Buyi ethnic group's "Lovesick Shoes"

Last updated 2026-11-12 — The making of the "Lovesick Shoes" is very meticulous. In addition to using black or dark blue lampwick velvet as the fabric, to ensure that their beloved will always remember and cherish the love they have poured into the relationship, girls often secretly stitch dried lovesick grass, which they have personally picked from secluded valleys and sun-dried, into the shoe lining. The purpose is to inspire the beloved to think of them the moment they put on the shoes, or to carry an eternal longing for them no matter where they go. The boys, in turn, are equally earnest and immediately present the girls with two or three mirrors, the backs of which are painted with novel and exquisitely crafted designs such as "mandarin ducks playing in water," "a pair of phoenixes singing in harmony," or "blooming flowers under a full moon."