The wind coats in ancient times were also distinctive and could trace back to the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States Periods when the wind coats were made of the feather of fowl and birds. They were thick, solid and soft in texture and splendid and gorgeous with brilliant colors. Men of letters in the Wei, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties also favored wind coats made of the feather of birds with spacious body part and sleeves. Sometimes, sleeves were removed to make the wind coat like the dress smock, which would float with wind and thus referred to as “cloak” at that time. Wang Gong, a notable celebrity in the Jin Dynasty, was reportedly the first to wear such clothes and he liked to wear it in snowy day. One day, when it was snowing outside and it looked white everywhere, Wang Gong came out to enjoy the snow in carriage, wearing white crane-feathered cloak and was full of unrestrained elegance. People all exclaimed, “He shall be the happiest mortal alive.” Later on, “Wang Gong Cloak” becomes a literary quotation referring to one’s refined dressing and elegant bearing, and the crane-feathered cloak became the fascinating clothes for men of letters and refined scholars.

Since the Republic of China, under the influence of foreign cultures, people have begun to put on overcoats and less people wear cloaks, which could be found only in the design of children’s clothes.