This director is vindictive.

Chapter 532 Hanfu and Qipao: Stop the Civil War, Unite for External Cooperation

The fusion of qipao and Hanfu design is nothing new.

Chen Mo didn't answer their questions. Instead, he picked up his phone and opened Xiaohongshu, where there was a series of Xiaohongshu notes about "cheongsam paired with Hanfu".

"Come and see this!" Chen Mo said, showing it to everyone.

The seven women, all looking curious, gathered around to watch.

The photos posted on this "Little Red Book Notes" are all of qipao and Hanfu mixed and matched.

"Look, this is a mix of cheongsam and Hanfu. The structure of the notes is quite simple. Apart from the title, which uses a colloquial sentence to point out "cheongsam with Hanfu", there is basically no content in the main text, and the pictures are all photos of the blogger who does not appear in the photos."

This means that all these likes were generated by this combination and image, which is the phrase netizens often cite when they want to support a certain hobby but can't give a sincere reason: "If the people like it, who do you think you are if you don't?"

"Wow, this is so beautiful!" Zhao Liying's eyes lit up.

Actually, because of her petite figure, she rarely wears cheongsams, and even when she does, they are mostly in the style of students from the Republican era.

Those sexy, high-slit cheongsams didn't suit her at all.

But when she saw this cheongsam mixed with Hanfu, she immediately felt it was fantastic.

“Yes, some cheongsams, when worn alone, appear more sexy than elegant because of the slits, easily evoking sexual associations and causing people to overlook the elegance. But look at this, a cheongsam paired with a horse-face skirt, although it lacks a bit of sexiness, gives people a feeling of pure elegance and beauty!” Zhao Liying said.

Fan Binbin suddenly picked up his phone and found an old drama.

“Look at this, wouldn’t you say it’s the earliest example of a qipao mixed with Hanfu?” Fan Binbin said, holding up a costume from a period drama that was probably from twenty or thirty years ago.

“Really? I remember this is called a Hanfu ‘short curved hem’, right?” Gao Yuanyuan asked.

Fan Binbin nodded and said, "Yes, it's this kind of Hanfu, the 'short-curved hem'!"

Chen Mo also came over and then smiled.

He had actually researched this, mainly because he had talked to designers a lot recently, so he knew more about it.

"This seems to be the 'short curved hem' that was popular in the early years. Its winding shape is deliberately designed so that the waist and hips are not tight and the hem is flared out. This fishtail aesthetic preference of tight at the top and loose at the bottom has already begun to emerge."

This type of curved hem was once even named "fishtail curved hem" because it split the effect that originally required one garment into two: the "short curved hem" part was responsible for being "tight," while the skirt part below was responsible for being "loose."

The cutting difficulty has been greatly reduced, and the "fishtail" effect is more pronounced when worn.

"In essence, it is a love for mermaid-style dresses wrapped in the outer skin of Hanfu."

The style of wearing a short, flowing robe that reveals a skirt or trousers underneath actually appeared very early, especially in period dramas from twenty or thirty years ago. Because it was difficult to find a robe of the flowing, wrap-around style that was long enough to completely cover the shoes to perfectly match the actor's height, pairing it with a skirt or trousers to adjust the length was very common.

"By the way, Mr. Wang, who was recognized as the first person to wear Hanfu on the street in 2003, also wore a similar outfit!" Chen Mo thought of this and pulled up Mr. Wang's outfit from back then.

Everyone couldn't help but laugh when they saw it.

"Is this the first person to wear Hanfu on the street? But why is he wearing leather shoes?" Liu Yifei couldn't help but laugh.

Everyone else couldn't help but laugh.

"So, you've already thought it through?" Gao Yuanyuan suddenly asked.

Chen Mo nodded and said, "From a cultural and historical perspective, the cheongsam is certainly not Hanfu, but it is also a distinctive garment of China. If we say that 'all history is contemporary history,' then all antique-style clothing is also contemporary fashion."

These arguments aren't really that meaningful. Our final show was originally planned to be a cheongsam show, but now it seems that although these arguments are indeed pointless, they still happened, so it really needs to be changed.

Chen Mo's initial idea was that Hanfu and cheongsam are both unique costumes belonging to China.

Therefore, it would be natural to include it in the "Hanfu Millennium Show".

However, seeing so many netizens debating this, we can't help but have some concerns.

Because, fundamentally speaking, Hanfu is a general term for the traditional clothing of the Han people, with a long history and profound cultural heritage.

However, the cheongsam was originally a distinctive Manchu garment, and it was only after being modified during the Republic of China period that it became the cheongsam we know today.

However, fundamentally speaking, it does not belong to the category of "Hanfu".

Therefore, it's not appropriate to put them together.

However, today's cheongsams and Hanfus are only considered "new Chinese style" clothing designs under a certain measurement method. The groups of enthusiasts and commercial capital highly overlap, so the emergence of "mix and match" is a natural thing.

Thinking of this, Chen Mo picked up the phone and called the person in charge of "Hanfu Millennium Show".

Initially, the final "cheongsam show" was simply a cheongsam show, but now it seems a mixed-style show needs to be added. As for whether the designers have enough time?
Chen Mo didn't care about this, because Hua Yun actually had a deep understanding of cheongsams.

The costume designs in the drama "My Love from the Star" already incorporated elements of Hanfu and cheongsam.

