3 Pairs of Ancient Three-Cun Lily Shoes, Kept by a Doctor

PRLog (Press Release) - Mar 16, 2010 -
"A doctor keeps three pairs of ancient woman's three-cun lily shoes!" Being a China facts digger, I visited his home in Gongcheng and witnessed the unique traditional Chinese shoes on Monday.

The doctor goes by the name of Zande He, a 68 years old man, who retires from the People’s Hospital of Gongcheng Yao Autonomous County, Guilin. "These shoes were once kept by my grandfather," Doctor. He said, "He told me that his ancestors had come to Gongcheng from Jiangxi province as refugees in 200 years ago, these shoes are heritage from them."  "After his death," the doctor added "I keep the three pairs of shoes."  "In ancient times women's feet were bound," He said to me "After a girl was born 2 or 3 years, her parents would bind her feet with the cloth shreds tightly in case for growing, this is called foot-binding." "In the old days a woman with bound feet was considered as 'beauty' and her feet were known as 'three-cun lily feet'," "Most women's feet were about 3 cun (≈9.9 cm) when they grew up, those who have big feet may not find husbands, even discriminated by other people." "Binding was brutal," He said, "It made the girls wail out in pain," "It was, nevertheless, the parents had to bind their daughters though they consider ed this behavior against their conscience."

The three pairs of three-cun lily shoes kept by Doctor He belong to three sizes: small, medium and large. The small measures 4 cun (≈13.2 cm), the medium measures 5 cun (16.5 cm), the large measures 6 cun (19.8 cm), all the thickness of their soles are about 1 cm, the broadness of the heels are 4 cm, 5 cm and 6 cm from the small size to the large size respectively. Each shoe looks like a regular triangle, and the toecaps are cuspate. Both the soles and the vamps are made from home-made clothes. The vamps are black and both sides of them with delicate embroidery.

"In ancient times, the women wore three pairs of shoes at the same time," Doctor. He Said, "They wore the small size first, then the medium and then the large outside of the two," "But why they wore 3 pairs of shoes all together?" I asked. "Cause the smallest shoes may measure only 3 cun ( ≈ 9.9 cm)," "They would make their owners instable," "By putting on three together, the ground contact areas were enlarged and therefore the women were not liable to stumble or fall when they walking." He replied.

More info about the three cun lily shoes or feet at http://www.chinafacttours.com/shanghai-expo/6-day-shangha...

Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/10577592/1