Clothing, the term hanfu literally means “Clothing of the Han People.” Chinese researcher Hua Mei, interviewed by student advocates of the Hanfu Movement in 2007, recognizes that defining hanfu is no simple matter, as there was no uniform style of Chinese fashion throughout the millennia of its history. Because of its constant evolution, she questions which period’s style can rightly be regarded as traditional. Zhou Xing, cultural anthropologist and professor at Aichi University, states that the term hanfu was not commonly used in ancient times, and referred to some of the costumes worn by Hanfu Movement participants as being historically inaccurate, as they contain modern design elements. Nonetheless, she explains that hanfu has historically been used to broadly refer to indigenous Chinese clothing in general. Like Hua, he noted that the term hanfu classically referred to the clothing worn by Han people in general, but he argued that there are differences between historical hanfu and the contemporary hanfu introduced by some participants of the movement. The Movement of Hanfu The broadly agreed modern Hanfu Movement may have begun around 2003. In November 2003, Wang Letian from Zhengzhou, China, publicly wore home-made shenyi-style hanfu. Wang Letian and his followers inspired others to reflect on the cultural identity of Han Chinese. In the same year of 2003, cheongsam bridal gown supporters of Hanfu Movement launched the website Hanwang to promote “traditional Han clothing”. They initiated the Hanfu Movement as an initiative in a broader effort to stimulate a Han Chinese cultural renaissance. Hanfu enthusiasts around the year 2003 started wearing hanfu in public, building communities of Hanfu enthusiasts and organized activities related to hanfu and traditional Chinese culture. In the early years of the Hanfu Movement, there were no existing stores to purchase hanfu. They made hanfu in small quantities, and mainly relied on hanfu forums and enthusiasts communities to advertise their products. As such, the first manufacturers and sellers of Hanfu were the early Hanfu enthusiasts who processed the necessary skills to DIY hanfu by themselves. Around the year 2005, the first online hanfu store appeared. In 2013, the first Xitang Hanfu Culture Week was held in the city of Xitang, Zhejiang province. Since then, more and more hanfu stores emerged both online and offline. Since then, it has been held successfully in subsequent years and is continue to be held annually. By 2020, according to a study done by Forward Industry Research Institute (a Chinese research institute), the number of hanfu enthusiasts in China has reached 5.163 million, creating a market size equivalent to 6.36 billion yuan (US$980 million), a proportional increase of over 40% compared to the previous year. Nowadays, the hanfu is gaining recognition as the traditional clothing of the Han ethnic group, and has experienced a growing fashion revival among young Han Chinese people in China and in the overseas Chinese diaspora.