Of course, he's the boss. It's normal for the boss to just give a few words and the subordinates to run themselves ragged. (Tactical lean back!)

In fact, after receiving Chen Mo's call, the person in charge informed the design department of Chen Mo's requirements.

They were indeed almost verbally abused to death by Chen Mo.

The main problem is that there's a sudden need for adjustments and new designs, and the timeframe is very tight.

Of course, Chen Mo didn't care much about any of this.

Moreover, it was just a design element, not a standalone design, so Chen Mo thought there was nothing wrong with it.

Meanwhile, Chen Mo watched the escalating online debate and posted a video on Weibo with a smile. In the video, he stood in the elegant and sophisticated Huayun Design Studio, with Hanfu and cheongsams hanging behind him. His fingertips lightly touched a black cheongsam embroidered with peony scrolls: "Seeing everyone debating whether Hanfu or cheongsam better represents Chinese culture, I suddenly remembered the line from the Book of Songs, 'How can we say we have no clothes? We share the same robes with you'—in fact, the greatness of clothing civilization lies in its inclusiveness."

The camera followed his steps, and the close-up focused on the stand-up collar of a modified cheongsam: "This Shanghai-style cheongsam uses the dogwood pattern embroidery from the Mawangdui Han Tomb, while the cutting technique of the Tang Dynasty half-sleeve next to it is inspiring our latest season's motorcycle jacket design."

He suddenly picked up a patchwork item, where the cross-collar of Hanfu and the slit of Qipao achieved a strange harmony on one garment: "Just as the inclusiveness of Chang'an City created the grandeur of the Tang Dynasty, true cultural confidence is about giving tradition a future, rather than drawing lines in the sand."

Finally, he stood in front of the AR projection, where a virtual river of clothing flowed from the Qin and Han dynasties to the Republic of China: "The theme of the next Chinese fashion show will be 'Rivers Flow into the Sea.' All the branches of culture belong to the long-standing culture of our Chinese nation, after all..."

He suddenly imitated Zhu Yuanzhang's dialect accent: "My empire is vast enough!"

Chen Mo can be said to have the greatest influence in the Chinese entertainment industry today, even though he is not a fashion figure or a clothing designer.

However, his response itself carried the concept of "authority".

After all, he initiated the entire show and started the whole thing.

Therefore, after seeing Chen Mo's response on Weibo, netizens immediately abandoned the tendency to insist on determining who was better in the comments section.

Instead, they turned to advocating for this idea of ​​great integration.

"President Chen has really broadened his horizons! Qipao and Hanfu are both our Chinese clothing. Trying to rank them is like making Li Bai and Du Fu fight—they are both top cultural figures!"

"Although I still think Hanfu is more traditional, Mr. Chen's suggestion of a 'Chinese Clothing Universe' is really appealing! I suggest adding a 'Han-style Qipao' section; our research team can provide a pattern library~"

"Wow, this is the true vision of Greater China! I've always liked the mix of cheongsam and Hanfu, because they're both so beautiful!"

"Immediately dig out Grandma's treasured old cheongsam! Waiting for the grand show to unlock the 'Century of Elegance' segment, letting young people know what 'elegance never goes out of style' truly means!"

(Attached is a comparison of a black and white wedding photo from the 1940s and a selfie)
"Hilarious! Chen Mo's trick is called 'using magic to defeat magic'—the more you argue, the more expensive his show seats become (tactical lean back). He truly is a marketing master, awesome!"

"Chen Mo's response actually contains a hidden meaning - using the framework of 'Hanfu Millennium Show' to encompass the controversy, respecting the research spirit of Hanfu enthusiasts (showcasing the orthodox forms of various dynasties) while also acknowledging the innovative value of the cheongsam (the Republican era special). This is true cultural confidence: not separating tradition from modernity, but letting history speak for itself."

The mix-and-match of Chinese clothing and the theme of embracing everything also made this topic quickly become popular.

Many netizens have seen the secret to traffic generation.

I proactively started the hashtag #MyMixAndMixChineseOutfits#.

This topic quickly gained traction.

A flood of creative mashup videos from netizens has emerged. In just one week, the total number of views for these videos has exceeded an astonishing 20 billion, with over 3 million likes, and the comment sections are buzzing with activity.

What's most impressive is a video of an "academic mashup" by a history professor from Peking University.

In the video, the professor stands before a high-definition replica of the Rainbow Bridge from the "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" scroll. He wears an elegant Song Dynasty jacket with clearly visible intertwined floral patterns on the lapel, paired with tailored modern suit trousers and polished Oxford shoes. Holding a tablet computer shaped like a bamboo scroll, he speaks eloquently to the camera: "This 'academic mix' combines the spirit of a Song Dynasty scholar on top with the competence of a modern scholar on the bottom. Both ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign, are at my disposal."

The video immediately went viral after its release, quickly garnering over 500 million likes. In the comments section, netizens left numerous messages:

"The professor's move was brilliant! He's wearing cultural confidence on his sleeve!"

"This is real 'time travel,' much more realistic than those period dramas!"

"Upper half reciting poetry, lower half rushing to meet deadlines—so true!"

Even more surprisingly, the official account of Renren Daily also reposted the video and praised it with the caption: "A blend of ancient and modern, East and West, this is what culture should be like."

This comment received over 100 million likes, pushing the topic's popularity to new heights.

(End of this chapter)