//2ha spoilers
my 2ha secret santa gift to @/martyrsdaughter on twitter! they asked for shuangmeimeng so here it is uwu
“Hanfu" as a technical term refers to traditional clothing worn by the Han ethnic group in China (Han = Han ethnic group, Fu = clothing).
The last Dynasty of China, Qing, saw a ruling class of the Manchu ethnic group who had attacked the Ming Dynasty from the North and ultimately achieved victory. This resulted in a forceful change of attire from "Han" clothing to "Man" clothing and fashion:
This included men being forced to shave the front half of their heads, leaving a long braid in the back (those who refused were beheaded)(四爷,借用一下您的盛世美颜😂) :
Therefore, technically, "Hanfu" had not been worn in China since the end of the Ming Dynasty (1616 AD).
Following the establishment of the current People's Republic of China (1949 AD) the country busied itself with development and economic growth. By the early 2000's China had undergone 2 rounds of economic reform and saw an economy that was flourishing. This left people with more time and money to revisit the country's vast history and rich culture (it's difficult to think about culture or history when you're trying to put food on the table).
On November 22, 2003, an electric engineer by the name of Wang Letian (王乐天) strode through the streets of Deng Zhou wearing a Quju robe . This was the first time someone wore Hanfu for a casual outing since almost 400 years ago. Although, looking back, the design wasn't historically accurate, and the clothing seemed ill-fitting, this robe had been hand-sewn by Wang Letian and his friends, all of whom had a passion for Hanfu.
At the time, people laughed when they saw him in the streets, it looked so odd and strange among the sweaters and jeans that had become the norm, but Wang Letian had started a snowball of Hanfu revival. The internet spread photos of him wearing Hanfu through the streets and by chance, a Singaporean reporter, Zhang Congxing (张从兴), came across the photos. He wrote an article in the newspaper Lianhe Morning Report (联合早报) which became the first news article recorded of the current movement to revive Hanfu.
Following that, interest in Hanfu grew. People (especially young people) dug through history books, visited museums, and broke out the sewing kits. Today, Hanfu can often be seen around sightseeing locations and in historic cities like Xi'an. Although most people still aren't wearing it out and about daily, it's not uncommon to see someone wearing a Mamian Skirt (from Ming dynasty) with a blouse heading to work.
There are still some who think it's odd and strange (including my dad 😑), but the revival in Hanfu indicates a confidence and pride many young people have in China's own history and culture, something that had been often neglected over the past 100 years due to continuous wars and political chaos.
As a kid, I loved period dramas and would drape a bed sheet around my shoulders pretending it's a cape. I'd admire the beautiful hair styles on TV, wondering how it was done. Never did I dream one day I'd be able to purchase my own Hanfu and have a suitcase of hair buns and accessories 🤣🤣
Can you imagine being Pei Ming, God of Love, able to see when people love each other, able to see their emotions flowing between them, and having to watch Feng Xin and Mu Qing being the biggest clowns and making a ruckus across the Heaven with their fights while insisting that they don’t like each other?? I can’t decide if he’d just be wildly entertained or wanting to tear his hair out in frustration and despair.
Hmm, I'm surprisingly calmer this chapter (it's the stress i'm telling ya) and so much yapping to be done for EndoChika istg. I'm sorry for sidelining our savior Ume for the nth time, I'll make it up to you king i swear 😭🙏.
My thoughts on Chapter 152 of Wind Breaker so spoilers ahead!
First, the title ("Symbols") is so very fitting let me tell ya.
Secondly, idk why but Sakura being worried for Umemiya is so heart warming 🥹. My son, oh my, have you have grown so much 🥹😭🤧. I hope he gets to do the "babe this isnt you" that other people have said about in previous chapters, but like in the funniest way possible.
Thirdly, this panel of Ume is insane!! LIKE THE EYEE, THIS IS BOFURIN'S LEADER Y'ALL. BEAT HIM UP UME!!
Fourthly, Endo and Takiishi tattoo lore drop??? Not me thinking that tattoo on Endo's left deltoid m. was exclusively for himself then Takiishi takes of his jacket only to reveal the same tattoo as well!?
