Cotton in China was first cultivated in the south, southwest, and northwest. During the Tang and Five Dynastie…
Cotton in China was first cultivated in the south, southwest, and northwest. During the Tang and Five Dynasties period, cotton cultivation was largely confined to the Western Regions, extending only as far as Hexi. By the Song Dynasty, cotton was widely introduced and utilized, marking a pivotal shift in China's textile industry from hemp to cotton as the primary material for clothing and bedding. Excavations at late Tang (around the 9th century AD) sites in Xinjiang, which uncovered cotton and cotton seeds, provide evidence of cotton production in the region during that era.