The progress of modernization is effacing the ethnic characters of the urban dress style. However in the vast rural areas, especially in areas with a high concentration of ethnic minority people, a wide array of beautiful garments and ornaments are still part of the local lifestyle, offering a unique folk scene together with the local landscape……

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. The distinction not only existed among dynasties, but also quite pronounced even in different periods within the same dynasty. The overall characteristics of the Chinese garments can be summarized as bright colors, refined artisanship, and ornate details. Looking in retrospect at Chinese garments of the 20'h century, we see an array of styles of Qipao, Cheongsam, the sun yat sen's uniform, student uniform, western suits, hat,silk stockings, high heels, workers' uniform,Lenin jacket, the Russian dress, army style,jacket, bell-bottoms, miniskirts, bikinis, professional attire, punk style and T-shirt, all witnessing the days gone by...

華梅 1951年生於天津。現為天津師範大學國際女子學院院長、教授。天津師範大學華梅服飾文化學研究所所長。有《人類服飾文化學》、《服飾與中國文化》等多部專著，主編四套叢書。從1993年起，為《人民日服・海外版》撰寫“衣飾文化”專欄，至今連載300餘篇。