Urbonya poses with a fan.[Photo provided by Ma Xiaodong/Xinhua]
For JongMay Urbonya, hanfu is more than traditional Chinese attire — it's a bridge between cultures and a window into China's rich history. At 30, the American cultural influencer has garnered nearly half a million followers online with her passion for hanfu and love for Chinese traditions.
However, her journey is deeply intertwined with the story of her parents, who first planted seeds of cultural appreciation long before she discovered her connection to China.
Urbonya was born in 1994 in Dalian, a coastal city in Northeast China's Liaoning province, where her parents, originally from Wisconsin, worked as English teachers. They arrived in China in 1987, during the earlier stage of the country's reform and opening-up, motivated by a belief in the power of global understanding.
"My parents often reminisce about how the hospitality and kindness of the people in Dalian left a lifelong impression on them," Urbonya says, adding that "it was Chinese New Year when my parents first arrived, and despite being strangers in a foreign country, they were warmly invited to celebrate with Chinese families".
The couple quickly became embedded in their community, learning from the locals and contributing to cultural exchanges. Urbonya's father Tim also portrayed Edgar Snow in a 1994 television series adapted from the book Red Star Over China, when he visited revolutionary landmarks such as Yan'an, Shaanxi province.
"My dad told me that those years in Dalian were some of the most transformative of his life," Urbonya reflects. Inspired by his experiences, her father wrote a song titled I Am Chinese to celebrate the cities they had traveled to and his deep connection to the country.
The family's bond with Dalian was so profound that they gave her elder sister the Chinese name "Dalian" to honor the city and its people and JongMay name was given by combining the Chinese pronunciations for "China" and "US".
"My parents' love for China shaped the environment I grew up in," Urbonya says. "Even after we returned to the United States when I was 6, their appreciation for Chinese traditions continued to influence me."
JongMay Urbonya reads a book at Beihai Park in Beijing in September 2022.[Photo provided by Wei Mengjia/Xinhua]
She recalls evenings watching historical Chinese dramas and films with her parents as a child. "I didn't understand much Chinese back then, but the stories and historical settings captivated me," she says. Her parents also encouraged her to learn Mandarin and stay connected to her Chinese friends.
This upbringing ignited Urbonya's curiosity about her Chinese roots, eventually leading her back to the country.
"I wanted to experience China through my own eyes," she says, fluent in Mandarin. "My parents taught me to embrace curiosity and cultural exchange and I hoped to carry that legacy forward."
By the time Urbonya arrived in Beijing during high school and later in college to major in Chinese dance, the country was undergoing a revival of ancient traditions, with younger generations embracing its cultural heritage in modern ways.
From the growing popularity of hanfu to a resurging interest in classical Chinese arts like calligraphy and poetry, the revival provided her with the perfect backdrop to deepen her connection to China.
Over the years, her passion for hanfu, classical poetry and calligraphy grew into a successful career. Today, she creates content on social media platforms, including TikTok, Bilibili and Xiaohongshu, showcasing different facets of Chinese culture to a global audience.
"Hanfu reflects China's rich history and craftsmanship," she says. "It's a way to connect with the past while inspiring the present."
Her father's creative spirit and her parents' philosophy of cultural exchanges inspire her current job. From blending traditional Chinese crafts into modern contexts to showcasing dialects and local markets, Urbonya continues to promote understanding between cultures.
"Their stories about living in China during the 1990s, when material life was less abundant but human connections were intense, resonate deeply with me," she says. "I see their values in everything I do.
"I want to use my experiences to build meaningful bridges," she says. "Through hanfu and other traditions, I've learned that embracing different cultures gives us all riches, both materially and mentally."
