The designer is very perfect

Hu Xiaodan was born in Beijing in July 1958 , who  started to  love painting from his childhood. Because of his big head, his mother often joked with him: “You are not afraid of raining because of the big head while others have umbrella."

At the age of five, he thought white lime was as lovely as snow and  went to walk in the white lime, as a result his feet were nearly sawed. We can know in this photo that he didn't draw the lessons although his feet were packed with thick gauze. Self narration: That goes back to 1968 when I was ten, I used to have a green army cap. During  that times, around one billion Chinese people were keen on wearing the same  military uniform. One night, there were several ten boys who are much older  than me rush abruptly and snatched my army cap. Even to the extend that they  gave me a relentlessly thrashing, and  my head was struck by stones so that I got three and four bumps on my forehead. My whole body seemed like having  undergone a hailstorm that  blotted out totally… Those boys seized my army cap and slunk in triumph. Tears streamed from my eyes in silence all the way home…It was not because of every bone  in my body seemed  to ache but because of losing my treasured cap. Nowadays,  people will not comprehend why those boys got into a fight only because  of an army cap, so they will not understand how the ten years old boy shed copious  tears  because of losing his own army cap likewise… It is a tragedy that around one billion Chinese people’s infatuation for costumes indeed has reached an extent of frenzy! However, the tragedy derives from an earnest love, which surpasses the aesthetic category! The reason is that the elements Chinese integrate into costumes have been transcended the sphere of costumes. It was the love for the army cap that became the inspiration for costume design. He was like to go to the Museum Palace (The Forbidden City) in the middle school period. Although the price of a ticket for five cents can exchange a best frozen sucker, he was willing to give up the frozen sucker in order to go to the Museum Palace. After graduation from senior high school in January ,1977, he went to a village to practise (Guanyintang Village, Wangsiying Primitive Commune, Beijing) and became an educated young farmer coming from a city, who was known as "educated youth" at that time. The photo of Hu Xiaodan wearing the best clothing in the practice period. As an educated youth with the most workpoints, he could  get 28 cents everyday (6 cents  could be remained after he bought 1kg maize meal). However, those days were bitterly sweet. In the period of practice, drawing was the best rest in the vacation of Labor Day on May 1st The first college entrance examination after opening and reform was held at the end of 1977. According to the government policy, school youth were gave 15 days to go back to Beijing to prepare for this examination. This photo describes that he was looking at the list of names posted up of other colleges on the day after the examination ended. In January 1978, he was enrolled in the Department of Arts of the Central Drama Institute, majoring in stage design. The above is the first stage design schoolwork at college in the first half year of 1978. At that time, he just knew a little about stage design. The underside is the first stage design schoolwork of one-act play in the second half year of 1978. It looks childish today but novel at that time. During the period of college, he kept the champion of 3000-meter race and the runner-up of 5000-meter race for several years at that time, showing outstanding performance in “middle-distance and long-distance run” in PE class. “Keep on and keep on”is  not only the sport spirit but also his life idea. It can be said that it is the professional study that established the foundation of working in art and cultivated interest in many other art professions. He keep good relationship with his classmates of other departments as yet. In 1980s, he often goes to different places to sketch and collect material at that time, which is the initial accumulation of Chinese folk culture. He started to study Chinese style costume design from 1983 and got to prepare source material; he started to create “Bright China”, a theme costume design, officially from 1987 to 1989, and completed a series of works constantly, which included creation, commentary, stage design, costume design, image design, lighting design, set design and music editing. The large-scale creation of “Bright China” took exquisite Chinese opera culture legacy as the source material to bring a wonderful state of mind that is beyond the time and could not be created by mankind uniquely. Together with “fashion”, “personality”, “self-esteem” and “confidence” today, it not only reflects the profound connotation of Chinese opera arts and traditional aesthetics, but also maps a charming and unique realm with lofty quality. It stirred up the society greatly, especially the fashion circle, which played a promoting role in the future development of Chinese style clothing. Although it was the work created in 1980s, it is still fashionable today with the “the charm of supreme international clothing with limited edition”. The large-scale costume design show “Bright China” was performed completely in Beijing Fashion Week in 1989, arousing great concern from all communities. Later, “Bright China” was performed in Beijing International Trade Center, Beijing VIP Building Restaurant, Tianjin Gymnasium, Kunming Grand Theater, Shanghai Hilton Hotel and Zhuhai, etc., being the largest personal fashion show in China at that time. He has been invited to perform in Sydney City Hall in Australia, Germany and so on. In 1996, when he was invited to attend Europe Fashion Center Symposium, “Bright China” was put on in the symposium, stirring up the center greatly. Therefore, it was regarded as the fashion design with best market potential. Some members even wanted to propose cooperation with him to launch the design in European and American markets. Mr. Hu Xiaodan still studies moderately on Chinese costume culture with unique creation to promote Chinese costume culture. “Bright China Costume Designed by Hu Xiaodan” is the work bringing important impact on Chinese fashion circle. In 1980s, the whole domestic market followed Western style blindly. Those who studied Chinese culture only focused on the folk culture (“local” culture). Practitioners in fashion circle even regarded stuff of “minority culture” as the “national culture” wrongly...Mr. Hu Xiaodan proposed that “we have to explore deeply on this ‘Loess Land’! But, there should be more valuable treasures beneath the ‘Loess Land’!” Mr. Hu Xiaodan grasps and demonstrates the mainstream image of Chinese fashion culture with his own creations, which have been identified as “rich commercial values” by international fashion circle. Some professionals in international fashion circle used to request to develop the commercial value of Hu’s design, so as to make it a brand of high-class costumes and symbol of nobleness to serve the international uppertendom…However, Mr. Hu Xiaodan didn’t accept it as he still regards “Bright China” as a “work of art”. He has  never sold his costume design and carried out commercial development. He has held individual fashion show several times since 1989. “Bright China: large-scale show of Chinese costume design by Hu Xiaodan” in 1991 showed nearly 400 sets of costumes designed by Hu Xiaodan, receiving warm greeting of audience and wide praise of media.

The Screen bearing the inscription "Be open and candid"
in the Palace of Heavenly Purity

TThere are many red-painted doors, decorated withTbeast faces and large gilt nailheads. Chinese legend has it that the dragon has nine sons, with totally different dispositions. TThe Beast face on the doors is believed to be one of the sons, TJiao Tu, who always prefers to have doors shut (and so is considered to be a good choice for guarding the doors ). TAnd there are 9 rows and 9 linesTof nailheads on each doorTfor 9 is believed to be a luckyTnumber and is frequentlyTused by the imperialTfamily.

Incense burner decorated with swirling dragons in the Hall of Supreme Harmony

TThis well-reputed "Colored Aigrette China" was made in Jing De Zhen, Tthe most famous china-making town, Tin middle tolate Kang Xi Period, Qing Dynasty. It is Ta timeless masterpiece and  processes a graceful beauty.

The moving forbidden city Costumes