Singapore group revives traditional Chinese dress.

Casual is not a dress code for Gong Panpan on Fridays. While some of us wear blue jeans to work, Panpan puts on traditional dresses women in China used to wear in ancient times. She's a Hanfu enthusiast and she has been dressing up on her Hanfu Fridays for almost a year. When I first started wearing Hanfu, I felt that I need to complete the look, which includes hair, accessories, makeup and all. And, you know, I need to find an occasion to do it. So as people dress down for Fridays, I'll dress up to make myself more excited about the weekend. Panpan is not alone in loving traditional Chinese dressing and its rich cultural heritage. The revival of Hanfu in China since 2003 led to a Hanfu movement across the Chinese-speaking world. The Singapore Han Culture Society was formed in 2012 and currently has 39 members. This kind of dressing culture has been almost been lost because of the Manchurian Qing Dynasty policy. The association hopes that Hanfu will eventually gain wider acceptance among Singaporeans. Today, Panpan invites me to join her weekly dress-up session when she shares her knowledge of traditional Chinese clothing and transforms us into ladies from centuries ago. Walk me through what you have. What I have spans over like 2,000 years. From the Wei Jin style, which is around 300 AD, all the way till like Ming Dynasty, which is around like 14th, 15th century. Ming Dynasty, they have a lot of weave gold. It's to what Qing then have a lot of embroidery. And in town, which was many prints, I think Yuan, it was more of the cotton trade that was thriving. We eventually settled on a dress from Song Dynasty based on its simplicity, color, and mostly fit. Now I need to complete my look with the right hairstyle and accessories. Panpan gathers family and friends and dress them in Hanfu almost every weekend. But to them, it's more than just a dress-up party. From the outfits they choose to the hairstyle and accessories that go along with it, each dynasty has its unique characteristic. Wearing traditional Chinese clothing is a fun way of learning Chinese history and appreciating Chinese culture.