A total of 1376 Upland cotton( Gossypium hirsutum )varieties and 59 Island cotton ( Gossypium barbadense ) varieties had been bred until 2000 in China since the Trice cotton was introduced to China from America in 1918. According to the derived variety numbers for each elite line and pedigree analysis, these varieties can date back to 54 basic germplasm lines including 7 Sea Island cotton varieties. These basic Upland cotton germplasm can be divided into three types while the Sea Island cotton can be divided into two types based on the date of germplasm introduction or the period of germplasm breeding. In the 20th century, these basic germplasm have played very important role in cotton breeding and production in China.