Zheng Tao, director of Qianwei Hantang Apparel Co in Caoxian, displays yunjian, part of hanfu attire, to visitors. ZHAO RUIXUE/CHINA DAILY

"We conducted research on hanfu among college students, finding that eight out of every 10 students like hanfu, which represents big market potential," Zheng said.

He decided to return to run the business, as he knows that the complete costume industry chain in Caoxian will ensure easy access to the hanfu industry.

"What I need to do is create more original designs and make our brand known by more people," said Zheng, whose company now has five designers.

"They used to design ancient costumes for film actresses," he said, adding that these designers are familiar with history and culture, which will help them come up with good ideas for hanfu.

Another young entrepreneur, Yang Wei, manager of Caoxian Yunmu Apparel Co, has achieved impressive online sales of 5 million to 6 million yuan in just a few months through livestreaming.

A worker prints a hanfu pattern in Caoxian. CHINA DAILY

Yang expects to expand his brand to national and global markets.

With young people's efforts to create original designs and build brands, Daiji has rapidly entered the mid- and high-end hanfu market, claiming 30 percent of the hanfu sold via online platforms, data from the town government show.

There are plans to establish a hanfu research institution in Daiji to ensure that the industry in Caoxian achieves high-quality development.

Hanfu businesses in the town are also seeking to enter more overseas markets.

Li said, "As more and more foreigners and Chinese living overseas like hanfu, we are developing cross-border e-commerce platforms to expand our overseas markets."

In addition to staging promotions on e-commerce platforms, representatives from Daiji attend Chinese costume shows in countries such as Italy to promote the culture of traditional Chinese clothing.

"We will make more effort to develop the hanfu industry, which is a good way to vitalize our town and enrich residents' lives," Li added.