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 Shang Dynasties (14th–12th centuries BC), archaeologists have unearthed, on independent 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 for protection, and certain scholars believe that military boots were developed from these beginnings.

Examination of the terra-cotta warrior figures of the Zhou Dynasty (1100–256 BC) unearthed in Shanxi’s Houma City shows clearly that the neat stitching on the soles of their footwear is exactly the same as that seen on the stitched soles of hand-made cloth shoes today. This discovery indicates that stitch-soled cloth shoes were invented for military wear over 2,000 years ago. However, before cotton was introduced into China along the Silk Road at a later time, ko-hemp and flax were used for the stitching of shoes, when the flax stitching in particular made soles both durable and stable. Within the ranks of the underground terra-cotta army of Emperor Shihuang of the Qin Dynasty (211–206 BC), generals and cavalrymen wear leather boots, while archers wear square-headed, stitch-soled cloth shoes with a strap across the instep. This shows that standardization of uniforms according to military ranks and services had already been adopted at the time.

In the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911), military boots were adapted for civilian wear and also became part of the uniform for officials. Boots came in the two styles of pointed or square-toes, the former being for everyday wear, and the latter for court attendance. The soles of these boots were made from 32 layers of cloth and were later used in the making of the cloth shoes worn by the common people, which have since become known as One-Thousand-Layered shoes. To allow such soles to breathe, as well as being elastic, water-proof, and warp-proof, 100 stitches per square inch of the sole were required. On completion of this stitching, the sole would be soaked in water at a temperature between 80 and 100 degrees Centigrade, and would then be hammered, shaped and dried. Today this style of shoe is still popular, abroad as well as within China.

Silkworm breeding started about 5,000 years ago in China. In the Shang Dynasty, some 3,000 years ago, people learned how to weave silk cloth and color it with mineral and plant dyes. The development of sericulture greatly influenced Chinese shoe making, and colorful silk shoes gradually replaced straw shoes.