Genuine question: How come it doesnt bother you when so many non-Chinese people, with no connection to the culture to speak of, want to wear hanfu? I just feel very uncomfortable as a Chinese-American, who has experienced plenty of racism and xenophobia due to being Chinese, that if I were to wear hanfu in public it would be mocked. I feel a visceral reaction seeing asks that start with: "I'm not Chinese but", is it not enough to enjoy from a distance? Does there need to be a forced interaction?
Cont to the last ask about being uncomfortable: I want to keep following this blog to learn about hanfu in a cultural context since it has such a fascinating history and is a cool fashion, but everytime I see these asks asking for permission on wearing hanfu, I have to wonder if I have to give up learning about my own culture just to keep my peace of mind.
Hi anon, I’m personally not bothered by non-Chinese people wearing hanfu, if they do it respectfully, because I think it’s cool to see more people wearing hanfu - regardless of whether they’re Chinese or not. Nevertheless, I understand and respect that people have different experiences and feelings towards the topic. I don’t want any followers to feel uncomfortable because of this, so from now on I’ll tag all such posts with “hanfu and race tw”, so all posts with the tag can be filtered out.
Hello, perhaps I can offer some insight.
I’m an adopted Chinese person living in the United States and have also encountered my fair share of racist and xenophobic bigots. Especially with the COVID-19 spread, it feels really scary to be Chinese right now. I’ve considered not wearing Hanfu because I’m scared that people will target me because of my dress.
Anyway, onto the matter at hand. I can see where you’re coming from, and I know it’s hard to embrace an aspect of your culture when it seems like others are taking those aspects and using them for trendy clout. Personally, I am fine with non-Chinese people wearing Hanfu, but I won’t try to change your views, but give you the reasons why I think this way.
Firstly, Hanfu is not religious in nature. It is simply a clothing style that was worn by the Han Chinese people, and those people ended up ruling China for several hundred years. There may be specific religious Hanfu dress and accessories, but the actual umbrella term “Hanfu” has no religious meaning and therefore feels less of an infringement upon the integrity of Chinese culture. There are aspects of Chinese culture that do have sacred meaning. Buddhism, Confucianism, etc. I feel like infringing upon those things hurts deeper than wearing a certain garment.
Secondly, “appreciating from afar” sounds good in theory, but is it really what we want? Do we, as Chinese people, really want to alienate others who are willing to learn and respect our culture? You might be thinking, “But Jaz… why do they get to wear Hanfu freely but when I wear it, I get made fun of????”. I will tell you that 9 times out of 10, those people would have made fun of you anyway, regardless of what you were wearing. This just gave them an excuse to say it out loud. Some people are just shitty, and comments hurt just as much the 100th time as it does the first. But finding that inner strength to wear Hanfu, as a Chinese person, can give you so much pride and joy. Non-Chinese people can wear Hanfu, but they will never appreciate it in quite the same way you can.
Thirdly, cultural appreciation is a thing. We tend to aguish over the negative side of things and bad experiences stick around in our minds. But for all those people who would make fun of you for wearing Hanfu, I guarantee that there are at least 10x as many people who find your garments stylish and beautiful. They appreciate your culture and wish to learn about it. When non-Chinese people wear Hanfu, they want to because it’s beautiful and they seek to spread that beauty. They wouldn’t wear it if they didn’t like it. It’s important to realize that non-Chinese people do not wear Hanfu with malicious intent, but rather admiration and respect.
Finally, I just want to say that if you feel uncomfortable with non-Chinese people wearing Hanfu, that’s totally valid. I felt the same way a few years ago and took me a while to accept this. If I saw someone wearing Hanfu, I reassure myself that they are wearing it because they appreciate Chinese culture. When I wear Hanfu, it’s because I love my culture, and to hell with those who try to take me down.
I’m going to use @ziseviolet‘s tag as well if anyone wants to filter things that make them uncomfortable. I believe these discussions are important and facilitate cultural exchange, rather than holding back and letting things fester. Feel free to talk to me about this more if you want; I am always happy to chat.
-Jaz
hi! Seconding @ziseviolet and @hanfu-asks, but also chiming in because I think I also understand a bit of where anon is coming from.
For background, I’m chinese-american too, and when my family came here, we had to lose nearly everything, culturally speaking. I am the last member of my diaspora family to have been given a chinese name. Assimilation is cultural violence, and I have a great deal of resentment inside myself regarding that. It’s not something I can be angry at my family for, but it still hurts a great deal, and it’s very hard to address without a target. I want to be angry at some one or some thing, to be able to correct what went wrong. And so I think I understand the feeling of offense when I see other people getting to enjoy something that I feel that I have been denied.
But, the non-chinese people of today are not the same ones who put my grandmother through hell in the 50s. These people in Ziseviolet’s inbox are curious and sincere, and the fact that they’re asking first means they know that it’s something special. They’re not barging in and taking anything, they’re asking if we can share. I don’t think that my family being denied something quite justifies wanting to deny other people from having it. There is not a fixed amount of chinese-ness that non-chinese people are taking out of our hands by appreciating another culture.
So maybe it can bother me when I see non-chinese people enjoying something I was taught to be ashamed of. It feels like a violation, and I have generations of pain motivating my upset. But my feelings don’t mean that they’re doing anything wrong. You don’t have to like what other people do, but they’re not doing it to hurt you or anyone, and Ziseviolet, of all people, absolutely is not out to offend you.
I really like everything Hanfu-asks said, but to just highlight one line - Chinese history and art and culture are beautiful and our capacity to find them significant has no dependence on anyone else. To hell with anyone that tries to make you feel lesser! Reconnecting with culture is a tough process, but it’s worth it, and we have the right to enjoy it. That’s in you already, and nothing that anyone wears or does can change it.
Ahh! Thanks for chiming in! Yes I agree, anon has some great points and you summarized it much better than I did.
It’s important to take into consideration the diaspora view. Many people play off cultural appropriation because “Well I talked to someone from _______ and they said it was okay!!!”. But although someone from that country may be flattered, the diaspora lens may be quite different.
