Often China & Japan Related.
When I was in Shanxi province, almost every man over the age of 50 was wearing the infamous blue coat which a lot of foreigners refer to as a “Mao jacket.” I told my friend what many foreigners call these jackets and she laughed. She said that they are indeed not Mao Zedong jackets. The blue jackets were popular in Northern China long before Mao Zedong. Then she pointed out that, in fact, Mao Zedong is not even from Northern China. He is from Hunan province, which is in the South. Later on, to test out what other Chinese people think about calling this style of a coat a “Mao jacket” I told a few older Chinese people and they responded with the same laugh and correction.
Additionally, I have previously posted that China is no longer full of people wearing this style of jacket. This is true, except in Northern rural areas. However, unlike the 1950s, 1960s and even some of the 1970s, people are no longer required and expected to wear blue, black or grey “Mao jackets.” Chinese people wear whatever they can afford and like. So if you visit China and see people still wearing these jackets, it is because they want to (or are use to) wear them. Which I captured later while at 故宫, The Forbidden Palace.