After measuring original versions of the costume, and then designing patterns before cutting and sewing together pieces of cloth, Zhao Bo, an artisan who makes traditional Han-style clothing from Yongqing county, north China’s Hebei Province, completed a template for a piece of Han-style “Daopao,” or Taoist robe, in only a few minutes.
Over the past few years, Zhao has recreated over 100 pieces of Hanfu, or Han-style costumes, which once belonged to different dynasties throughout China’s history.
Zhao started to collect Hanfu when he was just 15 years old. When he was 16 he found an imperial garment from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) during a trip to north China’s Tianjin municipality.
Zhao became obsessed with the Hanfu culture as a university student, and would always look for Hanfu costumes in nearby ancient townships whenever he had any time off.
Over the years he has collected over 2,000 Hanfu garments during his visits to more than 200 ancient townships and villages across the country, having also recreated some Hanfu costumes in the meantime.
Zhao once reproduced a half-sleeve garment from the Tang Dynasty (618-907), saying the work was a dream come true for him because he had always wanted to recreate a Hanfu costume in the style of the Tang Dynasty. There are only a few well preserved items left.
“The half-sleeve garment was an accessory during the Tang Dynasty, is similar to a sleeveless jacket,” introduced Zhao. It took men more than two years to eventually finish the half-sleeve garment in the Tang Dynasty style“.
Zhao says that many fabrics he has used to recreate Hanfu costumes are not available in the market because the cloth-making techniques are very complex, and nowadays, only national-level cultural heritage inheritors still make these fabrics.