shoe story

 

shoe story

 

There is an old saying in China, "Everything starts from scratch." In fact, the Chinese also have a common saying, "Watch your steps." Burmese musician Dorje taught Mongolian dance by the Naypyitaw Song and Dance Troupe in a meadow class on the banks of the Irrawaddy River. The team members talked about Manchu hairstyles, and then talked about the characteristics of Manchu shoes. In order to let the team members know more about shoe culture, he invited the wise man Agudeng Baqing to the podium and asked him to introduce the history of shoe culture in China and the world.

The wise man Agudengba walked up to the podium and said: I cannot explain the rich and colorful shoe culture history of China and the world in a short time, but I will tell you some stories about shoes. Maybe you can learn some relevant knowledge from them. .

Agudengba officially started his lecture:

"A thousand miles begins with a single step". This is a famous saying that has been circulating in China for a long time, and you may have heard of it. Later, "one step" was also called "subordinate". There is a story here.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Jin Gongzi Chong'er went into exile abroad. During his exile, he had no food and was unbearably hungry. Jie Zitui, who fled with Chong'er, cut off the meat from his own thigh and cooked soup for Chong'er to drink. Chong'er was very moved. Nineteen years later, Chong'er returned to his country, dominated the princes, and was known as Duke Wen of Jin. He rewarded those who fled with him, but forgot about Jie Zitui. Jie Zitui was dissatisfied with this, so he took his old mother to Mianshan to hide. Later, others reminded Duke Wen of Jin that he could not find it in the mountains. He ordered people to set fire to the mountain and forced the meson to push out. Unexpectedly, the meson pushed the mother and son to hug the tree and were burned to death. So on this day every year, Duke Wen of Jin no longer eats hot food. This is the origin of the Cold Food Festival, and the next day is the "Qingming Festival". Duke Wen of Jin made clogs from the big tree that Jie Zitu had hugged, and the sound of the clogs reminded him not to make the same mistakes again. Duke Wen of Jin called the dead Jie Zitui "One Step", which is the origin of the name "One Step".

What are clogs? That's a shoe for rainy days. The Han Dynasty and the Wei and Jin Dynasties were the most popular periods for wearing clogs. In the Han Dynasty, Han women would wear colored clogs with laces when they got married. At that time, people all wore clogs regardless of their social status.

As early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, shoes began to be classified into special categories, including shoes, shoes, clogs, boots and gaiters. Among these types of shoes, "shoes" are the most common and the most comfortable. The status is second only to "Xi". Because the "boots" were made of leather, they were very cheap and were accepted by the majority of soldiers and lower-class people. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, soldiers all wore boots. "Clog" is loved by all walks of life. Needless to say, the status of "屣" is only worn by the lowest-level slaves and prisoners.

It is said that during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Xie Lingyun, a writer in the Southern Dynasties and the prefect of Yongjia, invented a kind of wooden clog, which lowered the front teeth when going up the mountain and lowered the back teeth when going down the mountain. This made it easier to maintain body balance and save energy when climbing. Therefore, this kind of wooden clogs is also called "Xie Gong clogs".

Clogs may also be called sandals. Ancient Egypt is located in the tropics and has a hot climate all year round. For the comfort of their feet, ancient Egyptians generally wore sandals. The soles could only be made of leather, papyrus and wooden soles, with shoelaces tied on the soles. Although it is very simple, only clergy can wear it, and ordinary civilians can only go barefoot. Although the style of these shoes is simple, they are still luxury goods and represent status. At that time, only pharaohs, concubines in the palace, clergy, and nobles wore sandals. Civilians are barefoot, even if they have a pair of sandals. Also carry it in your hand to avoid damage. When soldiers fight, the sandals of the defeated party will be confiscated as trophies when the battle is won.

Agudemba told another story about boots:

According to historical research, the earliest pair of shoes in China are sheepskin boots unearthed in Loulan, Xinjiang, China, which are four thousand years ago. They are composed of two parts: the boot shaft and the sole. Strictly speaking, they are real shoes and can be called the world's first pair of shoes. First boot. This pair of sheepskin boots, estimated to be 23 centimeters in size, were worn on the feet of an 18-year-old female mummy from Xinjiang. These boots are not only the earliest pair of unearthed shoes discovered in China so far, but also The world's earliest unearthed pair of shoes.

Why do you say that?

We can take a look at the shoes worn by ancient Greek people at the same time as the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Period. Ancient Greek civilization inherited Egyptian civilization, so shoes also inherited the characteristics of Egyptian shoes, mainly sandals. Men go barefoot or wear sandals whether at home or on the street. Generally, a leather strip is passed from the sole of the shoe between the big toe and the second toe, and then another leather strip is connected to the heel. When soldiers fought, they wore leather shoes or boots, which were either laced in the front or tied to the legs with leather strips. Of course, these leathers are cowhide. Men's shoes are made of cowhide dyed black or yellow, and women's shoes are made of leather dyed white or pink or bright yellow or light green.

It's a bit embarrassing to say, but ancient Greek civilization gave us a very glorious impression. However, there is no physical proof of the shoes worn by the ancient Greeks. Because there were no tombs in ancient Greece, and secondly, this place was repeatedly invaded and destroyed by foreign invaders, leaving almost nothing behind. It was only during the Renaissance that literary giants such as Leonardo da Vinci began to use written records to restore ancient Greek civilization in the form of paintings, sculptures, and architecture. For example, the shoes worn by the ancient Greeks can only be represented by copying and painting.

