Some thoughts regarding Deep-level Commercialization in Hanfu Photography

By: Youxia Nalan 游侠纳兰
Original posting on Hanminzu.com, http://www.hanminzu.com/bbs/dispbbs.asp?boardID=101&ID=245688&page=1 on Feb. 27, 2009.

The concept of “Hanfu photography” probably was developed since the beginning. At the moment, cities along Suzhou and Jiejiang have already established their own professional Hanfu photography shops or studios.
But, regretfully, as a professional photographer and amateur of Hanfu, I find that most Hanfu photos are, ultimately, falling into two modes:

1. Lin Daiyu style, and
2. Pan Jinlian style.

It’s like as if when one speak of Chinese-style photography is equivalent to some girl wearing a little dudou underwear and whoring on the streets – this is not Hanfu photography, this is a prostitute in a brothel. Or, people understand it as if one must dress up like Lin Daiyu and stand there lamenting or smiling like a fool. (Please, this is not a pirated version of A Dream of the Red Chamber. If that’s the case I’d rather watch Master Gungun’s performances)

Hanfu should not be like this, it should be a style of dress which possesses an Oriental essence.

Wang Zhi: A torch-bearer on Actualizing Early Chinese capitalism 汪直﹕中國早期資本主義萌芽實踐的一名把手

*Translation to come*

“海盜”這兩個字對你留有甚麼印象﹖
是電影裡的那種放任﹐自由而風趣﹐不過骯髒的可以的加勒比海盜麼﹖還是現在坐著快艇﹐一手把住整箱美金﹐另一手抬著火箭榴彈發射器的運油船劫匪﹖無論甚麼年代﹐“海盜”都像是一個為了金錢和個人生存自由的惡性存在。試問下地中海人“海雷丁”這名字﹐多曾令全歐洲的人民聞其名而色變。
而在東方﹐歷史上的海盜莫過於“倭寇”集團。雖然自從中國元代已有﹐不過最深刻的莫過於明代的歷史故事﹐尤其是戚繼光與“戚家軍”如何逐逐大破“日本仔”﹐成為後世(尤其是抗日時期) 的佳話。
不過﹐亦有學家指出﹐這些倭寇﹐雖蓋名為“倭”﹐實為大明帝國於江南沿岸的百姓﹗其中﹐更出過一個傳奇人物﹐從白手起家﹐直至到走私軍火﹐擁有和明朝和日本諸大名皆恐懼的私家艦隊﹐甚至占領日本平戶對開的島嶼自稱王﹗這個人的名字﹐就是－－汪直。