Because the living areas of the Mongolian people are mostly grasslands, alpine meadows, deserts, hills, swamps, Gobi, etc., the natural environment is complex, and the climate temperature difference is large, which provides conditions for the wearing of Mongolian boots, and the styles are also diversified. Because Mongolian boots can be suitable for the production and life needs of pastoral areas, they can protect their legs and pedal when riding horses; they can prevent wind and sand when walking, reducing resistance; and they can withstand cold in winter, so in daily life, regardless of men and women, young and old, Mongolians like to wear boots.
The historical origins of Mongolian boot making
The popular area of Mongolian boots is more extensive, and people are generally wearing them in Ordos, Alxa, Xilin Gol, north of Ulanqab, Hulunbuir, Tongliao, most of Chifeng, north of Baotou, Xing'an League, as well as Xinjiang, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Gansu, Qinghai and other Mongolian provinces and regions.
The production of traditional Mongolian boots dates back to ancient times, and the dressing customs of a people are closely related to their way of life, customs and habits, and the natural environment in which they live. Historically, many nomadic peoples who operated in the vast grasslands of the southern and northern deserts were the makers and users of boots. According to records, in the Bronze Age, in order to ride horses and wade in grass to prevent dampness and insects and snakes, the northern nomads used animal leather to make high leather boots, and in winter, they put felt boots on the boots to keep warm. In the 11th and 12th centuries AD, the Mongols have become a powerful ethnic group on the steppe, the development of clothing culture has also entered a brilliant period, the fabric and style of boots have gradually increased, and wearing high boots has been quite common, and the style has pointed and rounded heads. During the Mongolian Yuan Period, the types, styles, colors, sewing techniques and costume systems of Mongolian costumes showed unprecedented development, reaching a state of diversity. During this period, Mongolian boots, regardless of style, material, or style, have been greatly improved compared with before, and there have been chao boots, black boots, flower boots, dry boots, nail boots, and then there are seam boots, cloud boots (leather surface, help embedded clouds, head cloud pattern), felt boots and so on. In the Qing Dynasty, the Mongolian social system underwent great changes, the Qing government implemented the alliance flag system, restricting the free exchanges between tribes and flag counties, and there was a sub-trend system between tribes, which objectively promoted the rapid formation of clothing culture between tribes, and the wearing of boots also had many choices.
The Mongolian boot making industry in Hohhot was founded in the Kangxi dynasty of the Qing Dynasty, and at its peak there were dozens of workshops with 300 to 500 employees, the most prestigious of which were Yongde Kui, Yishengtai, Changyiyong, Xingshengyong, Yuanshengyong, Taihede, Yuanhede, known as the "Seven Great Numbers of Mongolian Boots", all of which have their own shops. Most of the boot craftsmen are foreigners who come to call for business. At that time, fur tanning and processing workshops were relatively developed, and the supply of leather raw materials for making boots was sufficient, which also promoted the development of the boot industry. In addition to being sold to the surrounding areas, it has also gradually expanded to the pastoral steppes, so that herders in the northern Mongolian steppes of the desert are wearing them. After liberation, the Mongolian boot industry gradually transitioned from private to public-private partnership, and a national supplies factory was established to specialize in the production of Mongolian boots. By the late 1980s, the traditional handmade Mongolian boots were also partially replaced by machine production. The Wu family in Hohhot has always made Mongolian boots by hand, and the first generation of his family made court boots for officials in the palace during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty, and Wu Runda was the fifth generation. Nowadays, in the folk workshops of Urart and Korqin, handmade Mongolian boots are still the mainstream, and it takes nearly a month to make a pair of boots to complete, if you embroider on the boots, the time will be longer, of course, the price is not cheap.
The shape is exquisite and exquisite
At present, there are seven or eight kinds of Mongolian boots that are popular in the folk, mainly military boots (large plate tip), grab tiger, soap-like boots (egg head), martial infantry (Chao boots), Daxian boots, three-hugging boots (small plate tip), Eight Treasure Boots (children's boots), Leather Horse boots (GaoJing, Half-Jing), Cloth Embroidered Boots (Half-Jing). Military-style boots (large plate tip), pointed toe, slightly upturned at the upper edge of the upper tip, the upturned curvature of the tip is the largest of several styles, the upturned height of the tip can reach 9 cm from the surface of the sole, the boot barrel is higher, and the inside can be decorated with felt boot sleeves. The tip of the three-hugging boot (small plate tip), the upward curve of the gang tassel interface is slightly smaller than that of the military boot, and the tip of the boot is slightly upturned. Gripper boots, the boot body is thinner, the bottom is small and large, the toe of the boot should grow out of the sole of the boot 3 cm, belongs to the semi-tassel boots, or embroidered or pasted with various patterns on the tassel. Soap-like boots, the upper and bolt interface of the boot are not very curved, and the tip of the boot resembles an egg head. Warrior boots, the upper part of the boot is upturned like soap-like boots, and the tip of the boot is slightly lowered.
