Young opera learner shows beauty of traditional Chinese culture through Hanfu

Putting on a Hanfu costume, Wu Chen is turned into Xue Baochai, a character in the Chinese classical TV series Dream of the Red Chamber adapted from the novel of the same name, as a classical charm flows across her eyebrows and smile.

Wu became popular on the Internet in April 2018, after which she changed her nickname to “Siyue” (meaning April). Mixing and matching similar styles of Hanfu costumes, the young woman has also experimented with other characters in Chinese literature, including the king of the Daughter Kingdom and the Jade Rabbit Genie from the 1986 version of the TV series Journey to the West.

While putting on Hanfu, Wu Chen takes on the appearance of Xue Baochai, a character in the book “Dream of the Red Chamber”. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

After the photos were posted online, the high degree of similarity between Wu and the characters stunned many netizens. Her interpretation of the beautiful women has attracted many young people to fall in love with Hanfu anew.

In Wu’s opinion, in addition to the makeup and costumes, her success in creating the characters is also attributable to her previous learning in the art of opera. The young woman has another special identify – a seventh-generation inheritor of Changzhou Xiju (also known as Wuxi Opera), a local opera style in east China’s Jiangsu province.

“One minute on the stage needs 10 years of practice off stage. While learning Wuxi Opera, I have gradually come to realize how much effort it takes an actor or actress to finally make a difference in their career,” Wu said. It is only because of her learning of the opera style that she has been able to cultivate a classical temperament, which helps her to display the beauty of Hanfu more accurately.

“Hanfu has enriched my extra-curricular life, and my friends and family have fallen in love with Hanfu under my influence,” Wu expressed. “Hanfu is a carrier of traditional Chinese culture,” Wu said, expressing hope that her creation can demonstrate the beauty of traditional Chinese costumes and drive young people to understand traditional culture.

Wu has more than 2.3 million followers on the short-video platform Douyin. “I’ll keep showing people the beauty of Hanfu and spreading traditional Chinese culture on the short-video platform,” Wu expressed.