The centuries-old Nantou Ancient Town in Nanshan District, where history meets modernity after renovation, was transformed into a runway and a glamorous fashion party Monday afternoon as models strutted and sashayed in outfits from the Fall/Winter 2023 Collection of fashion brand HUI, a sub-brand of Shenzhen fashion designer Zhao Huizhou’s Dalang Fashion Town-based Eachway Fashion Group.

The event, a part of the ongoing A/W 2023 Shenzhen Fashion Week, gathered together celebrities, fashion industry figures and influencers including former Olympic champion Xie Xingfang and famous TV host Shen Mengchen.

Former Olympic champion Xie Xingfang (2nd R) and famous TV host Shen Mengchen (L) during a runway show at Nantou Ancient Town in Nanshan District on Monday. Photos by Lin Jianping

The runway show’s theme was “Ballad of Mulan,” a folk song believed to have been composed during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–535) depicting the legend of Hua Mulan, a beautiful girl who disguised herself as a soldier to go to war in place of her father.

Accompanied by powerful drumbeats, the show kicked off with a recitation of the “Ballad of Mulan” read by a little girl dressed up as General Hua Mulan. Following the performance, the runway show was opened by Lu Xianren, who rose to fame for modeling his DIY high fashion looks on social media.

“Our A/W collection revolves around the heroine Hua Mulan, who proved that women are as brave and strong as men to sacrifice themselves for the nation. The theme echoes the genderless fashion trend,” Zhao Huizhou told Shenzhen Daily in an exclusive interview prior to the show.

Zhao, who has been endeavoring for years to inject new life into China’s intangible cultural heritage through fashion, continued that she also hopes to bring people’s attention to the global universal issue of “women’s equal rights.” “Although we’re telling Chinese stories through fashion, we want to talk about a topic that concerns people from around the world.”

According to Zhao, the runway show was not a one-off trip, but visitors can fully immerse themselves in a grand fashion carnival featuring art exhibitions, a charity bazaar and cocktail parties. Additionally, visitors can have a glimpse of HUI’s previous collections released during Milan Fashion Week, including the S/S 2020 Collection “Chinese Legend” and S/S 2023 Collection “Mother Butterfly.”

Zhao said that she was impressed by the scale and influence of this year’s Shenzhen Fashion Week. “The diverse events such as showrooms and shopping festivals have brought great vitality to the city, which is the power of fashion,” Zhao added.

The first Shenzhen Fashion Week was held in 2015; and from 2020, it adopted an international schedule to include two sessions each year, specifically Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter.