HANFU AFTERNOON

It was a great pleasure to welcome so many passionate hanfu lovers to our museum on Saturday, the 15th of October.

The audience listened and watched with great enthusiasm to our two demonstrations on the day.

Image captions: Tea ceremony demonstration

The Chinese tea ceremony demonstration gave us insight into the history of the tea ceremony. Originating in China, the ceremony was adopted in Japan, where it became the methodical practice that most people are familiar with.
In China itself, tea started as a vegetable or a herb and was used in medicine before being enjoyed more widely as a relaxing drink. The audience learned that to assess the quality of the tea, it is essential first to smell the aroma of the dry leaves and then the wet tea leaves, before finally enjoying the taste.

Image captions: Flower arrangement

Daisy, the instructor, led the flower arrangement demonstrations, showing that the Chinese tradition emphasises the fun of the process as well as the meditative aspects of the practice.

Image captions: Guest dressed in hanfu

Our fashionable guests shared why they chose to wear hanfu, and many cited a rising interest in China and being inspired by watching period dramas featuring beautiful hanfu designs. Other guests were hanfu designers themselves and enjoyed exhibiting their work. Chinese people from all over the world are leading a hanfu resurgence as a way to express their identity and showcase their excellent fashion sense.

On the Ground Level of the Museum, the talented musicians of the Mo Hua Culture Studio took the Dragon Gallery stage to perform traditional Chinese music. Encouraged by a passionate crowd, they played music and sang.

The Museum of Chinese Australian History extends a big thank you to everyone who has come to participate and display their identity by dressing up hanfu!

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RUNWAY SHOW

Image captions: Models on the runway

On Sunday the 16^th of October, the models from the Chinese History & Garment Society amazed the audience with a variety of garments and dynamic skills on the runway. They were unquestionably the highlight of the show, with guests crowding for photos.

Image captions: Musicians

The talented musicians of the Mo Hua Culture Studio performed songs from each of the Han, Song, Tang and Ming dynasties, once again wowing the audience. Audiences were transported back in time as Jiaqi Lin recited “Eighteen Songs of Nomad Flutes”, written by Cai Wenji of the Han dynasty for the guzheng. Ziyue Xu followed with “Lyu Yao”, a pipa solo, composed by Jieming Yang of the Tang dynasty. Tang Cheng, played A’Bing’s Tang dynasty classic, “Listening to the Pine”, on the erhu.“The Moon Rises High”, another unforgettable piece, this time of the Ming dynasty, closed out the performance part of the event, performed by Daniel Han.

Image captions: Dancers 

The seven professional dancers, from the StarMoon Dance & Art Centre tied the event together with their coordinated dance performance. Dressed in hanfu, they demonstrated its use as garb in traditional Chinese dancing.

The Museum of Chinese Australian History is working tirelessly to bring you more exciting events, so make sure to stay tuned for more!