AND THEN PROCEEDS TO LORE DROP THAT HE DREW THE TATTOO HIMSELF??? Moreover, TAKIISHI AGREED?? these two make me sick (/affectionate)
(TAKIISHI LOOKS SO TINY HELP WHAT-)
AND OF COURSE HE TOOK GREAT CARE IN FINDING SMTHING THAT FITS TAKIISHI SO WELL.
I made a visual for comparison:
(Btw, the "kuzushi" is actually a JP martial arts term for unbalancing an opponent + there's a story behind the Kunikuzushi: to briefly sum it up, a military commander from the Sengoku Period by the name of Ōtomo Sōrin had obtained an ichibiya likely imported from Portuguese Goa, India and used it for battle in other countries hence its name Kunikuzushi.)
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Man's so gay he literally made a soulmark tattoo for his boo. Even Sakura could see it.
Endo lowkey be fantasizing an period dramas in his head with Takiishi and I can respect that.
Him also being jealous of Umemiya that he's the center of Takiishi's thoughts is so hwkwkfksl. Ume would very much like to not be Takiishi's center of attention and can you please get your boyfriend back, please and thank you. This guy I swear, I'm embarrased for you and all your boy failure. Keep doing you hun.
Lastly, this chapter has made Endo more & more relatable and I don't know how I feel about that so I made memes about it:
He's part of the art community my guys. (Not surprising considering he is a prodigy).
Thank you again Nii-sensei for the chapter and to Jacqueline Fung for the official translation 🙏 Please go and support them via the official international release in Kodansha.
(P.S. I've decided to move my wbk content on a new blog specifically for wbk. That also means new chapter rants will be there to for the forseeable future. So if you wanna check that out, come visit me @transient-winds )
(Re: This post)
My lacquer allergy is getting better, the blisters have calmed down but some of the popped ones have left me with areas where the skin has peeled. They've scabbed over now, and I think it's in the heeling phase so once the new skin grows I'll be OK (this time, lol).
Unfortunately, since it's all around my wrists the scabs are making it difficult for my to rotate my wrists in any direction. I can barely hold chopsticks, use my toothbrush, pull my clothes on, etc. Luckily I can still practice playing the Guqin so my teacher is having me take it easy on the making side, and focusing more on the playing.
In the meantime, a few Hanfu books I ordered arrived, so I'll post some recommendations until I can hold my stylus pen again :D
This book covers the Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties, it also includes a chapter on Peking Opera costumes and a section on clothing for different holidays/seasonal days like winter solstice.
It includes clothing for casual occasions, special events, for men and women. Each outfit is drawn out, with each garment name labelled. It also details information on hairstyles, hair accessories, makeup, traditional colour palettes, fabric patterns, etc.
This book isn't text-heavy, relying mostly on pictures to relay information. The layout is fairly simple, so if you're just starting to dig into Hanfu history I think this is a good book to use.
An extra little perk is the side of the book is printed with 2 famous historical paintings, a very lovely touch :)
okay listen I do in fact hate jun wu with my whole heart but respect to him for making his divorce with mei nianqing literally everyone's problem
stanning fengqing is so useless bc 100% of their interactions are them canonically trying to off one another, but the way i need to interpret them are borderline delusional. like yes, look, they briefly glanced at each other in absolute loathing and abhorrence of each other's existence, and they do indeed strike at each other's most mortifying moments with the intention to hurt deeply. BUT if you look CLOSELY at how their gazes LINGER then you can tell that they actually very slightly in a very teeny tiny way yearn for each other in a way that transcends distance and time...no no wait come back i swear it's true—
True Love <3
(original audio by average_jake_)!
anyway mei nianqing going "my dear highness" while getting chocked by jun wu who is actively trying to kill him is kinda insane. mnq is the biggest freak in this series and doesnt get nearly enough credit for it
I wanted to make this post since a couple of months ago. As proper summer is coming, Song and Tang style might make a come back in another couple of months.