Hanfu - the layered, wide-sleeved robes worn before the twentieth century - has come back as everyday clothing for a generation of young Chinese, and in Beijing it has produced a small industry of costume rental and portrait photography. The shops cluster in the streets immediately north and east of the Forbidden City, around Jingshan and Nanluoguxiang, because the grey-brick walls, red gates and long sightlines of the old city are the backdrop everyone wants.
How a shoot works
A typical booking covers a costume, a hair and makeup stylist, and a photographer for two to four hours, either as a package or as three separate charges. You choose the dynasty and the cut from racks of samples, get dressed in a changing room at the shop, and then walk with the photographer to one or two locations - the moat outside the Forbidden City, the corner towers, Jingshan Park, or the temple courtyards at the Temple of Heaven. Packages of a few hundred to a couple of thousand yuan are normal depending on costume quality and editing. Files arrive by mobile transfer a few days later, already retouched.
What to check before you pay
Ask how many edited images are included and how long the raw files stay available, because that is where the pricing differences hide. Confirm whether the costume price is for the day or for the shoot, and whether deposit is returned on the spot when the robes come back. Sizes are cut for Chinese body types, so tall or broad guests should ask specifically rather than being handed the largest rack. Shops near the Forbidden City are busiest at weekends and through the autumn; a weekday morning booking is calmer and the light is better.
Practical notes
If you plan to enter the Forbidden City itself, tickets are sold online in advance with a daily cap and sell out over holidays - hanfu is permitted inside, but staff may ask you to keep long sleeves away from the roped-off displays. Costume shoots are also perfectly possible at the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace and the Great Wall, and several shops will travel to those sites for an extra fee. Bring your own shoes and keep a warm layer underneath in winter, because the courtyards are cold.
