Manchu embroidered shoes

Manchu embroidered shoes

　　The high-platform "banner shoes" worn by Manchu women, also known as Manchu embroidered shoes. Their most distinctive feature is the exceptionally high sole, which comes in two wooden sole shapes: the wide-top-narrow-bottom flowerpot shape and the wide-top-round-bottom horseshoe shape. As a result, they are commonly referred to as "flowerpot bottom" shoes or "horseshoe bottom" shoes, collectively known as "high-platform shoes."

　　The soles are made of wood, typically ranging from 5 to 10 centimeters in height, some reaching 14 to 16 centimeters, and the tallest up to around 25 centimeters. The wooden soles are wrapped in white cloth and embedded in the middle section of the shoe sole. The shoe uppers are often adorned with embroidery patterns such as cicadas and butterflies, or decorative pieces, while the wooden sole shafts are also commonly decorated with embroidery or beading. Some shoes feature tassels made of silk threads at the toe, which can be as long as reaching the ground.

　　After the Manchus unified the country, the "Eight Banners system" continued to be implemented. The "banner people" held the highest social status, and thus high-platform banner shoes naturally became a symbol of status and identity, primarily worn by Manchu noble young women over the age of thirteen or fourteen. The Manchus did not practice foot binding and advocated for "natural feet," so banner shoes were generally larger than the small-foot shoes worn by Han Chinese women.

　　There is also a legend about the origin of the "high-platform shoes": the ancestors of the Manchus, in order to cross a muddy swamp and reclaim a city occupied by the enemy, imitated cranes by tying tree branches to their shoes, and ultimately achieved victory. To remember those difficult days and honor the contribution of the high-platform wooden shoes, women began wearing these shoes, passing them down through generations. Today, these wooden-soled banner shoes are only worn during cultural and recreational activities.