• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.519-529
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• 2022

This research analyzed the characteristics of Hanfu street snaps in the Chinese version of TikTok to determine the development and meaning of Hanfu. Based on grounded theory, this study selected 102 representative cases by sorting Hanfu street snaps on TikTok according to popularity. Subsequently, through open coding, the cases were organized and summarized into five main categories. The findings are as follows: 1) The national cultural pride has enabled a greater number of Hanfu fans and groups to upload short videos promoting the Hanfu movement on TikTok to expand the influence of the activities and popularize cultural knowledge. 2) The users attempted cross-cultural communication by participating in cultural festivals in Western countries wearing Hanfu. 3) The 'See now buy now' function of TikTok enables numerous Hanfu merchants to upload short videos about Hanfu products to promote their products and boost sales. 4) As 'gamification' affects everyday life, computer game enthusiasts among them wear Hanfu in the form of role-playing. 5)As a unique "meme" phenomenon on TikTok, wearing Hanfu to make interesting videos has also become a form of entertainment. Thus, although the characteristics of Hanfu street snaps on TikTok originated from the transmission of Hanfu culture, the culture has now been transformed through social media into symbolic consumption and play culture.