Love for hanfu binds people together

Building bridges

Through their ongoing endeavors, enthusiasts like Rian and JongMay are building bridges between cultures and fostering a deeper appreciation for the beauty and richness of traditional Chinese attire.

Such people-to-people cultural exchanges are important features of the Belt and Road Initiative as it consolidates on a spiritual and intellectual level the ties among peoples and civilizations, said Hussein Askary, vice-chairman of the Belt and Road Institute in Sweden.

He said the connections between people under the BRI have become diverse in terms of form and quality, highlighting that China has surpassed both the US and the United Kingdom, becoming a major foreign destination for African students in 2018.

According to China's Ministry of Education, 81,562 African students studied in China in 2018, a 770 percent increase compared with 1996, when the number of African students in China crossed the 1,000 mark for the first time.

"Nowadays, tension is escalating and antagonism between conflicting countries is turning into hatred for other cultures, racism, and xenophobia," Askary said. "Proposals like the BRI and the GCI (Global Civilization Initiative) are very crucial, helping bridge the gap that is created by geopolitical conflict."

The Swedish expert also visited Xi'an earlier this year when he saw people proudly dressed in hanfu costumes, celebrating the cultural heritage of the Tang Dynasty.

Xi'an, as an important capital city of the ancient Silk Road, has a special position in reviving the ties between China and other cultures in the West that go back 2,000 years.

Furthermore, he observed that the BRI has sparked the curiosity of Chinese people, prompting them to explore the nations along the ancient Silk Road, thereby facilitating communication between Chinese and foreign cultures.

"Culture can help us today to transcend the ephemeral political and ideological differences, to that which is eternal. This is the best and only true dialogue among cultures."

Xinhua contributed to this story.