汉服

Why this place

Hanfu is the traditional clothing of the Han Chinese before the seventeenth century — robes with crossed collars, wide sleeves and wrapped skirts, in a system that once signalled rank and occasion. Since around 2010 a revival movement, driven largely by young people online, has put it back on the streets, and it is now common to see it in parks and at festivals.

What to see

• Xi'an's streets around the Bell Tower and the Muslim Quarter, where hanfu rental shops are everywhere
• Suzhou and Hangzhou, where the silk workshops also make hanfu to measure
• The parks and old towns on festival days, and hanfu gatherings in the big cities
• Museums with textile collections, for what the originals actually looked like
• Song dynasty re-enactment groups, which are now common on weekends

What to eat

• Match the tea houses — a hanfu outing usually includes tea and photographs
• The old towns where hanfu is common also have the local snacks

How to plan

A day: rent an outfit in the morning, walk the old town, return it in the evening.

Best time

Spring and autumn, when the fabric weight works outdoors

Practical tips

• Rental is cheap and normal in Xi'an and Suzhou — check the deposit terms, and note that different dynasties had different styles