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China Clothing
Before the reform period, clothing purchases were restricted by
rationing. Cotton cloth consumption was limited to between four and
six meters a year per person in the 1970s. In the 1980s one of the
most visible signs of the economic "revolution" was the appearance
in Chinese cities of large quantities of relatively modern, varied,
colorful, Western-style clothes, a sharp contrast to the monotone
image of blue and gray suits that typified Chinese dress in earlier
years. Cloth consumption increased from eight meters per person in
1978 to almost twelve meters in 1985, and rationing was ended in
the early 1980s. Production of synthetic fibers more than tripled
during this period; in 1985 synthetics constituted 40 percent of
the cloth purchased
(see Textiles
, ch. 7). Consumers also tripled
their purchases of woolen fabrics in these years and bought growing
numbers of garments made of silk, leather, or down. In 1987 Chinese
department stores and street markets carried clothing in a large
variety of styles, colors, quality, and prices. Many people
displayed their new affluence with relatively expensive and stylish
clothes, while those with more modest tastes or meager incomes
still could adequately outfit themselves at very low cost.
Data as of July 1987
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