Chinese people refer to themselves as "descendants of China" or "children of Huaxia," and they call overseas Chinese "overseas Chinese."
What exactly are “Hua” and “Xia”? The term “Huaxia” first appeared in the Book of Documents of the Zhou Dynasty: “Huaxia and the barbarians, none of them did not submit” (Li Min & Wang Jian, 2012: 167).
According to Wang Li of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Peking University, in the fourth edition of his dictionary of commonly used classical Chinese published in 2011, Huaxia is defined as the ancient name for the Han Chinese (see Wang Li, 2011: 151). In ancient times, Hua meant flower, extending to mean magnificent and beautiful. Xia also means large.
The Zuo Zhuan, in the tenth year of Duke Ding, states: "China is called Xia because of its great rites and ceremonies; it is called Hua because of its beautiful clothing and adornments."1
Therefore, China has been known as the "nation of etiquette and manners" and the "land of propriety" since ancient times.
Traditional clothing and etiquette are symbols of Chinese civilization. Chinese clothing developed and was passed down for over four thousand years, from the time of the Yellow Emperor's ascension to the throne to the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. It disappeared due to the Qing dynasty's forced hair-shaving and clothing reforms, but began to revive in the early 21st century. Overseas Chinese have also become an important group in the Hanfu revival movement.
Malaysia is a multicultural country. Malaysian Chinese, living in diverse cultural environments, are more likely to have a strong sense of cultural identity. Clothing is a symbol and manifestation of ethnic identity; just as one can see Malays wearing baju kebayas and Indians wearing saree everywhere in Malaysia. Malaysians generally consider the cheongsam to be traditional Chinese clothing, and even the Malaysian Tourism Board describes it as such on its official website.
Hanfu, which disappeared over 300 years ago, is unfamiliar to Malaysian Chinese. Starting in 2007, the Hanfu movement from China gradually spread to Malaysia. A group of young people knowledgeable about Hanfu history—Jiang Zhifa, Zheng Meirong, Li Zhenhe, and Chen Xuxing—discovered the Chinese Hanfu movement online. Thus, the Malaysian Hanfu movement officially began, with the Malaysian Youth Movement's Taman Sri Petaling branch becoming the first organization to initiate it. Under the promotion of the Malaysian Youth Movement's Taman Sri Petaling branch, the Malaysian Hanfu movement has developed for seventeen years.
They started with Hanfu (traditional Han clothing) in an effort to revitalize Han culture. The revival of Hanfu is not limited to clothing; it complements etiquette and spirit, progressing layer by layer, representing a rational inheritance of cultural heritage. After seventeen years of effort, various organizations and groups across Malaysia now support and participate in promoting the Hanfu movement. Examples include the Sabah Dongyangchao Education Club, the Sabah Chinese Culture Association, the Malaysian Confucian Studies Association, and the Da Lüqin Academy, among others. Compared to Hanfu movements in other overseas countries, the Hanfu movement in Malaysia is rather unique.
The early Hanfu movement in Malaysia was primarily a cultural revival movement promoted by existing local organizations. (See Appendix 10) After several years of development in Malaysia, the Malaysian Chinese Culture Promotion Association was founded in 2013 by a group of people passionate about Chinese culture. This association aims to promote Chinese culture through "wearing Hanfu and practicing Han etiquette." This demonstrates the increasing number of organizations in Malaysia responding to the Hanfu movement; however, this paper focuses on the Malaysian Youth Movement's Taman Sri Petaling branch. The main reason is that the Taman Sri Petaling branch, as a pioneer of the Hanfu movement in Malaysia, has been developing for seventeen years and holds considerable influence among local organizations promoting Hanfu.
References are from a thesis by Qu Huier, Department of Chinese Language and Literature, Han Chiang College, entitled "The Current Development Status of the Hanfu Movement in Malaysia: A Study of the Sri Petaling Branch of the Malaysian Youth Movement".