For most users of Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, they may have watched at least one of the viral videos of influencer Li Meiyue strutting in custom-made suits of dongbei dahua, or the “Northeast China big flower” print, on the streets of fashion capitals such as New York, Paris, London and Tokyo.
In those videos that have earned Li tens of millions of likes, the young influencer turned heads, captivating admiring onlookers from various cultural backgrounds.
Hu Sheguang, designer of Li’s suits, launched “Power of Time—Dongbei Dahua by the Bund”, an haute couture collection featuring only the erstwhile controversial pattern, on Saturday at the BUND Space, dazzling at the 2024 A/W Shanghai Fashion Week.
Li, sporting his iconic suit on the catwalk, mesmerized the audience and turned the show into a carnival celebrating the enduring power and beauty of dongbei dahua.
All made with jacquard fabric with a soft sheen, the new collection is comprised of three-piece suits, windbreakers, cloaks, qipao dresses and the Chinese style men’s standing-collar long coats.
Presenting the garments were Yu Weiwei, Miss World China in 2013, and 34 of Hu Sheguang’s Supermodels, a team of fashion enthusiasts with an average age of 55.
The highlight of the show came when Wang Deshun, an 88-year-old model and actor, strut the catwalk.
Dressed in a shirtless clean-cut suit, the shapely octogenarian quietly flaunted his chest, radiating the same confidence and charisma when he first modeled for Hu during the 2015 Beijing Fashion Week.
The then 79-year-old Wang, only fitted with padded cotton pants with a touch of dongbei dahua decorations, walked bare-chested on the runway. His topless look made a sensation on the Internet and earned him the nickname “Hottest Grandpa”.
The Shanghai fashion show reminded many of the checkered history of dongbei dahua.
According to Hu, the origin of the floral print can be found in the traditional Chinese pattern yi nian jing, literally meaning “the scenery of a year”, featuring representative flowers of the four seasons including the peach blossom, the lotus flower, the chrysanthemum, the peony and the plum blossom. Used in fabrics, lacquerware, ceramics and jewelry, the print flourished during the Song dynasty (960-1279).
In the 1950s and 60s, designers at the East China Textile Management Bureau in Shanghai borrowed inspiration from the traditional pattern and created the dongbei dahua prototype featuring blossoming peonies and the phoenix. Cotton cloth with the floral print has since become a popular choice for blanket covers and bed sheets in Northern China, especially in rural areas.
The print gained more traction in Northeast China, where local people regarded the floral pattern as auspicious and being able to ward off evil; the vibrant print could also offer some contrast to balance out the drabness of the region’s long, cold winter.
Actors of Errenzhuan (a two-person folk performance of comedy, dance and song popular in Northeast China) became ambassadors of this print as they were often seen clothed from head to toe of this psychedelic print, which was gradually dubbed dongbei dahua.
Because of its long-standing association with rural China and errenzhuan, which used to be scorned by the cultured for its dirty jokes, dongbei dahua was for a long time associated with plebeian or even vulgar tastes.
That explains why in 2014 when the maverick designer transformed the ubiquitous print from his childhood memories into his first dongbei dahua-themed collection Dahuaao (big flower cotton-padded jacket), he was met with criticism and doubt.
That also explains why Chinese actress Zhang Xinyu’s debut look at the Cannes Film Festival in 2015 attracted polarizing comments. She was clad in a dongbei dahua dress elaborately designed by Hu which accentuated her hour-glass figure. Some people commended her and the designer for promoting Chinese aesthetics on a global stage, while most others ridiculed her look as attention-seeking and embarrassing.
Why has public opinion made a U-turn on the floral print over the last decade?
Experts say that dongbei dahua designs have found increasing resonance with modern urbanites because they could easily evoke collective memories in which the print was popular in large swaths of China.
The popularity of dongbei dahua has also coincided with the rise of guochao, a consumption trend wherein younger consumers prefer products with Chinese cultural elements. The print is viewed as one of the visual symbols from China’s recent history.
In addition, rock music has also helped alter the stereotypical perception of the flamboyant print in youth culture.
Second Hand Rose, a popular rock band hailing from Northeast China, is known for incorporating folk culture, especially Errenzhuan, with rock music. Dongbei dahua is featured heavily in the band’s album designs and merchandise. Band members also often perform in costumes made of the floral print, inspiring fans to follow suit and see the print as cool and non-conformist.
“I held the show in Shanghai because dongbei dahua was born here and I want to re-define it as a classical pattern in fashion,” Hu told reporters during an interview after the release.
“As many brands are characterized by a certain color or style, I think dongbei dahua is the same to me,” said the designer, adding that he aspires to influence a generation of people with this pattern and help it go global as a culture.
Hu has been studying traditional Chinese patterns. “The royal patterns housed in the Palace Museum, and those in paper cuts, Batik, shadow plays and ancient architecture, are all our precious cultural heritage worth researching and revitalizing through fashion,” he remarked.
“Heritage can only be truly passed down when it becomes a part of people’s daily lives. This is not only the goal of cultural inheritance efforts but also a mission of mine as a fashion designer.”
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