The starting point of the Silk Road lies in China/East Asia, and China plays an important role in the development of the Silk Road. There are many kinds of ancient textile relics, and commonly-used research methods for the scientific analysis of textile include chromatography, spectrometry and mass spectrometry. Here, we systematically describe existing analytical technologies for textile fibers (e.g., scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and fiber optic spectrometry) as well as methods for textile dye analysis (e.g., thin layer chromatography (TLC), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), Raman and fiber optic spectrometry). For textile fiber identification, SEM and FTIR methods are more reliable. For the analysis of textile dyes, the accuracy and sensitivity of the HPLC method is more recognized. Raman and optical fiber spectrometry have advantages of in-situ and non-destructive characteristics and have been paid more and more attention to the study of textile cultural relics. This paper summarizes the principles, characteristics, research progress and developmental potentials of these methods in the analysis of ancient textiles, and could provide references and scientific support for the research on the conservation of textile cultural relics.