The popularity of the skirt has been wrapped into a broader trend being dubbed “xinzhongshi,” or “new Chinese style” — which merges all manner of contemporary design with traditional Chinese aesthetics, applied to everything from clothing to furniture.
While the idea isn’t new, and was once considered old-fashioned, the wide-ranging term is being used as a marketing tool on China’s lucrative e-commerce platforms, with retailers quick to turn Gen Z’s patriotic, and at times, nationalistic sentiments, for profit.
On Chinese social media platforms Weibo and Xiaohongshu, searches for “new Chinese style” and “new Chinese style outfits” hashtags exceeded 100 million in early April, according to state news agency Xinhua. Besides fashion, the posts show everything from stuffed leather armchairs with the curves of traditional Chinese wood furniture to mobile phone wallpapers of landscape paintings.
The state-backed China National Textile and Apparel Council estimates the market size of “new Chinese style” clothing reached 1 billion yuan (nearly 138 million dollars) in 2023.
On Xiaohongshu, a 33-year-old user, who goes by the handle Momo and didn’t give her real name for privacy reasons, frequently gives tips on how to style Chinese clothing. In one post, she demonstrated how you can top an oversized pink sweatshirt with a black mamianqun, pairing it with a matching baseball cap and sneakers.
“More and more young people are willing to use traditional culture as a new way to express their attitudes. That’s a good thing and very cool,” she told CNN in a text message.
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It’s mostly young people following the trend, agrees Huang Weizhe, a 32-year-old designer and manager of local fashion brand Longfuji.
On social media, Huang shares ways to dress in “new Chinese style,” and in one post wears a loose silk shirt with jeans.
“There is no set rule in the ‘new Chinese style’ (trend) that you must follow, so it is more inclusive. This is the style that young people like now,” he told CNN over the phone.
Riding the ‘new’ Chinese style wave
Fashion designers like Samuel Gui Yang, whose collections have long taken inspiration from Chinese heritage, are seeing more interest from mainland China turn to their brands due to the “new Chinese style” trend.
But unlike the mamianqun, which is a literal nod to the past – and being mass produced – his 9-year-old brand has been about bridging the gap “between Shanghai and London” and drawing from the rich tapestry of what it means to be Chinese, in China and abroad.
“I think my wider audience (is) really a fan of…the way we bring in this ‘Chineseness’ (the) heritage details in a more subtle way,” he said in a phone interview.
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