Ancient Chinese Clothing

By Briana Reid

Clothing Rules

When clothing was made in China there

were some rules about what you could wear, for example the color

yellow was for the emperor only. Also

poor people were only allowed to wear only

blue or black clothing. This rule was made in

the 500’s.

Tree Main Types of Clothing

When clothing was made in China there were three main types of clothing. They all featured a loose fit with a wide cut and roomy sleeves. The “pien-fu” was a ceremonial costume. it consisted of a tunic on top and a matched skirt or trousers on the bottom that reached the ankles. The “chong p’ao” was a one piece and it extended from the shoulders down to the heels. The most popular type of clothing worn was the shen-l” a combination of the pien-fu. The two pieces are sewn together to make a one piece garment to the chang-pu

Silk

Silk is a smooth shiny fabric that is made

from something called silk worms. Silk

worms are a kind of caterpillar that live in

Mulberry trees. People in China have been making silk for

3,000 years.

Cotton and Silk

In the Yuan dynasty the Mongols brought cotton to China. At first people did not

want to grow cotton, but then the Mongols

destroyed the Mulberry trees that were needed

to make silk.