Manchu platform shoes

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Shoes for a Manchu noblewoman, China, Qing dynasty, mid 1800s AD, silk, wood; from the Textile Museum, George Washington University.

Manchu platform shoes refers to two styles of traditional Manchu women's high platform shoes which appeared in the early Qing dynasty and continued to be worn even in the late Qing dynasty.[1][2] Depending on its shape, it could be classified as:

  1. Huapen xie (Chinese: 花盆鞋; pinyin: huāpén xié; lit. 'flowerpot shoes'), also known as huapen di (Chinese: 花盆底; pinyin: huāpén dǐ), huapen dixie (Chinese: 花盆底鞋),[2] or commonly referred as 'flowerpot shoes' in English,[1] and
  2. Mati xie (Chinese: 馬蹄鞋; pinyin: mǎtí xié; lit. 'horse hoof shoes'), Mati dixie (Chinese: 馬蹄底鞋),[2] or commonly referred as 'horse hoof-tread shoes'[1] or 'horse hoof shoes'[3] in English.

History[]

When the Manchu conquered China in the Qing dynasty, they forbade Manchu women from binding their feet like the Han Chinese women.[4] It is sometimes suggested that the Manchu platforms shoes were used to imitate the gait of the Han Chinese women with bound feet.[2] However, it is also suggested that the use of high platform shoes is not influenced by the Han Chinese but the results of the living conditions adaptation in the North east regions.[2]

Making shoes out of wood has been a traditionally made by the ancestors of the Manchu.[1] According to folk stories, the thick-soled shoe first appeared when a goddess decided to keep off insects and dust when she faced a situation where she had to walk in the mud.[3] Another legend associate the creation of the platform shoes to Princess Duoluo Ganzhu who ordered her soldiers to use wooden stilts to cross the marshes; this invention allowed the soldiers to launch a surprise attack and to win their capital back.[2] Since then, Manchu women wore the high, stilt-like platform shoes.[2]

In the early Qing dynasty, the huapen xie and the mati xie appeared.[1] In the mid 19th century, the Manchu women's set of attire was composed of the high platform shoe, the Manchu robe, and the liangbatou.[3] In the late Qing dynasty, Manchu women eventually did practice some kind of loose foot binding, called liutiao jiao (lit. 'willow branch feet') for a short duration of time (only 1 month) in order to compress the feet in a narrow, knife-life shape under the influence of the Han Chinese.[2]

Construction and design[]

Manchu Woman's mati xie, the upper region is made of fabric while the lower region is made of wood.

Materials[]

The lower portion of the shoe was a high platform heel which was made out of wood while the upper portion shoe was made of fabric.[3] The sole was padded with several layers of cotton which could have allowed the shoes to be worn indoor or only when there were special events.[3] The right and the left were interchangeable.[3]

Shapes[]

  • The huapen xie was in the shape of flowerpot.[1] The shoe had thick soles which would reduce in thickness at the toe and the heel regions.[2]
  • The mati xie was horse hoof in shape.[1] The shoes were elevated with a piece of wood with concave sides which were attached to the soles of the shoe.[2]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Manchu Shoes and Chromatic Plumes on the Head". en.chinaculture.org. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Shepherd, John Robert (2018). Footbinding as fashion : ethnicity, labor, and status in traditional China (First ed.). Seattle, Washington. pp. 144–145. ISBN 978-0-295-74442-1. OCLC 1040076055.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Victoria and Albert Museum, Digital Media webmaster@vam ac uk (2011-05-26). "Manchu horse-hoof shoes: Footwear and cultural identity". www.vam.ac.uk. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
  4. ^ "Manchu Platform Shoes". Sarajo. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
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