A few days ago, I heard a somewhat strange story from an acquaintance.
It was said that social media (SNS) was in an uproar as a video of a person wearing traditional Chinese clothing was posted untimely in famous overseas tourist destinations, including Osaka, Japan.
In fact, a Chinese male influencer's Osaka cosplay recently became a hot topic on social media.
This man, who introduced himself as a 'Chinese culture propagator', dressed in costumes reminiscent of Chinese historical dramas and took photos and videos while touring Osaka's representative tourist attractions such as Osaka Castle and Dotonbori.
At Osaka Castle, they took pictures with tourists wearing traditional Chinese costumes with the castle in the background, and appeared dressed in armor near the Dotonbori Glico Statue.
There were many requests from tourists to take pictures together at the site.
As these videos and photos spread through social media, there were mixed views, with those viewing it as a personal activity to promote Chinese culture and those expressing discomfort with using Japan's iconic historical and tourist attractions as a background for Chinese cultural content.
In particular, it was pointed out that if such filming was repeated in places that symbolize Japan to overseas tourists, such as Osaka Castle and Dotonbori, the historical and cultural context of the place and the image of Chinese clothing could be consumed together.
Local online reactions continued, โWhy do you confuse people by wearing Chinese costumes at historical sites in other countries?โ
This controversy is not limited to Japan.
Recently, similar unfamiliar scenes have been witnessed one after another in the Gyeongbokgung Palace and Gwanghwamun areas in Seoul.
Chinese tourists wearing 'Hanfu', a traditional Chinese costume, are taking photos and videos with the Joseon palace in the background.
A man dressed in clothes reminiscent of a Chinese emperor even appeared walking on the Gwanghwamun Woldae.
The video they filmed is quickly spreading through Chinese social media such as Weibo and Xiaohongshu.
If it is simply a matter of foreigners traveling wearing their own countryโs clothes, there is no reason to fight.
There is no problem if a traveler wears Hanbok and walks around the Eiffel Tower in Paris or Times Square in New York. Individuals are basically free to choose what clothes to wear.
However, coincidentally, the influencers who appeared in both countries are all tall, which stands in sharp contrast to the average person.
It is enough to raise questions about whether or not it is intentional due to its appearance, which is bound to be easily noticed anywhere.
Moreover, the story is a little different in historical places such as Osaka Castle or Gyeongbokgung Palace.
For example, Gyeongbokgung Palace is a representative cultural heritage symbolizing the Joseon Dynasty.
If a video shot wearing traditional Chinese clothing against the backdrop of that place is spread around the world without any explanation, there is a possibility that the cultural background of the clothes and the place will be disturbed.
In fact, when a comprehensive TV news team showed foreign tourists a video of Hanfu wearing at Gyeongbokgung Palace and asked what kind of clothing it was, some French and Italian tourists responded that it was 'Hanbok'.
This means that in the eyes of foreigners who are unfamiliar with Hanfu and Hanbok, the setting of a Korean palace can be an important clue in determining the identity of a costume.
What is noteworthy is the meaning that Hanfu has recently gained in China.
The 'Hanfu movement' that we commonly refer to today is not a continuation of the clothing that has been in the same form for thousands of years, but is more in the nature of a traditional clothing revival movement that began in earnest around the Internet in the early 2000s.
The problem is that in this process, Hanfu went beyond simple fashion and became a means of expressing China's cultural identity.
However, experts believe that it is not necessary to take the approach of banning the wearing of Hanfu at Gyeongbokgung Palace or Osaka Castle.
This is because if we start controlling clothing, it could lead to another controversy.
Editor-in-chief Jang Gui-yong of the cultural magazine โMonthly Cityโ analyzes that it is difficult to view the recent Hanfu content that has appeared in Gyeongbokgung Palace and Osaka Castle as merely a fashion trend.
The idea is that the concept of the โChinese nationโ, which has been emphasized in China since the 2000s, and the cultural pride of the younger generation should be examined together.
Editor-in-Chief Jang said, "During the Cultural Revolution, much of China's traditional culture and cultural heritage was damaged, and as China grew economically, interest in traditional culture and history grew rapidly. During this process, the concept of the 'Chinese nation', which binds the history of not only the Han Chinese but also various ethnic groups and dynasties into one Chinese history, began to be strongly emphasized."
He believed that this view of history could also influence the way people view the cultures of neighboring countries.
In particular, it was analyzed that the emergence of social media has made this phenomenon more noticeable.
Editor-in-Chief Jang said, "In the past, it ended with an individual taking a photo at a travel destination, but now a single photo or video becomes content exposed to hundreds of thousands or millions of people." He added, "The act of creating content by wearing clothes reminiscent of Chinese emperors or generals at places that symbolize the history of each country, such as Gyeongbokgung Palace or Osaka Castle, can be perceived as having a different meaning from simple tourist photos."
Lastly, he expressed concern that unreasonable attempts by young Chinese influencers may continue in the future.
