Hanfu Beijing

Begründung der Jury

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China /// China
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Glory Through the Ages: the Culture of Hanfu offers almost everything you might expect from Chinese book design: the warm, rich colours; the fabric paper that echoes the featured garments; the contemporary interpretation of traditional Chinese clothing; the typical vertical arrangement; the folding of the paper; the wire bookbinding technique; the vivid contrast between gold foil stamping and rough corrugated paper.

This book presents the 3,000-year-old culture of Chinese hanfu, traditional Chinese clothing that has been defined by different styles over the years. In numerous pictures, more than 50 sets of hanfu are shown from different angles. To discover the individual views, the reader has to unfold the pages – a reference to the folds and multiple layers of the clothing. The result is an interactive aspect that not only gives you the feeling of unravelling a mystery but also regulates the pace of your reading.

The complexity of the design matches the complexity and scope of the content. Fitting several thousand years of history into a single book in an appealing and enjoyable way is a challenging task. Unpacking the book and unfolding the pages gives you time to appreciate this artful work.