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There was a shoe shop named “Little Garden” in Shanghai at that time. It only made stitch soled shoes. |
Military, Cloth and Silk Shoes
From the ruins of the Yin and ShangDynasties (14th–12th centuries BC), archaeologists have unearthed, onindependent occasions, a pair of leather shin guards and a headless,kneeling jade human figure, whose shins show traces of wrapping.According to historical records, before military boots were invented,soldiers wrapped pieces of hide and rattan around their shins forprotection, and certain scholars believe that military boots weredeveloped from these beginnings.
Examination of the terra-cotta warriorfigures of the Zhou Dynasty (1100–256 BC) unearthed in Shanxi’s HoumaCity shows clearly that the neat stitching on the soles of theirfootwear is exactly the same as that seen on the stitched soles ofhand-made cloth shoes today. This discovery indicates that stitch-soledcloth shoes were invented for military wear over 2,000 years ago.However, before cotton was introduced into China along the Silk Road ata later time, ko-hemp and flax were used for the stitching of shoes,when the flax stitching in particular made soles both durable andstable. Within the ranks of the underground terra-cotta army of EmperorShihuang of the Qin Dynasty (211–206 BC), generals and cavalrymen wearleather boots, while archers wear square-headed, stitch-soled clothshoes with a strap across the instep. This shows that standardizationof uniforms according to military ranks and services had already beenadopted at the time.
In the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911),military boots were adapted for civilian wear and also became part ofthe uniform for officials. Boots came in the two styles of pointed orsquare-toes, the former being for everyday wear, and the latter forcourt attendance. The soles of these boots were made from 32 layers ofcloth and were later used in the making of the cloth shoes worn by thecommon people, which have since become known as One-Thousand-Layeredshoes. To allow such soles to breathe, as well as being elastic,water-proof, and warp-proof, 100 stitches per square inch of the solewere required. On completion of this stitching, the sole would besoaked in water at a temperature between 80 and 100 degrees Centigrade,and would then be hammered, shaped and dried. Today this style of shoeis still popular, abroad as well as within China.
Silkworm breeding started about 5,000years ago in China. In the Shang Dynasty, some 3,000 years ago, peoplelearned how to weave silk cloth and color it with mineral and plantdyes. The development of sericulture greatly influenced Chinese shoemaking, and colorful silk shoes gradually replaced straw shoes.
