STORY: Int'l students experience Spring Festival culture through Hanfu industry
SHOOTING TIME: Jan 18, 2025
DATELINE: Jan 19, 2025
LENGTH: 00:00:45
LOCATION: CAOXIAN, China
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Hanfu industry in Caoxian City
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): VLADILEN, Student from Kazakhstan
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): VLADILEN, Student from Kazakhstan   

STORYLINE:

Last year, Caoxian City in east China's Shandong Province, known for its production of traditional Chinese costumes, or Hanfu, saw a surge in clothing sales.

The clothing sales exceeded 12 billion yuan (1.638 million U.S. dollars) in 2024, driven by the growing "Hanfu economy."

As the Chinese Year of the Snake approached, international students from Kazakhstan, Indonesia, and other countries visited the city to explore the Hanfu industry, immersing themselves in traditional culture, and experience the vibrant energy of China's county-level economy.

In recent years, the Hanfu craze, with its rich cultural heritage, has captivated many people around the world. During the event, Vladilen, a student from Kazakhstan, wore a Ming dynasty costume and teamed up with his classmates for an impromptu Hanfu performance.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): VLADILEN, Student from Kazakhstan
"I like these clothes because they look very beautiful. I don't have this in my country, so it's like a very rich experience."

It is the first Spring Festival since the inscription of the festival on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Vladilen said that, as an important carrier of Chinese culture, the Spring Festival makes people feel China's long history and cultural confidence.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): VLADILEN, Student from Kazakhstan
"This is my first time in China and this is my first Chun Jie (Chinese New Year), I'm very excited to experience how this traditional Chun Jie is going. I wanted to say Happy New Year."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Caoxian, China.
(XHTV)