1. Hanfu Market Size
The Chinese Hanfu market continued its robust growth trajectory in 2024. According to the Research, China’s Hanfu market reached 16.88 billion yuan (approximately US$2.33 billion) in 2024, a significant increase from 14.47 billion yuan in 2023, with forecasts projecting the market to reach 24.18 billion yuan by 2027.
The driving force behind this expansion lies in the Hanfu enthusiast community. Data indicates that the number of Hanfu enthusiasts in China broke through the 10-million mark in 2024, reaching approximately 12.836 million in 2025—representing nearly a 40-fold increase from just 320,000 enthusiasts in 2014.
Annual production of Hanfu garments reached approximately 80 million pieces in 2024, with an average unit price of around 300 yuan (approximately US$41).
From an industry ecosystem perspective, China had approximately 7,405 Hanfu-related enterprises as of 2024. The sector saw 2,661 new registrations throughout the year, indicating sustained high entrepreneurial enthusiasm. Notably, over 60% of these enterprises have been established within the past three years, with companies aged 1-3 years accounting for 37.07% of the total—highlighting the recent surge of new entrants into the Hanfu market.
2. Hanfu Industrial Geography
Shandong Province’s Caoxian County has solidified its position as the undisputed center of China’s Hanfu industry. By the end of 2024, Caoxian was home to 2,524 Hanfu enterprises, more than 14,000 online stores, 224 offline experience centers, and employed approximately 100,000 workers in the Hanfu sector.
Caoxian’s total online and offline Hanfu sales exceeded 12 billion yuan (approximately US$1.6-1.7 billion) in 2024, commanding over 50% of the national market share. Online sales accounted for 8.75 billion yuan, while offline sales contributed 3 billion yuan. Within the online channel alone, from January to October 2024, Caoxian’s Hanfu online retail sales reached 6.87 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 17.8%.
Caoxian dominates the tourism Hanfu market: its market share reaches 90% in scenic areas of Kaifeng, Luoyang, and Qingzhou, and exceeds 70% in Xi’an, Qingdao, Dongping, and Xiangyang. The county has developed a complete industrial chain covering original design and development, copyright protection, tailoring and pattern-making, embroidery and printing, supplementary accessories, exhibition displays, internet marketing, and after-sales services. Caoxian products are sold across all major e-commerce platforms including Taobao, Tmall, JD.com, Pinduoduo, Douyin, Kuaishou, and Xiaohongshu.
3. Consumer Behavior and User Profile
3.1 Consumer Demographics
Hanfu consumers show a distinct demographic profile. Female users account for 70.2% of all Hanfu consumers, while consumers under 40 years old represent over 90%, with the 15-25 age group emerging as the primary consumption force.
3.2 Understanding and Awareness
Regarding consumer knowledge of Hanfu, 56.83% of consumers have a comparative understanding—capable of recognizing basic styles and common forms—while 20.24% have a general awareness, and 16.35% claim very deep knowledge covering almost all styles and classifications.
3.3 Purchase Channels
Nearly half of consumers (48.36%) purchase Hanfu in large shopping malls or retail centers, although the overall majority of consumers (over 50%) primarily use online channels.
3.4 Price Tolerance
Consumers demonstrate clear price preferences. The most acceptable price range is 301-500 yuan (approximately US$41-69), favored by 51.17% of consumers, followed by 151-300 yuan (approximately US$21-41) at 28.64%. Higher price points above 501 yuan (approximately US$69) account for only 17.37% combined, indicating that mid-range Hanfu dominates the market.
3.5 Purchase Decision Factors
When selecting Hanfu, style/form (50.70%) is the most prominent factor, followed by price (46.01%), production time (44.13%), brand (43.19%), and others’ recommendations (42.72%). Fabric and after-sales service rank lower, suggesting that aesthetic and formative qualities outweigh material considerations in consumer decisions.
3.6 Wearing Scenarios
Hanfu is worn across diverse contexts. Over 40% of consumers wear Hanfu during Hanfu-themed activities, artistic photography, and traditional festivals; 39.2% wear it while traveling and sightseeing; and 30.6% have incorporated Hanfu into their daily activities—a significant indication of normalization.
During the Qingming Festival (April 2024), surveys showed that 70.41% of Chinese consumers were willing to wear Hanfu for spring outings, driven by cultural identification and policy incentives such as scenic area entry fee waivers for Hanfu wearers.
4. E-Commerce Performance and Social Media Influence
4.1 Platform Data
Social media platforms have been instrumental in Hanfu’s mainstream expansion. On Douyin (Chinese TikTok), the #Hanfu topic generated approximately 115.64 billion cumulative views as of 2024. The #Mamianqun (horse-face skirt) topic accumulated approximately 23.7 billion views on Douyin, cementing its status as a “phenomenal” single item.
