This styling of a blue dragon pattern cheongsam paired with twin braids represents the Chinese girl aesthetic I've been experimenting with recently. To embody that junior martial sister persona—blending martial world grit with spirited cuteness—I poured substantial thought into the hair, makeup, and wardrobe.
Starting with the outfit, this short-sleeved cheongsam features a mandarin collar, with golden dragon and cloud motifs woven across a blue ground to create a dignified classical weightiness. Red Chinese frog buttons brighten up the collar. To break the monotony of solid blue, I layered a wide red waist sash tied with white cord.
For the hair, alongside blunt straight bangs, I braided two thick plaits coiled into twin loops atop the head, accented at the sides with red-orange pom-poms and delicate white blossoms. The makeup centerpiece is the crimson floral huadian mark set between the brows; paired with a soft wash of red eyeshadow blended along the outer eye corners, it gives the gaze an expressive spirit—resembling a fledgling warrior in a wuxia novel, unyielding and headstrong.
The greatest hurdle of this shoot was undoubtedly the prop. The longsword carried noticeable weight, and holding it couldn't look casual, or it would read like holding a fire poker. In the first shot, I held the blade horizontally across my chest with both hands and raised elbows to signal a defensive stance primed for counterattack. Lightly cupping the blade with my left hand required precise distance control to appear natural without actually touching the sharp edge.
The second and third frames explored shifting focal points. The second utilized perspective foreshortening, pointing the tip directly into the lens; paired with my direct gaze, it carried an aggressive, interactive punch. The third frame set the sword aside to pinch a green leaf between my fingers, paired with fluttering red ribbons to evoke a lighter, more carefree mood.
Outdoor lighting was inherently unpredictable, as dappled sun under tree branches easily cast strange shadows across the face. The photographer tested various exposure setups, ultimately using a wide aperture to melt the background into soft bokeh, turning the green forest into painterly color patches to make the subject and golden embroidery pop.
The red ribbons were the soul of the set. To breathe kinetic motion into a still frame, the ribbons had to fly. We tried numerous takes on site—sometimes whipped by hand, other times caught by the breeze. The ribbon couldn't obscure the face while perfectly dividing the composition, demanding impeccable shutter timing. The red-and-blue contrast is timeless: fluttering red silk not only injected vitality, but also formed harmonious color echoes with the hair accessories, frog buttons, and sash.
The entire shoot was physically demanding, especially hoisting a steel blade while maintaining a razor-sharp gaze, which definitely left my arms aching. Yet seeing that dramatic tension born from traditional Chinese elements clashing with Anime-style photography amidst shifting light and shadow made everything worthwhile.
In posing, I avoided overly demure stances; even when picking a flower with a smile, the curve of my wrists maintained a poised sense of strength. Through these frames, I hoped to reveal a Chinese girl who possesses classical grace alongside the heroic mettle of a modern young woman. The park setting with stone steps and trees provided an authentic rustic touch, harmonizing with the traditional elements. Chinese style photography and Wuxia-style photography bridge classical artistic conception with contemporary aesthetics, and every nuance from garments to props requires heartfelt intention. I look forward to exploring more diverse styles ahead.