Exhibiting a timeless elegance

She remembers that, several times, she asked children to recite ancient poems in exchange for lotus flowers, and when some children struggled, she invited their parents to recite alongside them.

"At that moment, I felt the essence of cultural inheritance — the oral tradition deeply ingrained within the Chinese people, passed down through generations. It is through this process that many remarkable traditional cultural practices have been preserved and transmitted," she says.

Born in Jurong, Jiangsu province, Chen says she was inspired by the animated movie series, Qinshi Mingyue (The Legend of Qin), which she saw as a child. This ignited an interest and a strong desire to create artwork rooted in history and traditional culture.

In 2018, Chen moved to Hangzhou where she enrolled in the China Academy of Art, majoring in the conservation and restoration of cultural relics.

During her undergraduate studies, she learned how to restore porcelain and acquired a wealth of knowledge about Buddhism.

Living in Hangzhou, Chen noticed many people were wearing hanfu and after trying it on herself, she enjoyed wearing it too.

Consequently, she gained a deeper understanding of hanfu and realized that it is more than just beautiful garments. "Hanfu carries a rich historical significance, reflecting the societal, cultural, political and economic aspects of its time," she says.

For her graduation project, Chen chose to make a video themed on the evolution of hanfu worn by women during the Song Dynasty, which took her six months and an investment of 100,000 yuan ($13,870) to produce.

"For me, the styles of hanfu from the Song Dynasty are well-suited to our modern lives. They can be incorporated into our everyday attire," Chen remarks.

In the video, Chen showcases approximately 20 meticulously replicated outfits, sourced from ancient books, paintings and murals of the Song Dynasty. In addition to the garments, she also produced the makeup, hairstyles and accessories, all meticulously crafted based on historical references and materials.