According to media reports on Wednesday, Zhang Zening, a woman from Nanjing City, East China's Jiangsu Province, has made more than 50 sets of Hanfu, or traditional Chinese costume (服装).
Zhang majored in materials science and engineering when she was in college, and she gave up her job after falling in love with Hanfu. It has been 10 years since Zhang made Hanfu by herself because those of her favorite styles were not for sale. She taught herself painting and costume design, and visited a dozen Chinese cities to explore museums, as well as to draw inspiration from murals (壁画) and literature, before making over 50 different Hanfu from past dynasties.
Zhang said the design of Hanfu was inspired by the murals of past dynasties. "What I did is not only to restore (使复原) a piece of clothing, but more to feel the culture Hunfu possesses, as well as the inspiration and significance (意义) of the mural, which made me very touched and glad," she said.
In July this year, a group of international students from Canada visited Zhang, hoping to work together to restore Hanfu based on murals that have been lost overseas. Zhang is excited about the project, saying, "Even if the national treasures cannot return to the country, restoring Hanfu based on them allows these lost treasures to be seen by more people. It's also a contribution from us young people. "