4.2 Sales Growth
E-commerce performance demonstrated extraordinary momentum throughout 2024:
- Spring Festival season: Caoxian reported over 300 million yuan (approximately US$41 million) in horse-face skirt sales.
- May Day holiday: Douyin e-commerce Hanfu sales volume increased by 389% year-on-year.
- 618 shopping festival: JD.com’s Hanfu category transaction volume grew over 900% year-on-year, while New Chinese-style apparel grew over 700%.
- Double 11 (Singles’ Day) period: New Chinese-style women’s wear and Hanfu transaction volumes grew by over 950% and 400% respectively on Douyin.
4.3 Monthly Performance
March 2024 saw notable spikes: Douyin e-commerce Hanfu sales volume increased 58% month-on-month (February to March) and 549% year-on-year; New Chinese-style apparel sales volume increased 136% month-on-month and 1,238% year-on-year.
4.4 Category Growth
Platform data indicates that over the past year, female consumers’ orders for horse-face skirts on Douyin increased by 841%, Hanfu orders increased by 336%, and New Chinese-style apparel orders increased by 195%.
5. Major Hanfu Events and Activities
5.1 Xitang Hanfu Culture Week
The 12th China National Costume Exhibition and Xitang Hanfu Culture Week was held from November 1-3, 2024, in Xitang Ancient Town, Zhejiang Province. The three-day, two-night event featured nearly 30 themed activities, attracting Hanfu enthusiasts (“tongpao”) from around the world. Since its inception, the event has cumulatively attracted over a million participants and generated more than 300 million yuan (approximately US$41 million) in related industry revenue.
5.2 Xitang Flower Appreciation Season
The “2024 Xitang Flower Appreciation Season · Hanfu Twelve Flower Fairies” was held on April 13-14, 2024, featuring the “Twelve Flower Fairies” parade in traditional Hanfu—a visual spectacle that attracted numerous cultural heritage enthusiasts and families.
5.3 Scenic Area Integration
Hanfu presence in Chinese scenic areas has become the norm. Caoxian Hanfu products are distributed in over 72 5A-level scenic areas across China. Scenic area Hanfu market penetration rates are especially high: 90% in Kaifeng, Luoyang, and Qingzhou; over 70% in Xi’an and other major tourist destinations.
6. Fashion Weeks and International Runway Presence
Hanfu has become a prominent feature in China’s major fashion events:
- 2025 China International Fashion Week (Fall): Held September 5-14 at Beijing’s 798 Art Zone, Beijing Exhibition Center, and Yanqi Lake International Convention Center. Themed “Radiance,” this top-tier fashion event showcased multiple Hanfu collections, including the “Lan’s Cloud Silks” show featuring intangible cultural heritage garments.
- 2025 First China Guofeng Fashion Week: Held October 13-15 in Zhongmou New District, Henan Province—hosted by the China National Garment Association. The event gathered guofeng brands, cultural tourism platforms, academic scholars, and diversified industries, presenting Chinese aesthetic confidence and promoting the garment industry’s evolution toward distinctively Chinese-style fashion.
Caoxian’s horse-face skirts have also gained international recognition, appearing at Chinese clothing design competitions and Milan Fashion Week.
2024 marked a significant year for Hanfu’s global reach. Caoxian’s Hanfu industry exported primarily horse-face skirts to over 10 countries and regions, including Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, and the United States and Europe through cross-border e-commerce platforms. The total export value of Caoxian Hanfu exceeded 100 million yuan (approximately US$13.8 million) in 2024.
On the social media front, the #Hanfu tag on TikTok generated approximately 1.6 billion views, and #hanfugirl surpassed 200 million views, reflecting substantial international interest and engagement with Hanfu culture. Additionally, Caoxian has established youth Hanfu societies in more than 10 countries, including the United Kingdom, France, and New Zealand.
According to consumer surveys, 44.86% of Hanfu consumers believe Hanfu helps “present Chinese traditional culture to the world,” while 45.36% affirm that Hanfu can help “inherit and promote Chinese traditional culture.”
7. Outlook
The Hanfu industry in 2025 is expected to show continued but moderating growth. Forecasts indicate the market could reach 19.11 billion yuan (approximately US$2.64 billion) in 2025. With annual production of 80 million pieces as of 2024 and a rapidly expanding user base, the sector is well-positioned for sustained growth in the coming years.
Key growth drivers include the increasing integration of Hanfu into daily wardrobe choices (daily wear is already the third most common wearing scenario at 30.6%) and growing international recognition of Hanfu as a symbol of Chinese cultural heritage and modern identity. As consumer demand for New Chinese-style apparel continues to rise and digital platforms further facilitate cultural dissemination, the Hanfu industry is poised for continued expansion into mainstream fashion both in China and globally.
This report is based on verifiable data from published sources including iiMedia Research, Xinhua News Agency, Qichacha enterprise registries, and major e-commerce platforms’ official data releases. All figures are presented as reported by these authoritative sources.