The city of Xian in western China – renowned as the country’s ancient capital and home of the Terracotta Army – has long been a prime destination for tourists from home and abroad. But Chang Youli, a stylist of traditional Chinese clothing (hanfu) based in the city, has noticed many people are joining her trade to cater to a particular type of traveller.
“Thanks to government promotions, the tourism industry here has grown, and more people are coming to experience hanfu,” said Chang, who now runs her own make-up studio. “It has inevitably led to more competition, but it also helps more people know about our culture.”
Tourists visiting Xian’s city wall or other heritage sites often spend half a day or more dressing up, applying make-up and posing with notable landmarks. A cottage industry has developed to meet this new demand, employing costumiers, make-up artists and photographers – with some enterprising minds packaging these services together for an all-in-one experience.
Roughly 306 million trips were made to the city last year, generating tourism income of 376 billion yuan, a year-on-year growth of 10.3 per cent and 12.3 per cent, respectively.