To make a pair of traditional Mongolian boots, it takes 4 major processes and more than 50 processes to make boot soles, boot barrels, boots, row boots, and the difference between them is the style of the gang, the tassel and the sole. Mongolian boots are mainly composed of two parts, the boot barrel is composed of two parts, the boot barrel is composed of a helper, a trowel, a cloud, a lens, a mouth, a set, a root, a seat strip and other parts; the sole of the boot is composed of three parts: cover plate, melaleuca (40 layers of cloth) and leather bottom. Among them, the Eight Treasures Children's Boots are made of 8 pieces of leather, and the rest are made of 4 pieces of leather. The upper and boots of Mongolian boots are generally lined with fragrant cowhide, sheepskin and pig skin, the sole of the boot is smoked cow leather, the cloud is made of femoral skin (donkey skin), the mouth is sheepskin, the lens is made of pig skin, the seat strip is femoral skin (donkey skin), and the heel is made of cow skin (or sheepskin, pig skin). The production process, one is the production of the sole of the boot, mainly to make a melaleuca, a cover plate and a sticky leather bottom, as well as a nano base. The second is the production of boot barrels, this step is mainly to make gangs, tassels and yunzi, as well as to contract yunzi on the gang and martingale, and stitch the gang and the jing together. The third is to put on the boots, and after the sole and barrel of the boots are done, the two parts are stitched. The fourth is a row of boots, the boots are well filled with a last, and then the outside of the boot barrel is beaten to form, and a pair of boots is completed.
Different dressing customs
The Mongols have different customs for wearing boots due to different tribes. Ordos both men and women love to wear military boots and gripper boots, military boots are mostly leather boots, grab tiger boots are generally more cloth boots, boots embroidered with cloud patterns and colored stripes, boots inside the cloth, women wear grab tiger boots, boots are shorter, boot embroidery patterns are richer, or paste or embroidery, butterflies, plum blossoms and other patterns jump on the boot surface, the color is also more, it seems generous. It is more common for Urat men to wear long round-toe riding boots, as well as large upturned military boots, small upturned three-arm boots, women wear more cloth boots, with green lines outlined on the velvet fabric, north of yin mountain more wearing upturned military boots, southern Yinshan wearing cowhide round-toe riding boots, felt socks with beautiful patterns of boot edge decoration. Mongolian Muslims and Heshuo people wear cowhide dwarf boots with a three-sided nose bridge on the upper. Because the Khalkha people are located in the Gobi Desert, in order to adapt to the environment, it is convenient to ride camels and horses, and there are more people wearing large pointed boots, and the same is true for the Darhan and Maomingan people, and there is little difference between men and women. The boots worn by the Turks are small pointed heads, which are very handsome to match with Mongolian robes. Durbert men wear Mongolian leather boots with pointed and round toe, and the upper and boots are inlaid with colored strips. When herding horses, I like to wear boots with tall, thin, round-toed riding boots. Uzumuqin, Sunit and the eastern region, due to the cold winter climate, the general herders like to wear felt boots when grazing, felt boots are made of wool and camel hair, commonly known as felt knots, felt boots are light and warm, not snow and strong. The dwarf boots worn by Horqin, Ongniut and Bahraini women are the most beautiful and bright ones in Mongolian boots, and the uppers and boots are embroidered with various flowers, which match the costumes and are very eye-catching.
Inheritance and protection
As an integral part of the Mongolian costume, the Mongolian boot is the symbol of the image of the Mongolian nation, which not only integrates the handicraft skills and wisdom of many ethnic groups, but also the epitome of the ancient culture of the Mongolian people. It is a necessity created by nomads in their production and life to meet the needs of life, and its evolution has witnessed the history of the development of Mongolian costumes, which is of great significance for maintaining the traditional mongolian costume culture. The traditional handmade process of Mongolian boots is complex, the delicacy of the process and the high requirements are unmatched by other footwear production, these production techniques are difficult to replace by modern technology, it contains rich scientific genes, and is an extremely valuable cultural heritage. It has the unique value of witnessing the Mongolian cultural tradition and needs to be excavated, inherited, protected and developed.
In recent years, due to the great changes in the traditional nomadic life and dressing habits of herders, there are more choices for wearing on the feet, fewer and fewer people wear Mongolian boots, and the market demand for Mongolian boots has gradually decreased. Then there is the influence of modern factors, the shortage of raw materials needed to make Mongolian boots, the group of skilled craftsmen has disappeared, young people are unwilling to learn from teachers, skills are difficult to inherit, and the Mongolian boot sales market has shrunk. Nowadays, people who buy Mongolian boots are mainly used for weddings or festive occasions, or for filming, television as props, or as gifts for relatives and friends, or as handicrafts. In addition, the handmade of Mongolian boots has gradually been replaced by machines, making traditional handicrafts no longer favored. Therefore, it is particularly important to protect this handicraft. In particular, since mongolian costume art was listed as a pilot project for the protection of the national intangible heritage, governments at all levels and cultural departments have organized relevant experts and scholars to conduct a field survey of this project, set up special agencies, formulated protection plans, implemented special funds, and improved the protection system for inheritors. Through the implementation of the above protection measures, the historical original appearance of Mongolian costume art can be effectively restored, so that the inheritance of costumes can become the conscious consciousness of society, so that the skills of key inheritors can be inherited and protected, and further developed on the basis of protection.
..................... Shengli
Source: Northern News Network