After the harsh political system of the Qin dynasty, Liu Bang, a commoner, gained the throne and sought to give the people rest. Most systems remained largely unchanged, including the costume system, which mostly inherited the system of the Qin dynasty. It was not until the second year of the Yongping era of Emperor Ming of the Eastern Han dynasty that there were formal and complete regulations.

The clothing of the Han dynasty mainly included robes, chanyu (a straight single robe), ru (short jackets), and skirts. Because the textile and embroidery industry was highly developed during the Han dynasty, wealthy families could wear beautiful clothes made of silk, satin, and brocade. Commoners wore short jackets and long trousers, while poor people wore short rough cloth jackets known as "duanhe." Women in the Han dynasty wore two-piece outfits of top and skirt, or long robes. The styles of skirts became more diverse, with the most famous being the "Luxian Skirt."

Men's Clothing:

Ritual Costume: The ritual costumes for sacrifices in the Han dynasty inherited the Qin dynasty's abolition of the six types of caps, using a single type of cap as the ceremonial attire for worshiping heaven, earth, and the Mingtang.

Mian Crown Costume: This is the most prestigious ritual costume, worn by the Son of Heaven, dukes, and officials when performing rituals to worship heaven and earth at the Mingtang.

Long Crown Costume: Worn by Confucius and officials for ceremonies such as ancestral worship and minor sacrifices like the Five Mountains, Four Rivers, mountains, and rivers.

Wimao Crown Costume: Equivalent to the cap and robe of the Zhou dynasty. It was worn by high-ranking officials and nobles when performing the grand archery ceremony at the Biyong.

Pi Bian Crown Costume: This type of costume was worn by those who performed the archery ceremony. The garment was black hemp fabric, with black collars and sleeves, and white skirts.

Morning Attire: Since the Qin dynasty, the robe had been used as the official dress. In the Han dynasty, from the emperor down to the lowest officials, the robe was also used as the official dress and main daily attire. This was essentially the deep robe style, but it had different names depending on the type of cap worn by individuals of different statuses. The color of the morning attire in the Han dynasty followed the five-season colors: green in spring, vermilion in summer, yellow in late summer, white in autumn, and black in winter. All morning attire was lined with white edging on the collar and sleeves.

Women's Clothing:

Temple Costume: Equivalent to the Zhiyi of the Zhou dynasty, this is the most prestigious women's ceremonial attire. It was worn by the Grand Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress when entering the temple, and its color was dark blue underneath.

Silkworm Costume: Equivalent to the Juyi of the Zhou dynasty. It was worn by the Empress and the wives of dukes and ministers in March each year when performing the silkworm-rearing ceremony.

Morning Attire: From the wife of the 2,000-dan official up to the Empress, all wore the silkworm robe as their morning attire.