There is no doubt that starting from the Loulan women's boots four thousand years ago, the main styles of shoes from every dynasty in China have been unearthed in kind. This is indeed unique in the world.

Agudemba told another story about military boots:

Because the ancestors' lives at that time were mainly based on hunting and gathering, the shoes were of course made from local materials, mainly leather. Boots are generally the shoes worn by nomadic people. Soldiers of the Zhou Dynasty wore leather boots with copper nails. The development and popularity of leather boots is attributed to King Zhao Wuling's "Hu clothing riding and shooting". In order to confront the Qin Dynasty, King Zhao Wuling carried out military reforms, put on Hu clothes and trained cavalry.

From a military perspective, people originally wore skirts and robes and fought in chariots. King Wuling of Zhao began to wear boots. After wearing boots, he could wear trousers. Pants and boots were matched, and then he could develop a horse riding style. tactics. In the end, Zhao became stronger. Since then, leather boots have become part of the national shoe accessories in the Central Plains.

Agudemba continued:

Chinese women's foot binding began in the Southern Tang Dynasty and flourished in the Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties. When various Mongolian boots were introduced to the Central Plains in the Yuan Dynasty and integrated with the Central Plains shoemaking skills, China's bootmaking industry developed greatly. By the Qing Dynasty, the flowerpot-soled shoes worn by Manchu women who did not bind their feet and advocated natural feet became a landscape in the history of Chinese shoe culture.

  At the end of the Qing Dynasty, foreign leather shoes were introduced to China and became popular in China's big cities in the 1920s and 1930s. At that time, many dignitaries, fashionable men and women regarded wearing Western-style leather shoes and high heels in and out of dance halls as fashion. One of the signs of new life. During the Republic of China, there was also a kind of hand-made embroidered shoes with leather soles and satin surfaces that quickly became popular. With their strong ethnic characteristics and fine handcrafts, they were favored by the majority of women.

As far as China is concerned, due to its vast territory, great differences in environment between regions, numerous ethnic groups, and different customs and habits of each ethnic group, it is natural that there are many types of Chinese shoes with different shapes.

Nowadays, for most people, shoes are a necessity in daily life, but there are still many people who feel that the shoes they wear on their feet are not worth mentioning and cannot be considered elegant. Therefore, not many people know about shoe culture, and even fewer people know about shoe knowledge.

Agudenba smiled and said:

I believe you all have the experience of buying shoes, and you also try on shoes, but who can tell me whether to try on the right foot or the left foot when trying on shoes?

The students were stunned by Agudemba's question, and no one could give a correct answer.

Agudenba smiled and said:

If you are going to buy shoes, you should pay attention to the following points when trying on shoes:

1. In ancient times, shoes were worn regardless of left or right. They were also called "right-footed shoes" and "straight-footed shoes." Because the material it is made of is very soft, it is relatively loose and the size is relatively large. Today's shoes are divided into left and right shoes. Because the human left foot is generally slightly longer than the right foot, you should try the left foot first when trying on shoes. As long as the left foot is suitable, there is no need to try the right foot.

2. Shoes are available for men and women. The front of men's shoes should be square to show masculinity; the front of women's shoes should be rounded and feminine.

3. The color grade of shoes is actually strictly differentiated. Shoes should strictly match the clothes, and the color of the shoes worn was strictly regulated in ancient times.

Let me tell you some more historical jokes about wearing shoes:

The official regulations of the Northern Wei Dynasty were: "No soldier's work should be over green, blue, or white; no slaves or servants should be over red or green, and offenders should be executed."

Another example is that the Western Jin Dynasty stipulated that merchants must wear white shoes on one foot and black shoes on the other. These shoes are called "mandarin duck shoes".

The ancients also had an unwritten rule: two shoes must be the same. Different shoes were worn by untouchables, and they were looked down upon.

The students all laughed when they heard the shoe story told by Agudenba.

At this time, Burmese musician Dorje said to Agudengba:

Mr. Wise Agudemba, the story about shoes you told is very attractive. I suggest that during dinner, Mr. Agudemba can continue to tell us the story about shoes, such as the rules of putting on and taking off shoes, the etiquette and hierarchy of shoe culture.

Agudenba smiled:

Telling shoe stories during meals is indecent!

The team members all laughed: We must take off our shoes before eating and then listen to stories.

At this time, a young team member stood up and sang a cheerful song "Cavalry March":

 

We're wearing combat boots

Riding on a military horse and galloping

The sound of trumpets is loud

Following in the footsteps of our predecessors

Expeditions to the east, west, north and south

Bloody battle on the battlefield

 

We dare to die without retreating

we will never surrender

Pledge to protect the homeland and the country

No fear of any threats

We are all heroes

We defend dignity

 

Military songs ring across the battlefield

for human freedom

Horse hooves flying dust

People support me

Seeking social justice

Give me back my great rivers and mountains

 

God bless me

Fighting from birth to death

Following the footprints of the martyrs

One step at a time, one brilliant step at a time

until the day of victory

Heaven and earth applaud me