Most martial arts have distinct uniforms which have not changed substantially for many years. In a lot of cases, the uniform - or gi - is a treasured item, and is worn in part as a sign of respect to the preceeding masters of the style, and as a sign of respect to the art itself. The same kind of mentality applies to the martial arts weapons used in many systems, a great example being the samurai sword. The samurai sword - or katana - has over many years taken on an almost mythical aura, and the swordsmen who used them traditionally and practise kendo today need extraordinary skill and precision, both to avoid serious injury and to prevent damage to the sword.

Chinese martial arts clothing - and martial weaponry - have developed by way of a much more pragmatic approach. In both cases, normal everyday clothes and implements were used, or modified, for fighting and self-defence. Very little was purely ceremonial. People carried staffs either for status or simply to help them walk, but they were very easily used as weapons. Similarly, the clothing used in normal life was exactly the same as that used for training martial arts.

The passing of time saw Chinese martial arts clothing evolve from the long robes worn by high-status martial artists - called Hanfu, and worn for centuries (the traditional dress of the Han ethnic group) - to the Mandarin jacket, which appeared after the Manchu conquest in 1644 and the establishment of the Qing Dynasty. During the twentieth century to the present day, the style of martial arts clothing worn in kung fu clubs and schools has again changed. Often, the uniform consists of a martial arts t-shirt bearing the school's or style's logo and Chinese calligraphy for the name of that style, worn with loose pants to facilitate kicking. This new uniform demonstrates the practicality of the Chinese martial arts in embracing not just changes over time, but also changes in fashion and style since kung fu began to get taught outside China.

Pre-1700 and certainly before the establishment of the Qing Dynasty in 1644, the clothing worn by Chinese martial artists was the long robe called the Hanfu. These robes were worn also as normal everyday clothing, particularly by the nobility, during these feudal times, and martial arts were often passed down noble family generations, and the martial techniques themselves were jealously guarded. The peasant classes were not allowed to wear the Hanfu, and in any case would not have been able to afford the lavish silk robes. For an example of the Hanfu robe in martial arts, the movie Hero starring Jet Li is a good depiction.

The Shaolin monks are often seen wearing either the Hanfu style of martial arts clothing, or a modified shorter version. It is noteworthy that the Hanfu clothing spanned several Chinese dynasties, and as time went by was often modified. Today it is rare to see the Hanfu clothing worn for martial arts training, except as worn by the Shaolin monks. However it is still worn ceremonially in particular during formal or religious occasions.

Tangzhuang clothing - or the traditional kung fu mandarin suit - is the type of martial arts clothing usually associated with the Chinese masters in many classic kung fu movies. It is the type of clothing often worn by Bruce Lee in his films, and so this type of uniform is what most Westerners think of as a "proper" kung fu uniform.

Actually, the Tangzhuang appeared later than the Hanfu clothing, and is Manchurian in origin, becoming popular after 1700. The Tangzhuang is characterized by the short upright collar, sometimes lined in white. As with the Hanfu style, Tangzhuang was commonly worn as everyday attire as well as being used as martial arts clothing. A Tangzhuang jacket is still a very common sight in China as part of formal attire, and these jackets come in a variety of colors, sometimes with ornate embroidery on them. The martial arts versions are usually black, and may have white cuffs, though this is by no means a compulsory aspect of martial Tangzhuang. For kung fu, the Mandarin uniform is generally made of hard wearing material such as cotton, whereas the formal wear (ie not used for fighting!) is found in more lavish fabrics such as silk.

These days, the internal martial arts clothing used for tai chi (sometimes spelled taiji) and chi kung (qigong) follows the Tangzhuang style. Often though, this form of clothing is reserved for competitions and martial arts demonstrations. In these cases, the uniform is fairly light-weight, sometimes made of silk, and is worn for empty hand and weapons forms. (Forms are similar to the kata performed in karate.)

The Tangzhuang for internal martial arts come in a wide range of colors, such as blue, red, purple and yellow.

When practising these internal martial arts in class, especially for the more overtly physical ones such as bagua and xingyi, it is more common for track pants and t-shirts to be worn.

It is far more common nowadays to see Chinese martial arts t-shirts worn for practising kung fu, rather than any kind of jacket or traditional uniform. This is certainly the case in kung fu schools in the West, although it has also happened to a large extent in China. The t-shirts normally bear the school's logo and the name of the style written in Chinese calligraphy. Like the recent fashion for Chinese character tattoos, t-shirts with oriental writing are also quite popular in western countries.

The modern kung fu uniform includes heavy cotton kung fu pants, which are baggy to enable the wearer to perform high kicks without being encumbered. Many practitioners are just as happy with black or dark blue track pants instead.

Chinese martial arts are normally practised while wearing footwear, which is somewhat unusual in the world of martial arts, since many arts - such as the Japanese and Korean ones - practise barefoot.

In most Chinese martial arts classes, you will be allowed to wear normal sneakers. This will depend very much on the room you train in. If it is a hired hall at a sports center, you will not be allowed to wear outside sneakers or anything with a black sole which could mark the playing surface. Also, if your art includes throws, you may be in a matted martial arts studio shared by several disciplines - for example, judo - and you will be expected to train barefoot. This is mainly to protect the mats from dirt and damage, but also a sign of recognition and respect to the martial arts that are practised there.

For training kung fu, it is probably a wise idea to get some dedicated martial arts shoes. They will get a lot of use, and if you are constantly kicking and sparring, will represent a far cheaper option than wearing out your designer sneakers every two or three months!

Kung fu slippers - the kind that Bruce Lee was known for - are cheap, but make sure you get the rubber soled version, which have far more grip on a hard surface than the plastic soled ones.

You can also buy branded martial arts shoes from retailers, which look a bit more contemporary, and some have light padding on the tops to protect your feet when kicking.

Of course the best part about training with shoes on your feet is that, if you get attacked, you are already used to kicking and moving while wearing footwear. This means your training is much closer to the reality of a self-defence situation, and this may gain you the split-second advantage necessary to win the confrontation.