Clothing is a general term for clothing, shoes, decorations, etc., often referring to clothing. In national standards, clothing is defined as a product sewn and worn to protect and decorate the human body, also known as clothing.

Clothing appeared in the early stages of human social development, when ancient people made some materials into crude "clothes" and wore them on their bodies. The initial clothing of humans was mostly made of animal skins, while the earliest "fabrics" that wrapped around the body were made of fibers such as hemp and grass. For society, clothing has become a daily necessity for covering and decorating, not only for wearing, but also a manifestation of identity, a way of life, and a display of personal charm.

Chinese clothing has a long history that can be traced back to ancient times. A bone needle dating back approximately 18000 years was excavated from the Ape Man Cave in Zhoukoudian, Beijing. Tubular bone needles and other objects have also been unearthed from the Hemudu Neolithic site in Yuyao, Zhejiang. It can be inferred that these bone needles were used to sew original clothes at that time. The earliest clothes worn by Chinese ancestors were aprons made of leaves or animal skins connected together. Later on, the clothing of each dynasty had its own characteristics, which were closely related to the level of agriculture, animal husbandry, and textile production at that time. During the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period, men and women wore a common style of "deep clothing" with a top and bottom connected. Cannabis, ramie, and kudzu fabrics are the staple clothing materials for the vast majority of working people. Rulers and nobles extensively used silk fabrics. Some regions also use wool, feather, and kapok fibers to weave fabrics. In the Han Dynasty, the spinning, weaving, and printing and dyeing techniques of silk and linen fibers were already very advanced. Dyed fabrics included yarn, silk, silk, brocade, cloth, and silk, and clothing materials were greatly enriched. The unearthed Western Han plain silk Zen clothes weighed only 49 grams, indicating that at that time, light and transparent long clothes could already be made from mulberry silk. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, rulers also established strict hierarchical regulations on clothing, making it a symbol of power. Naomi's daily clothing is widely made of linen, while the skirt material is generally made of silk. With the increase of Sino foreign exchanges, clothing styles also have mutual influence, such as the clothing of Tuanhua being influenced by Persia; Monks wear Indian style clothing called "kasaya". The current Japanese kimono still retains the clothing style of the Tang Dynasty in China. During the Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties, the clothing style was mostly loose fitting with large sleeves, and the outer garments were mostly long robes. In modern times, due to the development of the textile industry, the variety and quantity of fabrics available for making clothing have increased, promoting clothing production. After the Xinhai Revolution, especially after the May Fourth Movement, Zhongshan clothing and student clothing that absorbed the characteristics of Western clothing began to emerge. After 1950, Zhongshan clothing has become almost universally popular nationwide, and robes and jackets have 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.