Flower girl in ancient Chinese attire along West Lake banks in E China's Hangzhou becomes popular on internet

(ECNS) -- The flower girl wearing ancient Chinese attire along the West Lake banks in east China’s Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, becomes popular on the internet.

The girl, adorned in the elegant attire of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), holds a delicate bamboo fan, gracefully wafting it to and fro, carrying a basket laden with lotus flowers on her back.

Her friend, a young man named Yiqing, is clad in attire reminiscent of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and carries a bamboo pole adorned with a basket teeming with budding lotus flowers. At the other end of the bamboo pole, an umbrella, lantern and a box for carrying miscellaneous goods dangle gracefully.

The "Song Dynasty" maiden is Chen Xiyue, a graduate from China Academy of Art majoring in culture relic protection and restoration. According to Chen, this is a public benefit activity, wanting to interact with passersby by distributing lotus flowers, and bestowing blessings of good fortune.

“I didn’t expect that I became popular on the internet, but I think it is not I who has gained popularity, but rather the timeless allure of traditional Chinese culture itself," said Chen.

Chen said she was inspired by the flower peddlers of the Song Dynasty. “It would be very romantic and interesting if the flower peddlers travel to today’s world.”

Then she, together with her friend, started their plan, with a route connecting the Xiling Bridge and the Nanshan Campus of China Academy of Arts. “We just want to do something romantic so we bought lotus flowers to welcome a romantic summer together,” said Chen.

Chen said she could feel that Chinese people’s identification with China's traditional aesthetics was deepening. “Both Yiqing and I are very happy to let more people to feel the unique romance brought by the West Lake and our country."

She said the reason why the activity gained the public’s attention can be attributed to the country’s support for traditional Chinese culture and it is also close to many people’s years of unremitting efforts to study and promote traditional culture.

“Excellent traditional Chinese culture is our treasure and the romance that belongs to Chinese people,” she said, adding that it has become a spiritual prop to motivate her to keep learning and carrying forward it.