【Haichuan Teahouse】What did people in ancient times wear during the long and cold winters?
Thread Content
Cotton originated in Arabia and India; it is a completely foreign variety to China. Cotton cultivation in our country dates back to ancient times; it was already grown on Hainan Island during the Han Dynasty, but it was never able to gain widespread adoption. It was not until the Ming Dynasty that Zhu Yuanzhang ordered that half an acre of cotton should be planted for every ten acres of land, and it was through legal mandates that cotton began to be cultivated on a large scale across the country. In other words, before the Ming Dynasty, it was practically impossible to wear cotton-padded jackets.
Ordinary people used coarse linen, animal skins, hay, bark, leaves, and similar materials to make items for keeping warm, while scholars, officials, and nobles mostly used silk fabrics.
Humans have cotton to wear, thanks to Emperor Zhu; P