中国人习惯把日常生活概括为“衣食住行”，服饰排在了第一位，由此可见它在生活中的重要位置。在这个历史悠久的衣冠大国，不仅有丰富的考古资料记录其服饰发展的历史，在古代神话、史书、诗词、小说以及戏曲中，与服饰有关的记载也随处可见。伴随着民族间的相互融合，服饰的样式和穿着习俗不断演变，历史服饰不仅朝代之间有明显的差别，同一朝代的不同时期也有显著的变化。回顾20世纪的中国服饰，旗袍、长衫、中山装、学生装、西服、礼帽、遮阳帽、丝袜、高跟鞋、工农服、列宁服、布拉吉、军便装、夹克衫、喇叭裤、迷你裙、比基尼、职业装、朋克装、T恤衫……种种不同时期不同风格的服饰见证了时代的变迁。

In the Chinese way of describing the necessities of life, clothing ranks at the top of "garments, food, shelter and means of travel." In this country with a long history of garments and ornaments, there is a wealth of archeological findings showing the development of garments, as well as their portrayals in ancient mythology, history books, poems and songs, novels and drama. China, as a country made up of 56 ethnic groups that continually influenced each other, has undergone continuous transformation in dress style and customs.

Preface

A Brief History of Ancient Garments

 Shenyi and Broad Sleeves

 Introduction of Ethnic Minority Styles

 The Elegant Wei and Jin Period

 The Thousand Faces of the Tang Costume

 Beizi: a Song Style Garment

 Ming Garments as Seen in Classical Portraits

 Qi Costumes-a Combination of Manchu and Han

 Nationality's Clothes

Clothes and Hierarchy in Ancient Times

 Royal Ceremonial Wear

 The Official Uniform

 Ancient armor suits

Silk, the Silk Road and the Art of Embroidery

Beauty of Primitive Garments

 Adornments and Fairy Tales

 Hats with Meanings

 Shawls and the Back Wrapping Cloth

 A Silhouette of Tibet Costumes Countless Ornamental Objects

Trends in Modern Garments

 Civilized New Clothes and Improved Cheong-sam

 Farmer & Worker Uniforms and Service-dresses

 Professional image and professional dresses

 Keeping Pace with the World Fashion

Appendix: Chronological Table of the Chinese Dynasties