Recently, the “Rembrandt Day” event was held in the birthplace of famous painter Rembrandt in Leiden, Netherlands, where local residents dressed in retro clothing to participate in the event. Among the crowd, a group of East Asian faces wearing Hanfu (traditional Chinese clothing) caught people’s attention. They interacted with local residents and spread Chinese traditional culture, forming a beautiful picture of cultural fusion between East and West.
These East Asian faces wearing Hanfu were all members of the Dutch Hanfu Society, including Wang Danni, who was born in Luoyang. Recently, Wang returned to Luoyang to visit her relatives, and she told us the story of spreading Chinese traditional culture and promoting Luoyang in the Netherlands.
Because she loved Chinese traditional culture, she founded a Hanfu society abroad
Wang Danni, born in Xigong District,Luoyang,she is 35 years old this year. After high school, she went to the Netherlands to study and worked there after graduation.
“I studied folk dance when I was young, and my parents also liked Chinese traditional culture, so I was interested in Chinese traditional culture from an early age.”
Wang Danni said that after studying and working abroad, she transferred her longing for her hometown to Chinese traditional culture. On some Chinese traditional festivals, she would celebrate with other Chinese people. To make it more ceremonial, they would wear Hanfu and invite foreign friends to join the gathering, sharing Chinese traditional culture with them.
Over time, Wang Danni met many friends who loved Chinese traditional culture and liked to wear Hanfu. In 2018, she and her companions founded the Dutch Hanfu Society. In just a few years, the number of members of the Hanfu society has developed from several dozen people to over 300, all of whom are Chinese people studying or working in the Netherlands, spreading all over the Netherlands.
To do a good job of cultural promotion, she studied hard.
As the influence of the Dutch Hanfu Society grew, Wang Danni and her companions’ activities no longer limited to Chinese traditional festival gatherings.
When Chinese museums went on a tour in the Netherlands, Wang Danni and her companions would be invited to wear Hanfu and give free lectures at the museums. They also To better promote her hometown, she collected a lot of text and picture materials related to Luoyang, and showed them to foreigners during various activities. “Now, more and more countries have joined China’s ‘visa-free circle of friends’. I welcome everyone to come and take a look at my hometown,” she said. Under her invitation, many foreigners have developed a desire to visit Luoyang.
While promoting traditional Chinese culture and Luoyang, Wang Dan’i has also gained a sense of pride and gratitude.
“Working and living abroad, I can clearly feel that our motherland is becoming stronger and stronger, and the influence of our culture is also increasing. More and more foreigners are willing to learn about China and traditional Chinese culture,” Wang Dan’i said. This has given her a strong sense of pride, confidence, and a willingness to spread traditional Chinese culture and promote Luoyang even more.
Wang Danni’s husband was born in Wenzhou, and their son was born in the Netherlands. Under the influence of Wang Dan’i and her husband, the little boy not only speaks fluent Mandarin, but is also interested in traditional Chinese culture. He likes watching Chinese animated films and is fascinated by Chinese ancient poetry. He likes asking his mother about Chinese traditional festivals and historical figures. When he sees his mother wearing Hanfu, he will ask her all sorts of questions out of curiosity.
“It makes me very moved that my child identifies with and loves Chinese traditional culture. Teaching my child that he should never forget where his roots are is the strongest motivation for me to continue promoting Chinese traditional culture abroad,” Wang Dan’i said. (Reporter GuoZhiMing)
