Each piece of hanfu that crosses the ocean is a cultural messenger between the East and the West: US vlogger
From：Global TimesAuthor： 2025-03-12 16:36
In an apartment in Boston, the US, American Rachel Yu styles her hair in front of a mirror. She skillfully secures her hair in a bun at the top of her head, inserts a gilded hairpin, and puts on a beautifully embroidered horse-face skirt.
In the mirror, she looks like an Eastern woman straight out of an ancient painting. However, this hanfu enthusiast, who is well-versed in traditional Chinese clothing, is a native American. With the Chinese nickname Qiu Qiu, she has gained over a hundred thousand followers for hanfu-related videos on social media platforms including TikTok, Bilibili, and RedNote, or Xiaohongshu.
Qiu Qiu's love affair with hanfu began in 2019. One night, while watching fashion videos on YouTube, a video about the "hanfu revival" suddenly appeared on her screen. The flowing garments and exquisite patterns in the video struck her almost instantly.
"I was really impressed by the elegant beauty and grace the clothes have and how they are a piece of history brought back to life, or just re-imagined in the modern times. I didn't think I could ever wear hanfu at the time since I am not Chinese. But I appreciated the beauty," Qiu Qiu told the Global Times, recalling her feelings when she first saw hanfu. "I also admire the efforts of young people in China to revive hanfu culture; they make these clothes seem even more special," she told the Global Times.
Rachel Yu poses for a photo in a hanfu. (Photo/Courtesy of Yu)
Out of curiosity, Qiu Qiu began searching online for information about hanfu. However, at that time, there weren't many videos and articles in English about hanfu; much of what she found was in Chinese. "The only words I could understand were 'hanfu,'" Qiu Qiu said. It was from that moment that she resolved to start learning Chinese, beginning with "hello" and "thank you," to understand this unfamiliar and mysterious country across the ocean.
Later, fate handed her another key in 2020 - she met her husband, Danny Yu, from Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province. When he learned of her love for hanfu, he took the initiative to help her choose her first hanfu outfit. "I felt like a princess!" Qiu Qiu said. Later, she filmed herself in the outfit and posted the video on social media, and this experience completely drew her in.
Qiu Qiu began studying hanfu styles through online videos and images, from the curvature of the collar of Tang dynasty skirts to the number of pleats in Ming dynasty horse-face skirts; she now knows these details like the back of her hand. As an illustrator, she has also incorporated hanfu elements into her artwork, designing game characters dressed in hanfu from different dynasties. Gradually, her hanfu videos became increasingly popular on social media platforms, and she began participating in offline hanfu society events in the US.
In the reports of some Western media outlets, China is often demonized and portrayed as a "threat", with discussions focusing on topics such as Chinese people "extreme nationalism" and their "animosity" toward Americans.
Rachel Yu poses for a photo in a hanfu. (Photo/Courtesy of Yu)
Qiu Qiu told the Global Times that she has not felt any of this; on the contrary, through sharing hanfu videos, she has gradually met many netizens from China and witnessed the friendliness and interesting nature of Chinese people.
"When I first joined the hanfu society, I received a very warm welcome; many Chinese girls even wanted to give me gifts like hairpins! I was shocked, thinking, 'Wow, this is incredible; everyone is so nice!'" Qiu Qiu said.
"I was originally worried that as I tried to get closer to Chinese culture, they might reject me for not being Chinese. But the reality was completely the opposite; I have always felt acceptance and welcome. I have never felt the hostility toward Americans that some media had portrayed," she said.
At the same time, her sharing has sparked more interest among Americans in Chinese traditional culture. "I have received comments from some American netizens saying that because of these hanfu videos, they started watching Chinese dramas and became more interested in Chinese culture," Qiu Qiu said.
In her view, the power of beauty can establish connections between people and is enough to eliminate misunderstandings. Each piece of hanfu that crosses the ocean is not just a garment; it is also a cultural messenger between the East and the West.
"I hope more and more Americans can understand the beauty of China," she said.
Edit：董麗娜
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