One of the 76 photos in a story-telling slideshow produced by a group of Hanfu (traditional Han Chinese clothing) buffs in Chongqing, southwestern China. [Photo: tianya.cn]

Through the use of modern technology, a group of traditional culture revivalists are gaining supporters.

A "photo film" produced by some Hanfu (traditional Han Chinese clothing) buffs in southwestern China's Chongqing Municipality is the latest focus of Chinese Internet users, Chongqing Evening News reported on Monday.

"Photo film" refers to a sequence of photos and captions that tell a story, Yang Yanyue, a 22-year-old college student, explains the genre of her work, "A Book of Three Ages," in the Chongqing Evening News report.

The Hanfu fanatic from Chongqing Normal University has teamed up with a dozen other Hanfu enthusiasts to make "A Book of Three Ages," a slideshow that features 76 photos of Hanfu-clad amateur actors portraying an ancient love tragedy.

All the actors and producers are members of a local Han-culture group, Yang said.

"A photo film is much less costly than a real film, and it's a good way for us to catch the audiences' attention and promote Han culture," Yang told the newspaper, adding that the entire film cost only the tiny amount of 500 yuan (US$70).

Yang uploaded the photos last week on Tianya.cn, one of the most popular Chinese-language forums. So far, it has attracted hundreds of comments.

"Very good. It's a very innovative idea," a viewer named "Princess Cherry" wrote. "The story is a tragedy; but the costumes look nice," another wrote.

Yang says her team is planning to polish the photo film with more sophisticated characters and more of the highlights of Hanfu costumes.

One of the 76 photos in a story-telling slideshow produced by a group of Hanfu (traditional Han Chinese clothing) buffs in Chongqing, southwestern China. [Photo: tianya.cn]

(CRI February 26, 2008)