Clothing is a product worn on the human body for protection and decoration, and its synonyms are "clothes" and "clothes". In ancient China, it was called "clothes under petticoats". In the broadest sense, clothing covers not only the trunk and limbs, but also the hands (gloves), feet (shoes, sandals, boots) and head (hat). The origin of clothing has appeared in the early stage of the development of human society. Ancient people used all kinds of materials that could be found around them to make rough "clothes" to protect themselves. The earliest clothes of mankind were made of animal skins, and the earliest "fabric" that wrapped the body was made of hemp fiber and grass. In primitive society, people began to have simple textile production, collecting wild textile fibers and weaving them for use. With the development of agriculture and animal husbandry, the number of artificially cultivated textile materials has gradually increased, and the tools for making clothing have also developed from simple to complex, and there are more and more varieties of clothing materials. The raw materials, weave structure and production method of fabric determine the form of clothing. Clothing with simple structure can only be made of rough and hard fabrics, and it is possible to make complex and contoured clothing with softer and thinner fabrics. The oldest clothing is a belt, which is used to hang necessary items such as weapons. The leather, leaves and braids on the belt are the early skirts. Ancient clothing types Ancient clothing can be generally divided into two basic types: ① Block material type: it consists of a large piece of clothing that has not been sewn, wrapped or hung on the body, sometimes tied with a belt. For example, clothes worn by ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks. (2) Sewing type: cut and sewn with fabric or fur leather to make jackets and the earliest pants. This primitive clothing style still exists in many ethnic groups, such as the clothes worn by Eskimos and some ethnic groups in Central Asia. The history of China clothing China clothing has a long history, which can be traced back to ancient times. Bone needles dating from about 6.5438+0.8 million years ago were excavated from the Ape Cave in Zhoukoudian, Beijing. Tubular spicules were also unearthed at Hemudu Neolithic site in Yuyao, Zhejiang. It can be inferred that these spicules were used to sew original clothes at that time. The first clothes worn by the ancestors of China people were aprons made of leaves or skins. Later, the costumes of each dynasty had their own characteristics, which were closely related to the production level of agriculture, animal husbandry and textile industry at that time. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, men and women wore "deep jackets" with ordinary tops and low skirts. Hemp, hemp and kudzu fabrics are the staple materials of working people. Rulers and nobles widely use silk fabrics. In some areas, wool, feathers and kapok fibers are also used for textile. The spinning performance, weaving and printing and dyeing technology of silk and hemp fibers were developed in Han Dynasty. Dyed fabrics include yarn, silk, brocade, cloth and silk, and clothing materials are greatly rich. Unearthed plain yarn Zen garments of the Western Han Dynasty weighed only 49 grams, so it can be seen that they could be made into thin and transparent gowns with mulberry silk at that time. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the rulers also made strict grading regulations on clothing, making clothing a symbol of power. Linen is widely used in daily clothes, and silk is generally used in skirts. With the increase of communication between China and foreign countries, clothing styles also influence each other. For example, the costumes of Tuanhua were influenced by Persia; Monks wear Indian-style clothes. Today, Japanese kimono still retains the dress style of China in the Tang Dynasty. From the Tang and Song Dynasties to the Ming Dynasty, clothes were mostly big sleeves with coats off, and coats were mostly robes. Manchu costumes such as mandarin jackets and cheongsam prevailed in Qing dynasty, and manual workers wore jackets and trousers. In modern times, due to the development of textile industry, the variety and quantity of fabrics available for making clothing increased, which promoted clothing production. After the Revolution of 1911, especially after the May 4th Movement, Chinese tunic suits and students' suits that absorbed the characteristics of western clothing began to appear. After 1950, the Chinese tunic suit almost became a national popular costume, and robes and robes almost disappeared. With the emergence of a large number of high-quality fabrics, clothing styles have also developed. Modern clothing design has become a branch of arts and crafts, and clothing production has achieved industrial mass production.