A group of fresh grads in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, pose for a graduation photo in Hanfu at the Slender West Lake.

As Halloween draws near, young Chinese wearing ancient Han-style robes on the street draw stares. Tian Ye explores the phenomenon of Hanfu, wearing archaic dress in a statement of national pride.

Outfitted in a tall black hat and floor-length robe with loose sleeves, 27-year-old Li Baichuan could be mistaken for his Han ancestors who lived over centuries ago if it weren't for his modern glasses and cellphone.

Although his traditional outfit draws a lot of attention on the street in Beijing and some sharp responses, Li and thousands of hobbyists like him, believe it is important to revive the traditions and lifestyle of their Han ancestors. Donning Hanfu, a set of traditional Han clothing composed of several layers - most notably, a ground-sweeping robe - is their most overt attempt at bringing Han style back.

Nowadays, Hanfu is usually only worn by hobbyists or participants in cultural exercises, but some religious figures, like Taoists and Buddhist monks, wear the garments every day.

A traditional Hanfu is a set consisting of two or three layers. A light T-shirt and shorts set is worn under a long, wide-sleeved robe, and a typical set may also include a hat, sashes worn to secure the robe and a jacket that stays open at the front.

Li, who makes all the traditional Han clothing items by hand and sells them, wears a robe that follows the ancient pattern, with the left side of the robe diagonally crossed over the right. He chose red cuffs and collar accents to set off his black robe.

To promote Hanfu, Li taught himself how to tailor the traditional garments, and he hopes to make the clothes shorter and more convenient for people to wear today.

Li has sold nine sets in the past two weeks.

"Young customers are more individualistic, and they willfully change patterns and match colors," he says.

Even Li wears modern clothes like button-down shirts and sweaters beneath his Hanfu robe, allowing the collars of his contemporary wardrobe to poke out from under the traditional robe.

Fringe fashion

Li has found it difficult to convince the public in China, which is largely Han, to accept and adopt the traditional clothing (fu means clothing) of their ancestors.

In 1644, the Manchu rulers of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) ordered all Han people to adopt Manchu-style clothing or face harsh punishment.

The Hanfu style was gradually replaced by Manchu style, which offered the cheongsam, or qipao, for women and the changshan for men.

After feudalism was overthrown in 1911, the changshan and other similar clothing styles were gradually replaced by Western fashion in China.

Only in the past 10 years have people started to call for a revival of Han Chinese clothing, donning such clothing in daily life, during festivals or on other special occasions, according to Li.

When he started to wear Hanfu in public, Li was often mistaken for a street performer or a Japanese person, as the Hanfu robe looks a lot like a Japanese kimono.

For the sake of authenticity, he felt a dagger tied to his robe was a must-have accessory, but the dagger once prompted police to escort him out of a subway station.