Costume colour held special significance in Chinese history. This thesis pioneers the multi-perspective exploration of dyes in high-status costume and textiles of the Ming and Qing Dynasties using the dual approach of history and chemistry. Through the examination and comparison of four important historical manuscripts of dye recipes (Chapter 1) and dyes in high-status historical and archaeological textiles (Chapter 4), dyes and dyeing techniques used during the Ming and Qing Dynasties are revealed. Results show that nine natural dyes were commonly used, and synthetic dyes were used from the late 19th century. Dyes were used according to specific rules to obtain various shades. Further research improves the understanding of some of the textiles including better knowledge of ownership and more accurate dating, as well as the role of dyeing in the social and global contexts (Chapter 4). Meanwhile, the botanical provenance, names and preferences for the significant dyes in Chinese textile history are clarified for the first time (Chapter 2). A database for the chemical composition of 22 reference Chinese dyes using Ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with Photodiode array detector and Mass spectrometer (UHPLC-PDA-MS) and UHPLC-PDA is first established, and the understanding of the chemical constituents of several dyes is improved. The investigation of dyes and dyeing techniques of the Li minority group in Hainan Province marks the start of the chemical research of ethnographic dyeing in China (Chapter 3). The accelerated light ageing study of reference dyes improves the knowledge of the lightfastness of the dyes. Suggestions on the conservation, preservation and exhibition of the dyes are provided (Chapter 5). This research contributes significantly to dyeing history, textile history and colour history both of China and the world.