Sporting elaborate and luxurious traditional Chinese clothing from the Tang Dynasty (618-907), moviegoers attended a special Hanfu-themed event marking the premiere of the Chinese film "The Lychee Road" in Beijing on Friday.
Held at a local cinema, the event saw moviegoers dressed in traditional clothing of the majority Han Chinese celebrating the debut public screening of the film, which is set in the Tianbao era of the Tang Dynasty -- one of the most significant and prosperous periods in Chinese history.
Hanfu is the traditional clothing system of Han people -- China's dominant ethnic group. It has eight distinct characteristics, and its history dates back to 4,000 years ago.
"The Lychee Road" is a comedy directed by Da Peng and adapted from the popular novel of the same name by renowned Chinese writer Ma Boyong.
It follows Li Shande (played by Da Peng), a middle-aged low-ranking Tang Dynasty official, who is tasked with the near-impossible mission of transporting a bushel of lychees, prized but famously quick to spoil, on a grueling 2,500-km journey from Lingnan in southern China to the capital, Chang'an. The plot delves into the cunning and treachery of the political landscape, while the journey itself is fraught with peril and challenges. Li's desperate ingenuity in defying the odds becomes a sharp satire of bureaucratic absurdity.
Notwithstanding the plotline and its undertones, "The Lychee Road" faithfully depicts the flourishing of Hanfu clothing characterized by its elaborate designs and luxurious materials, with the overall design ethos mirroring the spirit of openness and artistic freedom during the Tang Dynasty.
The attendees at the event included both Chinese and foreign Hanfu enthusiasts, including a German student currently studying at a Chinese university.
"I'm today here with the Hanfu club and my outfit is inspired by Yang Guifei," she said, referring to the beloved consort of Emperor Xuanzong -- the seventh emperor of Tang -- in the film.
"My outfit, together with my makeup, represents a very traditional look from the Tang Dynasty," said a young Chinese woman.
"Watching the film while dressed in this outfit gives me such an immersive experience that I feel as if I were part of the story as well, joining the film's characters on their journey of transporting the lychees," said another female moviegoer.
Friday's event also featured a meet-and-greet activity between Ma and his fans.
A fan said she was quite impressed by this book-to-screen adaptation after watching the two-hour film.
"As a fan of the novel, I was pleasantly surprised because the film has captured the essence of the book and features quite a few iconic scenes whose depictions are nearly 100 percent faithful to the source material," she said.
Hanfu-sporting moviegoers attend premiere of 'The Lychee Road' in Beijing
