Traditional Chinese costumes are right fit at ChinaJoy
Traditional Chinese costumes designed by university students are on display at ChiaJoy 2023.
An exhibition of traditional Chinese costumes and fabric patterns designed by students from 132 universities is going on at ChinaJoy 2023, attracting gamers and hanfu lovers.
The exhibition is organized by the Shanghai Hanfu Copyright Center, a comprehensive service platform for the copyright of Chinese traditional costumes located at Donghua University.
According to a report by Tencent Research Institute, there are more than 2,300 games featuring traditional Chinese cultural elements with over 300 million players, posing a market value over 30 billion yuan (US$4.2 billion).
Hanfu, or traditional Chinese costumes, as a symbol of traditional Chinese culture, have become an important part in the game industry.
"With this exhibition, we hope to turn the designs on papers into touchable cultural products," said Shen Jie, director of Shanghai Hanfu Copyright Center.
"We also hope that the students' creative designs will be adopted by digital games one day, further promoting traditional Chinese culture among young people."
Shen said the center has been dedicated to bringing hanfu out of research, books and museums and encouraging innovation based on hanfu via forums, competitions and shows. Some game companies have reached cooperation intentions with the center to transfer innovations in traditional costumes into products.
Clothes with designs based on the famous Chinese classic "A Dream in Red Mansions"
The exhibits included clothes with designs based on the famous Chinese classic "A Dream in Red Mansions."
It drew inspiration from the characteristics and fates of the four sisters in the Jia family in the novel – Yuanchun, Yingchun, Tanchun and Xichun, and used pomegranate flower, apricot flower, linden blossom and peach blossom to reflect the four characters' inner world.
Wang Jian, from Donghua University's Shanghai International College of Fashion, designed a set of patterns by cartooning traditional auspicious patterns, such as rabbits and lions, to woo the younger generation.
His designs were used to make four fans displayed at the exhibition.
"I'm so glad that my designs are exhibited at ChinaJoy," said Wang. "I'm also glad to see many young people who also love traditional Chinese culture and traditional Chinese costumes here."
Wang said he had visited various museums in Shanghai to take photos and check archives before making the designs.
"The process deepened my understanding on our traditional culture, and also made me realize that traditional culture should not be stored in museums," he said. "It needs to be learnt and innovated by more young people."
Fans made with patterns designed by Wang Jian, from Donghua University's Shanghai International College of Fashion.
Visitors can not only appreciate the beautiful patterns, but also choose their favorite ones, print them on canvas bags and bring them back home.
Another set of exhibits draws elements from the bird-and-flower paintings by Zhao Ji (1082-1135), Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), to produce virtual-reality costumes.
The designs were displayed at a digital fashion show on Sunday morning.
A VR fashion show is staged at ChinaJoy.
