中國人習慣把日常生活概括為“衣食住行”，服飾排在了**位，由此可見它在生活中的重要位置。在這個歷史悠久的衣冠大國，不僅有豐富的考古資料記錄其服飾發展的歷史，在古代神話、史書、詩詞、小說以及戲曲中，與服飾有關的記載也隨處可見。伴隨著民族間的相互融合，服飾的樣式和穿著習俗不斷演變，歷史服飾不僅朝代之間有明顯的差別，同一朝代的不同時期也有顯著的變化。回顧20世紀的中國服飾，旗袍、長衫、中山裝、學生裝、西服、禮帽、遮陽帽、絲襪、高跟鞋、工農服、列寧服、布拉吉、軍便裝、夾克衫、喇叭褲、迷你裙、比基尼、職業裝、朋克裝、T恤衫……種種不同時期不同風格的服飾見證了時代的變遷。

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