In modern society, high heels are indispensable for women, not only to make the figure look slender as a whole, but also to have a different kind of beauty. Now the high heel soles are relatively high, and for some women, five centimeters is not a big deal at all.
In fact, not only modern society women popular wear high heels, as early as the Qing Dynasty has been popular with women, but then called "thick-soled shoes", although it has a different sense of beauty, but wearing it is particularly uncomfortable, and it is easy to fall.
During the Qing Dynasty, "flower pot bottom shoes" were very popular with women, why are such "difficult to wear" shoes still sought after? Does this "pot-soled shoe" have any other effect?
Photo: Stills of flowerpot sole shoes from the Qing Dynasty
"Flower pot bottom shoes" are also known as "horseshoe shoes", because the shape of the shoes is "small and wide on the top, flat on the front and rounded after", and the footprints left when they land are horseshoe-shaped, so they get this name.
During the Qing Dynasty, Manchu women favored this style of shoes, with a sole of at least five centimeters long and the highest even reaching twenty-five centimeters. Seeing this, perhaps many people have questions, the bottom is so high, is it really comfortable to wear?
The answer is obviously not comfortable, so why are "pot bottom shoes" still so popular? To answer this question, it is necessary to go back to the ancient habit of "foot binding".
Photo: Stills of a Qing Dynasty concubine wearing horseshoe shoes
As we all know, "foot binding" appeared during the Northern Song Dynasty and prevailed during the Southern Song Dynasty. Foot binding is a vice in the eyes of modern people, but in ancient times it was very sought after and regarded as a different kind of beauty for women.
In general, girls aged four to five are about to start tying their feet. When the skeleton development is basically completed, the "three-inch golden lotus" can be removed after the foot wrapping cloth is finalized, in the eyes of the ancients, this "three-inch golden lotus" is the most beautiful foot.
However, it is a pain for women, and even walking needs to be supported. In many film and television dramas, we can see those noble ladies and ladies being supported by palace women. Status is one reason, and another reason is that it is difficult to walk normally due to the influence of foot binding.
Foot binding has been popular from the Song Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty, and after the Qing army entered the customs, Manchu women saw the elegant posture of the Han people when they walked, and wanted to follow suit, so they tied their feet. However, the Manchus are a people on horseback, and they can't even walk normally after wrapping their feet, so how can they ride horses?
Therefore, Manchu men expressed their disapproval of women's foot binding, so the first emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Taiji, had ordered that women's foot binding be prohibited. It also contains the majesty of the rulers, who are reluctant to be influenced by Han Chinese culture.
Later, the Kangxi Emperor issued the same order, once again emphasizing the prohibition of foot binding. If it is against the will, it will be severely punished by exile. Based on this, the "flower pot bottom shoes" came into being.
Wearing these shoes, you can walk out of the pathetic steps without wrapping your feet, which arouses the pity of men, which is exactly what Manchu women need, so it prevails.
Photo: Stills of Manchu women wearing flowerpot sole shoes
In addition, the "flower pot bottom shoes" were not only liked by Manchu women, but also by the emperor. Because through the "flower pot bottom shoes", the emperor can see the identity status of the concubine at a glance.
You know, there were many concubines in the ancient imperial harem, and there were three thousand beautiful women. With so many people, it is impossible to remember the faces of all of them. At this time, the "flower pot bottom shoes" come in handy.
Concubines with different identities wear different "flower pot bottom shoes" on their feet, and the carved ornaments and hanging accessories on them are also different. If one day the emperor spoiled a concubine on a whim, if he wanted to find this concubine again in the future, he only needed to look at the flowerpot sole shoes he was wearing on his feet.
Image: Stills of the emperor's concubines
In fact, there is a legend about the origin of "flower pot bottom shoes". Before the establishment of the Qing Dynasty, the Manchu ancestors encountered a large area of silt on their way to war. At that time, everyone was stopped, not knowing how to get through this muddy pond. Suddenly, one of them proposed that they could follow the pattern of a white crane and tie some branches to the soles of their shoes so that they could pass easily.
Later, the Manchus made "flower pot bottom shoes" to commemorate the victory of this "mud pond". Of course, this is only a folklore, and the authenticity remains to be examined.
In modern society, the "flower pot bottom shoes" have disappeared and have been replaced by high heels. Although the high heels are very beautiful to wear, but stepping on the day, the feet are also very uncomfortable. However, for the sake of beauty, this pain is also ignored by most women.