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In the shoe family, Chinese-style embroidered shoes, which
have been deemed as a perfect combination of the shoe culture and the art of
embroidery, are a 100-percent handicraft creation by Chinese people. Deeply
rooted in Chinese culture, they are reputed as "Chinese shoes".
In ancient China, ever since the matrilineal society was replaced by a
patrilineal one, the social division of labor has been based on men ploughing
and women weaving; the tradition of embroidering shoes has been passed down from
one generation to another by Chinese women.
Aesthetic conceptions, cultural traditions, ethics and morals, as well as the
fashion of different dynasties, have all been well expressed by the needle and
thread with which subtle and interesting changes have been incorporated.
But when and where did embroidered shoes first appear? Works that have been
passed down from ancient times fail to provide us with explicit evidence. The
popular tale of the "Jin Shoes" may, however, give us some inspiration.
In the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods dating back
more than 2,600 years, the Jin was headquartered in Shanxi Province . In 606 BC
when Jin Xiangong became the monarch, he set out to expand the territory,
merging 10 vassal states.
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