Neiliansheng, Classic Style, Contemporary Feel

They were worn by officials of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), wives and concubines of the emperors and by Hong Kong kong fu movie stars such as Jacky Chen.

"They" are shoes made by the Neiliansheng Shoes Store, a Time Honoured Brand located at the west end of a pedestrians-only mall called Dashilan Street in Qianmen, just south of Tian'anmen Square and Qianmen in Beijing. Dashilansss, came into being about 500 years ago and quickly became a prime business location for some of China's most enduring shops, making it one of Beijing's most famed shopping streets with business traditions not found elsewhere. Ten famous Chinese brands, including the silk brand Ruifu Xiang and the pharmaceutical brand Tongrentang line Dashilan, along with Neiliansheng.

Neiliansheng stems from the Chinese "nei," which means "the imperial court," and "liansheng," which means "getting successive promotion." Zhao Ting, the founder of Neiliansheng, used this name in hopes that officials who wore his shoes would win promotions. Because of the good reputation and high quality of the hand-made shoes, Zhao quickly became rooted in Beijing. After Neiliansheng's founding in 1853, Zhao focused his business on the middle and upper classes of society, mainly officials in the imperial court. He often sent his staff to the officials' homes to measure the officials' feet. Years later, Neiliansheng had accumulated a detailed record of many officials' shoe sizes, special requirements and even their positions. Even today, the book is stored at Neiliansheng.

Before the collapse of Qing Dynasty in 1911, Neiliansheng was famous for making shoes for officials. The vamps were in black satin that remained smooth even with long wear; dust was easily removed. Neiliansheng's comfortable, light and soundless shoes were popular with court officials and helped ensure its success.

Alas, after 1911, there was no longer a market for these shoes; they were supplanted by multiply layered, hand-made cloth shoes. The vamps were made from wool, silk or cloth and the soles from 32 layers of white cotton cloth. Stitched with hemp string, the soles are more durable than those stitched with ordinary thread. Quite different from the shoes made by using machines, these shoes take one worker about four days and more than 30 procedures to make. Just to make one sole with 32-layers requires two-days' work and seven procedures, including cutting the cloth to form, assembling and gluing the layers, stitching and more. About 81 stitches are required for every 1.69 square inches, and the stitches on the soles should be distributed in order.

Niu Shuxin, Neiliansheng's Director of General Manager's Office, said, "The sticky materials used for assembling the 32 layers of the soles are made from rice, and they are even edible. We use all-natural materials and hand work; this explains why the cloth shoes sold at Neiliansheng are more expensive than others. But the natural materials and complicated procedures guarantee Neiliansheng's shoes' are comfortable, light and of a high quality."

The latter qualities are regarded as a huge plus by Hong Kong kung fu movie stars such as Jacky Chen and Jet Li, who are often filmed wearing them. Why? Because the shoes allow the action stars' feet to "breathe" easily; sweat is easily absorbed.

The company began using leather for soles to add "bounce"; they also turned to using natural wool. These two kinds of shoes have been the main products of Neiliansheng for almost a century.

The company has also developed a variety of embroidered shoes for women. The vamps of these shoes are made with silk and the soles with cloth or leather. Patterns used may include flowers and plants such as plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, chrysanthemums or peonies. Or they may use mandarin ducks that symbolize an affectionate couple.

Niu said, "2006 is a lucky year for marriage on the Chinese lunar calendar; thus, our sales of embroidered shoes have increased markedly." Embroidered shoes go well with qipao, the Manchu women's clothing popularized during the late Qing Dynasty and during the early 20th century by Chinese women, reflecting their sense of elegance.

Another style of women's shoe sold at Neiliansheng is the huapen-style shoes (flowerpot shoes, named for their shape) sometimes featured in Chinese movies or in photos. The wives and concubines of the emperors wore this kind of shoes. Unlike embroidered shoes, their soles are made of wood that is often 10-centimetres thick with the top part wider than the bottom part, featuring a bunch of threads on each single shoe. They are now used mostly in the movies. A tiny version of hand-made huapen-style shoes is now sold at Neiliansheng for home decoration. A pair of such shoes is smaller than a lady's palm.

Children's shoes featuring animals associated with different symbolic meanings of the Chinese zodiac are also popular at Neiliansheng. Those featuring dragon patterns, for instance, imply a child's great future. More importantly, the natural materials of these cloth shoes are very healthy for growing babies and are much better than sneakers.

A visitor to Neiliansheng should take the time to visit the store's historic exhibitions. On the store's first floor are copies of shoes made by Neiliansheng that were once worn by the late Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou Enlai. On the second floor, there is an exhibition of shoes. Some date back to thousands of years ago. It explains the development of shoes in China and features photos of shoes worn by the Empress Dowager Cixi and officials of the imperial court.