JINAN: I made a trip to Caoxian County in east China’s Shandong Province recently to find out why its story became a trending topic.
The county has earned the title “the center of Hanfu” because of its unparalleled Hanfu industry amid a fashion craze for the traditional Chinese attire embellished with intricate embroidery.
Seeing is believing. When I arrived at Daiji, a town in Caoxian, it felt like entering a kingdom of Mamianqun, literally horse-face skirt, a traditional long pleated skirt.
The shops along the town’s main road covered all the businesses involved in horse-face skirt production: plate making, fabric weaving, laser cutting, embroidery, ironing, packaging, elastic bands, and hardware accessories.
At the Youaiyuncang Hanfu base in Caoxian, a variety of Hanfu was displayed for sale. At the same time, over 40 internet marketers promoted products on e-commerce and short video platforms through livestreaming.
In less than half an hour, visitors continuously came to select and make purchases. Mamianqun is the most sought-after product.
During this year’s Spring Festival holiday, sales of Hanfu in Caoxian County exceeded 300 million yuan (about 42.22 million U.S. dollars), and online sales in the first quarter reached 1.98 billion yuan, up by 90.8 percent year on year.
In Sunzhuang Village of Caoxian, an express delivery center was packed with Hanfu. –Agencies
