The "flower pot bottom" worn on the feet of the imperial concubines of the Qing Dynasty, in addition to being beautiful, was also for the convenience of the emperor
Nowadays, girls who like fashion like to wear high heels, after all, wearing high heels can highlight their temperament and make people look more confident. However, high heels are after all imported products passed down from the Republic of China period, for women in the previous Qing Dynasty, they have never seen it at all, although they do not know high heels, but they have similar alternatives, that is, we often see in film and television dramas "flower pot bottom shoes".
This shoe is very distinctive: with a wooden sole and a very high sole, similar to today's high heels, but with a high heel in the middle of the shoe. The sole is wide and rounded, shaped like a flower pot, hence the name. This kind of potted bottom shoe is a wooden bottom, wrapped in a layer of cloth, and the sole is made of horseshoe-shaped, so it is also called horseshoe-bottom shoes, and it will make a rhythmic sound when walking.
The sole is made of wood, wrapped in white cloth, generally 7 cm, the height of up to 13 cm, the upper of the shoes decorated with flowers, insects and birds and other embroidery. Some shoes also have embroidered patterns on the soles, and there are spikes and ground woven with needles and threads at the toes. At that time, brides and young women were dressed more often, and generally young girls began to use high soles when they were thirteen or fourteen years old. By the late Qing Dynasty, wearing a robe and wearing a flower pot bottom shoe had become a dress in the Qing Palace, and even Empress Dowager Cixi often wore these shoes.
Puzzlingly, the Manchus were a nomadic people and a people on horseback, they often had to ride horses, it was impossible to wear pot-bottom shoes, so how were they invented?
This has something to do with the bad habit of "foot binding". According to legend, the matter of foot binding began with Qin Shi Huang. Qin Shi Huang chose beautiful women to enter the palace, and small size was the primary criterion. Probably Qin Shi Huang thought that women were small enough to go out and flaunt, so they were docile and therefore clean. So the women wrapped their feet together, dreaming that one day they would be able to choose the king's side.
After the Southern Song Dynasty, foot binding extended from the palace to the people, from the good family to the prostitute family. The "Yilin Cutting Mountain" records that "prostitutes in the capital of the line wear narrow socks and bow shoes like good people". In addition to prostitutes, foot binding in the Song Dynasty was still limited to high society, and ordinary women, even rich women, did not tie their feet. Then gradually evolved, foot binding became the standard for standardizing women's morality, and in the Ming Dynasty, foot binding entered the prosperous world.
After the Manchu Qing Dynasty entered the customs, it was very envious and liked to meet the women's small feet and walking posture of Han women, so they followed suit and wrapped their small feet, but the emperors at that time did not like it, for example, during the Kangxi Period, there was an order: it was forbidden for women to tie their hair and wrap their feet, and those who violated the order went into exile.
In such a situation, the "flower pot bottom shoes" came into being, the sole of this shoe is very high, coupled with the Manchu women like to wear qipao, so that not only the qipao does not mop the floor, but also can cover the feet, to achieve the purpose of "small feet" without wrapping feet, which is the first use of "flower pot bottom shoes".
The second use is also well understood. At that time, Manchu women went up the mountain to work to prevent mosquito bites and avoid mud on the soles of their shoes, so they used to attach wooden blocks to the bottom of the shoes, which later developed into flower pot bottom shoes.
The third use was for the convenience of the emperor. This is actually very easy to understand, the emperor sits in the harem three thousand, even if it is not so exaggerated, dozens of people, hundreds of people are also there, the emperor can not remember their names one by one, then the "flower pot bottom shoes" will come in handy.
With the development of the times, the "flower pot bottom shoes" at that time became more and more exquisite. The uppers are mostly satin, embroidered with patterns, the soles are painted with white powder, and the rich women are also inlaid with gemstones around the heels. For the concubines in the harem, the decoration on the "flower pot bottom shoes" was also determined according to their status. If the emperor forgot the identity and status of the woman in front of him, and looked down at the other party's shoes, he probably had a number in mind.
Regarding the origin of "flower pot bottom shoes", there are many folk sayings, such as "Manchu women simply to increase height, so use high soles", but these statements are difficult to verify, Xiaobian feels that maybe it is just a simple pursuit of beauty, just like the current high heels, what do you think?