Shandong's Caoxian rides high as hanfu sales surge overseas

Mamianqun, or horse-faced skirt, is a traditional Chinese fashion that has exploded in popularity in recent years. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

This year, the surge in popularity of Mamianqun, or horse-faced skirt, has once again brought Caoxian county into the public eye, with its online sales exceeding 900 million yuan ($124.36 million) in the first quarter.

Caoxian is a hanfu production base in Heze, East China's Shandong province. In recent years, Caoxian county's reputation and influence have been further elevated with its surging sales of hanfu, a traditional Chinese attire.

During the 2024 Heze Peony Culture Festival, there were daily parades and performances by "peony fairies" dressed in hanfu at major scenic spots such as Caozhou Peony Garden, providing visitors with interactive, immersive cultural and tourism experiences and visual feasts.

The beautiful Mamianqun is made in Caoxian county in Heze, Shandong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Benefiting from over a decade of development in the performance clothing industry, Caoxian county has established a well-organized market division and a complete industrial chain.

"In the hanfu industry gathering areas in Caoxian, we have achieved the completion of the entire process within five kilometers, from design, production, embroidery, printing, to display, sales, and logistics, significantly improving the cost-effectiveness of our hanfu", said Zhang Longfei, director of the Caoxian county e-commerce service center.

Caoxian county has a complete industrial chain for hanfu production. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Coupled with factors, such as low labor costs and affordable factory and shop rental fees in the county, the production efficiency and sales cost of hanfu in Caoxian county are faster and lower, thereby giving it a significant price advantage in the hanfu market.

In 2023, Caoxian county's online sales of hanfu reached 7.22 billion yuan, a 44.3 percent increase, with the total online and offline sales exceeding 10 billion yuan, accounting for over 40 percent of the national market, forming a Chinese original hanfu industry cluster.

Currently, Caoxian county has 2,282 upstream and downstream hanfu enterprises, with over 90 percent being original designs, offering more than 5,000 styles and forming a complete industrial chain from design, tailoring, embroidery and printing to finished garments. Caoxian county's hanfu products have been sold to over 10 countries and regions including Australia, Canada, and Europe.

Performers showcase traditional hanfu produced in Caoxian. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"We have always wanted to promote traditional Chinese culture through hanfu. Especially this year, we received orders from overseas, with many foreigners wearing the hanfu we produced, which makes us very proud," said Yao Chixing, general manager of a hanfu company in Caoxian. She recently sent a batch of orders to the United Kingdom and is confident in the future development of Caoxian county's hanfu in overseas markets.

A livestreamer promotes hanfu from an outlet in Caoxian county, Shandong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]