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Straw sandals have existed from ancient times up until today. There are many kinds of straw sandals. |
Etiquette
The ancient Chinese had many rules ofetiquette within their daily lives, which included their footwear. Therules of the Zhou Dynasty (1100–256 BC) stipulated that people shouldtake off their shoes before entering the house, that shoes and socksshould be removed at banquets, and that ministers meeting with theemperor should also take off both shoes and socks. However, bare feetwere a taboo on occasions of ceremonial worship.
In ancient China, different shoes wereworn to suit particular occasions. Wedding shoes were either pink orred, and embroidered with auspicious bird and floral patterns. In theHan Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD), brides wore wooden sandals painted withfloral patterns and tied with five colorful silk straps, and Manchurianbrides of the Qing Dynasty wore blue cloth shoes embroidered with thered double “happiness” characters.
Shoes for the deceased were known as“Longevity Shoes,” relating to their future eternal wear in theafterlife. Between 206 BC and 420 AD, upon their death, all emperorswore jade shoes. In the Qing Dynasty, when an emperor died, all hisshoes were burned. When Emperor Guangxu (1875–1909) died, 104 pairs ofhis shoes were cremated. For ordinary people, Longevity Shoes came inblue, black or brown for men, while women wore brightly coloredembroidered shoes. The soles would be embroidered with the pattern of alotus flower and a ladder, symbolizing the ascent of the departed toheaven. However, older people who really were celebrating theirlongevity and hoping for happy returns wore “Happy-Character” shoes —shoes embroidered with the Chinese character meaning “happiness.”
In feudal China, the social status ofpeople could be perceived from the shoes they wore. In the SouthernDynasty (420–589), ordinary people were permitted to wear straw orcoarse-fiber cloth shoes colored in blue, green or white only, whilenobles wore leather and silk shoes. The Western Jin (265–317) ruler, inhis distaste for merchants, and wishing them to be immediatelydistinguishable, decreed that their footwear should comprise one blackand one white shoe. The Qing Dynasty stipulated that bright yellowfootwear was reserved solely for the emperor, golden yellow shoes werefor nobles, and those of an apricot-yellow shade were for the commonpeople.
The changes in Chinese shoe culturereflect its close connection with the natural and geographicalconditions of China, and also manifest social, economic and culturalchanges, as well as the likes and dislikes of rulers and the commonpeople of different periods.
