On a bustling street of Chongqing Municipality in southwest China, Ao Luojia snacks on fried chicken, wearing traditional Chinese clothes, hanfu. It's as if she had sprung out of her photo collection named "Maid of the Tang Dynasty Eats Tangyuan" published on last year's Lantern Festival. In the photos, Ao wears a high chignon and a set of plus-size hanfu. Being offered a bowl of glutinous rice balls named tangyuan, the lady in the picture goes from politely refusing to "Maybe just one" and "I am full" at last. Those pictures quickly became an internet sensation for their resemblance to pottery figures from the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

Hanfu generally refers to the ancient clothing of the Han Chinese. It has been revived as a fashion trend in recent years. Being asked if she would wear the clothes in public, Ao said "Of course I would," not only because it's a tradition for the Han people, but also because she designed most of the outfits herself.

Ao learned painting in high school and used to work in the fine arts business. She inadvertently conceived an idea to design her own hanfu when she helped a friend out. She then opened her online shop on Taobao. After giving birth to her baby, she started to put on weight. She thought it'd be fun to interact with the buyers, so she took photos wearing plus-size hanfu with the patterns for the maids of the Tang Dynasty. She never expected the photos to go viral.

Pottery figurines of the Tang Dynasty are funerary objects, famous for their life-like vividness. "They are so cute, especially because of their innocent eyes and gestures," Ao said. Folding the skirt, Ao makes a perfect real-life figurine in the shape of a plump spindle.

Other than the figurines, she goes to the museums to see mural paintings and other artworks of the Tang Dynasty. She uses elements of Chinese culture for all of her works: "We keep the center seam that symbolizes moderation. The clothes consist of four pieces, which represent four seasons." Meanwhile, she sticks original patterns onto the clothes to fit modern aesthetics. "We don't restore the old style. We study the ancient designs to improve and revitalize it," Ao said. She said she wants to design fashionable and proper clothes for modern people.

Ao's plus-size hanfu was awarded "the top creation" in the "Taobao Maker Festival" in 2018. She was excited that the number of hanfu fans is increasing. "It is the medium for the younger generation to promote traditional culture," she said. She would never want hanfu to be mistaken for Japan's kimono or the Korean hanbok.

Ao wrote in her social media profile, "March 2, 2008: an internet celebrity was born. She is so different from others. She is chubby, confident and humorous. She wears ancient hanfu, having fun in the modern world." With her popularity, she hopes that more people could join her to feel the charm of the traditional Chinese culture.