Published : 2026-05-08
Whether it is temple hopping in Hangzhou, immersive performances in Henan, the "digital nomad" lifestyle in Yunnan, or Hanfu photography in Xi'an—these seemingly distinct trends are all fine examples of how deep-rooted tourism is breathing new life into cultural heritage.
Our "New Cultural Journeys" series will take you behind the scenes of how these traditions were successfully "rebranded" as cool.
The Hanfu craze is sweeping across China, yet whenever "Hanfu travel photography" is mentioned, Xi'an is the first place that springs to most people's minds.
On e-commerce platforms of the Chinese Mainland, Xi'an consistently tops the national charts for both the number of Hanfu photography studios and total transaction volume. What exactly gives Xi'an's Hanfu photography industry such a competitive edge?
Why has Hanfu travel photography in Xi'an gone viral?
Nowadays, as you wander through Xi'an, people dressed in Hanfu (Han Chinese clothing, or traditional Chinese clothing) for photo shoots are a common sight everywhere—from major landmarks like the Great Tang All Day Mall (大唐不夜城), the Bell Tower, and the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda (大雁塔), right down to the city's backstreets and alleyways.
It has long been an established consensus among tourists: a trip to Xi'an simply isn't complete without a Hanfu photoshoot.
The year 2019 was a key turning point for the rise of Hanfu travel photography in Xi'an. In that year, thanks to the popularity of a TV series and promotion by internet celebrities, Xi'an got a head start, accumulating significant traffic for its Hanfu travel photography industry.
That year, the Chinese drama The Longest Day in Chang'an (《長安十二時辰》) was broadcast, realistically recreating the food, entertainment, and folk culture of Chang'an (old name of Xi'an) during the prosperous Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), sparking a "Tang-style China-chic" trend.
Countless tourists came to Xi'an specifically for the "Chang'an" experience. To sustain this popularity, Xi'an decided to transform the television IP into a physical themed street block.
Shortly after, the "Tumbler Girl" at the Grand Tang Dynasty Ever Bright City went viral online. Videos of her performing in prosperous Tang-style costumes accumulated billions of views, deeply ingraining the image of "touring Xi'an in Hanfu" in people's minds.
In 2019 alone, the Great Tang All Day Mall received approximately 100 million visitors.
Read more: Great Tang All Day Mall in Xi'an: Exploring a cultural journey for both the active and the serene
The atmosphere of Hanfu travel photography in Xi'an is difficult to replicate
Of course, the Hanfu travel photography industry in Xi'an did not develop solely based on one TV series or one internet celebrity; its true core competitiveness lies in its "scenic power," which is difficult for other cities to duplicate.
First and foremost is the advantage of its "hardware".
The main urban area of Xi'an covers approximately 480 sq km, nearly half of which is designated as heritage sites. With over 3,000 immovable cultural relics, these authentic historical monuments have become natural backdrops for Hanfu travel photography.
Secondly, there is innovation in the experience.
Xi'an Hanfu travel photography not only involves outdoor shoots at historical sites, but has in fact long extended to indoor spaces such as museums and immersive street blocks.
This not only solves the problem of outdoor photography being affected by the weather, but also greatly enhances the tourists' length of stay and consumer experience.
Take, for instance, a typical day out for a Hanfu enthusiast: "After getting my hair and make-up done in the morning, I’ll head over to Qinglong Temple (青龍寺) to take some photos, then visit the Shaanxi History Museum. In the afternoon, I'll have a photoshoot near the Bell and Drum Towers, before spending the evening wandering through the Great Tang All Day Mall in full dress."
Such a seamless itinerary reflects the sheer variety of Hanfu backdrops in Xi'an and the effortless flow of the experience.
How Xi'an's Hanfu photography keeps breaking new ground
The convenience of Xi'an's Hanfu travel photography relies on a mature and "involuted" industrial chain. Currently, Xi'an has formed a complete closed loop from design and production to rental, makeup and styling, and photography.
According to data from early 2025, there are over 3,000 Hanfu-related shops in Xi'an, nearly half of which are concentrated around popular tourist attractions, allowing tourists to get the full Hanfu experience in one stop.
The local area has also established a Hanfu trading centre, connecting upstream and downstream businesses and perfecting the industrial layout.
To stand out from the competition, businesses are also constantly upgrading their services: from the "one customer, one disinfection" hygiene standard, to customised packages for the silver-haired generation and parent-child families; courier companies have even launched a "remote Hanfu return" service, making it convenient for tourists to travel light.
In addition, the introduction of new technologies such as AI travel photography and AR dress-up also keeps the Xi'an Hanfu travel photography experience feeling fresh.
In terms of professionalisation, Xi'an is particularly outstanding in Hanfu rental and makeup and styling, with a market share of over 30%, ranking first in the country.
Moreover, the local area provides specialised free training for Chang'an Han-Tang makeup and styling artists, and has so far trained more than 6,000 people to start their own businesses, creating over 50,000 jobs and continuously expanding the scale of the industry.
The unique culture of Xi'an Hanfu travel photography
From a cultural perspective, the popularity of Xi'an's Hanfu travel photography lies in the irreplaceable emotional value it provides.
As the ancient capital of China's thirteen dynasties, Xi'an boasts a 3,100-year history of urban development. It served as the seat of power for the Han and Tang dynasties—the two great pinnacles of Chinese civilisation—and marks the starting point of the Silk Road.
As such, the city carries the weight of the public's collective imagination and romanticised visions of "Chang'an in its Golden Age."
Wearing Hanfu while touring Xi'an is not just about getting "good shots", but is also a form of cultural resonance and emotional satisfaction. Whether it's Gen Z with their social needs, or the silver-haired generation fulfilling their period costume dreams, everyone can find a strong sense of cultural identity here.
In addition, Xi'an has a high degree of cultural tolerance and is known as "the most comfortable city for wearing Hanfu".
Wearing Hanfu while shopping, dining, and going to the cinema has long been the norm. Multiple scenic spots offer free or half-price admission to tourists in Hanfu, and even the marriage registry office has Han-style settings.
While the Xi'an Hanfu travel photography industry is developing rapidly, it also faces many challenges in its transformation.
For example, shops are becoming homogenised, lacking influential original Hanfu brands; inadequate market supervision and rights protection mechanisms, and so on, which affects the industry's reputation.
With Hanfu consumption continuously growing, how to balance commercialisation and cultural heritage is worthy of attention.
Today, Hanfu travel photography is blossoming everywhere, but Xi'an has always held the No.1 spot, relying not only on the heritage of a thousand-year-old ancient capital, but more on its wisdom in transforming cultural resources into core competitiveness.
From "social media hotspots" to a fully-fledged cultural tourism industry, Hanfu photography has become an everyday part of life in Xi'an. It is a phenomenon that allows traditional culture to keep flourishing and evolving within a modern context.
