Textile has a long-standing and rich development history in China. The following are its main development stages: 1. **From the Primitive Society to the Shang and Zhou Dynasties**: In the primitive society, people began to use natural fibers such as hemp and kudzu vine to carry out simple textile work, twisting them into threads by hand and then weaving them into cloth. Tools like spinning wheels unearthed from the Hemudu Site in Yuyao, Zhejiang Province, prove that there were textile activities at that time. During the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the silk weaving industry gradually emerged. Relatively complex jacquard devices appeared, enabling the weaving of exquisite silk fabrics. There was a significant improvement in textile technology, and textiles became important ceremonial items and commodities. 2. **The Qin and Han Dynasties**: Textile technology further developed. The opening of the Silk Road promoted trade exchanges and cultural communications between China and the West. Silk became a symbolic commodity of China and was exported in large quantities. The government established specialized textile institutions, such as “Dongzhi” and “Xizhi”. Weavers could produce various exquisite silks, including brocade, embroidery, qi (a kind of silk fabric), etc., which were bright in color and rich in patterns. 3. **The Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties**: During this period of ethnic integration, textile technologies were exchanged and learned from each other. The center of the silk weaving industry gradually shifted southward, and the textile industry in the Jiangnan region developed rapidly. Meanwhile, the wool textile industry also made progress, and the technology of woolen fabrics from the northwestern region was introduced into the Central Plains. 4. **The Sui and Tang Dynasties**: The textile industry reached a new peak. The state-run textile industry was of large scale and had a fine division of labor. Silk weaving technology became more sophisticated, and many new weaving methods and patterns emerged, such as the Baoxiang flower pattern and the bead string pattern in the Tang Dynasty. The private textile industry was also very prosperous. Textiles not only met the domestic demand but were also exported in large quantities to neighboring countries and regions. 5. **The Song and Yuan Dynasties**: Significant breakthroughs were made in cotton textile technology. Huang Daopo brought back advanced cotton textile technology from the Li ethnic group in Hainan and improved cotton textile tools, such as cotton gins, cotton carding bows, and spinning wheels, which promoted the development of the cotton textile industry. Cotton cloth gradually became the main clothing material for people. The silk weaving industry also achieved new development in terms of technology and art. Silk fabrics such as Song brocade and kesi (cut silk) were well-known far and wide. 6. **The Ming and Qing Dynasties**: The textile industry was highly developed, and the seeds of capitalism sprouted. The Jiangnan region became the national center of the textile industry. The silk weaving industries in Suzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing and other places were of large scale with a large number of looms. There was a wide variety of textiles with rich colors and patterns, such as Yunjin brocade in Nanjing, Song brocade in Suzhou, and Zhijin brocade in Hangzhou. At the same time, the cotton textile industry was widely popularized across the country, forming many specialized cotton textile towns. 7. **The Modern and Contemporary Period**: After the Opium War, advanced Western textile technologies and machines were introduced into China. While China’s traditional textile industry was impacted, it also began its modern transformation. Some national capitalists invested in establishing textile factories one after another, adopting machine production and improving production efficiency. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the textile industry developed rapidly, and a complete textile industrial system was established. Remarkable achievements have been made in all aspects from textile raw material production to textile processing and printing and dyeing. China has become an important textile production and export country in the world. From ancient hand weaving to modern mechanized and intelligent production, China’s textile industry has been continuously developing and innovating, making great progress in technology, craftsmanship, products, etc., and having a profound impact on China’s economic, cultural and social development.