'New Chinese style' sweeps the fashion world

Clothes featuring traditional Chinese elements combined with modern designs have seen a surge in popularity among younger Chinese people, especially during the run-up to Chinese New Year.

With its harmonious blend of urban and casual style, exquisite detailing and traditional charm, the "new Chinese style" of clothing, suitable for all occasions, has successfully met modern aesthetic demands and developed into a fashion trend among the younger generations in recent years.

On China's lifestyle-focused social media platform Xiaohongshu, a search for "new Chinese style of clothing" could produce over 2 million results, with the most popular receiving 150,000 "likes." During the Spring Festival shopping festival from January 13 to 28 on China's online short video platform Douyin, videos with the hashtags "China-Chic" or "new Chinese style of clothing" gained more than half a billion views, and the sales volume of the new Chinese clothing style increased more than 21-fold compared with the same period last year, with most buyers being young people.

Offline, the new Chinese fashion trend is also the mainstream style on the market. At a wholesale clothing market in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, new Chinese style garments account for 80 percent of all the clothes sold there, ranging from sweaters and down jackets for adults to children's wear.

Analysts say the rise of the new Chinese style is a reflection of growing confidence in local culture among the younger generations. Their fascination and love for traditional Chinese culture have made "China-Chic" a growing trend that has gone global. For instance, a new series launched by Adidas earlier this year incorporated elements from famous Chinese paintings. Products of the brand featuring Chinese zodiac Year of the Dragon have also been introduced in a bid to attract more buyers.