Pan-tners in Hanfu

So we’re less than a week from the show, and I really have a few people I need to thank, for their time and dedication. Those gorgeous pictures you see took many people to actualise, especially since we were having a really tight schedule so I had many help from friends.

Because we have 20 models, and I’m the only one who is familiar with doing those hairstyle and make-up, I had to enlist help from some who already have a basis of knowledge in traditional Chinese dresses and styles, and train them up to get ready some models otherwise, i’d take at least 30 hours to get them done (a good styling would take me at least 1-2hours to do).

I also am extremely lucky to have a talented photographer, Enoch Tang, who knows the kind of look I want, with equipment that I could never afford, and who is also extremely well-acquainted with the Chinese culture (did I mention, he is multi-talented too.. he plays several Chinese instruments on a semi-professional level as well). Sorry guys, he’s not for hire~ like me, he only does things that interest him.

Introducing…. my right-hand woman–Jiaye. We’ve only gotten to know each other at the start of the year. She wrote to me after seeing the Zaobao/ST articles, and we hit it off. She is so poetic in her command of Chinese language, and we share the same aesthetic ideals (very important in creative work). She’s so organised and has a lot of performing experience, so i always bounce off ideas with her, and she helps me organise the performers.

Then there’s Zhang Duo Jia, the artefact look-alike. She’s the first Hanfugirl I know in Singapore. She always helps me organise my dresses and accessories so I could put them away nicely. Very well brought-up young girl who’s just turned 20! It’s really rare to find young kids these days who are interested in traditional culture.

Of course there’s Song Ge, my Tang dynasty royalty who probably shares similar ancestry as the Tang rulers. Her dad’s side belonged to the Salur tribe which meant that they were descendants of the ancient Oghuz Turkic people (middle east/central asia). Tang rulers were mixed blood with Xianbei tribe which was around Mongolia. Ok the history of the various nomadic tribes is really complicated, and we’ll leave that for another day when I have figured out where’s where.

Basically, Song Ge is closest you can find to a Tang dynasty royalty. She’s tall (178 cm), and she has really small and full lips. Her eyes are also of a different shape from average Chinese. So she’ll be my model when we re-create some unconventional make-up from Tang dynasty in the coming months. She’s my biggest donor–she donated the Chinese zither and the Yisan (male robe from Yuan and Ming dynasty)!

And then the newest member of the group–Yini whose hands appear big because of perspective distortion by the camera… her hands are really small in real life, trust me 😛

So you’ve met the core team of #hanfugirls. We’re really not that good looking in real life, because we hide behind computers and photoshops. I wish our skin were that smooth and our eyes were that bright… But for what it’s worth, I hope we do provide some aesthetic enjoyment to you now and then!

And we hope that we could move you just a little closer to traditional Chinese culture!