Yeah, we thought it sounded mad to the max as well, until we saw the fantastical futuristic creations of Lao Ba Ba, who seamlessly meshes her love for traditional Chinese dress with techwear-hemlined with hints of ancient wisdom. Reporting on the business of luxury in China, Jing Daily wrote in October 2020 how the cyberpunk style had “unexpectedly gone mainstream in China’s post-COVID fashion scene. The launch of the video game stirred up enthusiasm among China’s youngsters, and it has turned cyberpunk from a subculture trend to a mainstream one almost overnight. Cyberpunk 2077, the style is likely to enter China’s mainstream. On May 27 this year, fans received leaked news that Cyberpunk 2077: Expansion is slated for release in 2023. Joy to the world. A bit far-fetched, perhaps, but we’ll see. What we have already spotted, is the one vlogger’s idea of lending traditional hanfu (汉服| hàn fú in Chinese), meaning Han Chinese dress, silk cheongsam a futuristic edge. With many Chinese cities once again climbing their way out of a COVID-19 resurgence at the time of yours truly writing this, and the nation still largely disconnected from the rest of the world, will the current sense of escapism spark renewed interest in a dash of cyber dressing? Cyberpunk 2077 is an action role-playing video game developed and published by CD Projekt. Blade Runner 1982, the style that inspired the future. It sold 13.7 million copies in its first three weeks of release back in December 2020-no wonder when you consider Keanu Reeves stars in it. By April this year, the game had sold over 18 million copies worldwide. Cyberpunk 2077 is set in the future, but draws on influences from the 1982 classic Blade Runner, and manga series-more like media franchise, we’d dare say-Ghost in the Shell, which first aired in 1989. Turns out Chinese consumers were digging it. Cyberpunk, a science-fiction subgenre characterized by countercultural antiheroes trapped in a dehumanized, high-tech future. The word “cyberpunk” was coined by writer Bruce Bethke, who wrote a short story with the title in 1983. Cyberpunk fashion (or “techwear”), then, is heavily influenced by films like Johnny Mnemonic, Blade Runner, and The Matrix and could be interpreted as being “futuristic gothic fashion” and involves trench coats, boots, shiny black clothing, tech-inspired materials, glow-in-the-dark “stuff” and colored dreads for all those in dire need. As a style, cyberpunk ( 赛博朋克| sài bó péng kè in Chinese) generally is dark and post-apocalyptic and draws on hacking, futuristic DIY, and anti-authoritarian motifs. Being part of a subversive culture, the cyberpunk style does not follow a specific set of rules – leaving plenty of room for self-expression. While subgenres also include steampunk, cybergoth, and post-apocalyptic styles, cyberpunk fashion is about having a punk attitude and wearing the style to match it in cyberspace. It’s about pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable and defining your own reality in a world where the virtual is as real. Meet Lao Ba Ba (老八捌| Lǎo Bā Bā), the post-95 photography teacher with an immense heart for hanfu. And on that note, we enter the YouTube-verse of Lao Ba Ba. YouTube channel (simply 老八捌) and on Weibo, China’s Twitter. The inspiration for above creation came from a Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) Emperor Qianlong porcelain art piece now on display in the National Museum of China. The whole artwork contains the meaning of “the sea is calm, the rivers are clear, and the country is peaceful.” Beautifully crafted and painted, the piece symbolizes the peak of Qianlong porcelain. Qianlong-inspired. Image: Lao Ba Ba. Lao Ba Ba combined the ancient national treasure with futuristic science fiction, a cyan Qing costume, a tian-tsui crown, tian-tsui meaning “the art of kingfisher feather inlay,” and golden nail guards. Steampunk (蒸汽朋克| zhēng qì péng kè) style mixes the beauty of Western European clothing with that dusty, austere, strict, cold and scientific feel of fiction literature and the technological revolution. The details lie in the headgear and makeup design: two swallows bring a sense of times long gone and the lines, all painted on in exquisite and sharp manner, highlight a taste of the future of technology. Steampunk started in the 1970s as a type of literature. The steampunk aesthetic is inspired by the fashions of the Victorian Era in England (1837-1901), but also by the Belle Époque in France (1871-1914) and the Civil War era in the United States (1861-1865). The clothing from these eras is often modernized by the addition of mechanical elements-all gears on show. It was thought of as a sub-genre of science fiction and its authors imagined a world in which Victorian-era fashion and technology existed in modern times. Lao Ba Ba created one furiously fierce eyecatcher meshing Tang Dynasty (618-907) makeup and steampunk aesthetics. Add to this the many small details of the “steam era,” such as the small gear patch under the eyes, clock elements, and so on. A Tang round neck collar robe (團領| tuán lǐng) ties in with a more Lolita inspired dress design. Another one of her creative references channels the early Tang’s subtle and gentle makeup palette. Aligning past and present. Tang top with a sense of technology: oh yea, she’s going there! Tang techno top: check. Hanfu aside, Lao Ba Ba’s channel also comes with an “urban anthropomorphic” series. A light layer of lead-not too gentle, we’d dare say-powder on the face and a sweep of rouge intended to bring out the woman’s most natural beauty. Her first stop was Chang’an (长安 as seen in the pic), the ancient city now basking in neon lights. Better known to us mere modern mortals as Xi’an, home of the Terracotta Warriors, Chang’an was the bustling capital of the Tang Dynasty as well as the capital of 13 dynasties for 1,000 years, with a total of 73 emperors ruling it. Lao Ba Ba’s hairstyle here refers to the popular double-ringed Tang bun (望仙九鬟髻| wàng xiān jiǔ huán jì) featuring a pomegranate, the official flower of Xi’an, pin. The Tang referred to the metropolis avant-la-lettre as Chang’an. Lao Ba Ba puts a lot-a lot- of time, effort and passion into her creations. She’s wearing a classic qixiong ruqun (齐胸襦裙| qí xiōng rúqún), a short jacket characterized by a high waistline and worn under a long skirt. Whether cyberpunk will return to the mainstream (in whatever modern shape or ancient style) or not, her concoctions are indeed lit.