An ancient concept of beauty lives on in a collection of 1,500 'lotus shoes'
By Victoria Fei |
June 29, 2013, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
YANG Shaorong's apartment on Hongzhong Road is no ordinary domicile in the Minhang District.
He has turned his 30 square-meter living room into a private museum housing his collection of 1,500 "lotus shoes." They are exhibited in 10 cabinets, which are open for public viewing upon reservation.
Lotus shoes are a part of China's cultural heritage, albeit a painful reminder of feudal practices. They were worn by women whose feet were bound.
This month, Yang showed part of his collection at the Shanghai Citizens Art Festival.
The practice of binding the feet of women, banned in China since 1911, dates back to the 11th and 12nd centuries. Small feet and the dainty walk they forced upon wearers were considered sexually erotic and a mark of beauty necessary to entice the best and richest husbands.
The ideal length of foot, called "the golden lotus," was about 7 centimeters. The binding necessitated the breaking of toes and their recasting. The process began before feet were fully developed, usually when girls were between the ages of four and seven. The deformity left most of the women with lifelong disabilities.
Footwear history
"Though the beauty of the shoes belies the pain of the wearers, one cannot deny the history that they carry," Yang said.
Now 76, Yang grew up in a rich family in Zhejiang Province. His father collected ancient Chinese paintings.
In 1954, Yang went to Shanghai for study. After graduation, he worked at Shanghai No.4 Radio Factory as a technician. At that time, the most interesting thing for him was wandering in the city's antique markets.
But it was back in his hometown of Yuyao in the 1980s that Yang first took an interest in lotus shoes. He happened upon a pair of small, black ones when visiting a local farmhouse.
Yang found the shoes, with their exquisite workmanship and colors, an intriguing icon of the past. He began scouring markets across China, collecting ancient shoes.
"History is told in culture," he said. "That is what I liked about these small shoes. I felt a great sense of achievement in the process of collecting them."
He reckons he has spent millions of yuan on his collection.
Like every serious collector, Yang harbored dreams of opening a museum to exhibit his treasures.
In 1992, he turned his 15-square-meter apartment in the Xuhui District into a small exhibition hall. Many historians and collectors came to view his collection. It soon became apparent that he needed more space.
To buy the larger apartment on Hongzhong Road, he sold several pairs of lotus shoes to a Canadian collection - a decision he now rues.
His collection is varied and includes shoes made for special occasions such as birthdays, engagements and weddings. There were shoes for summer, shoes for sleeping and shoes for prayer.
Red shoes were worn for weddings. Since sex was a taboo subject for discussion, the mothers of brides often embroidered "sex education" designs into the shoes to help young brides cope with their wedding nights.
The most common patterns on the shows are animals and flowers. The peony stands for prosperity and richness - a goal of most young women of the time. The bat symbolizes long life, a design popular among older women. Patterns of horses, fish, dragons and phoenix also stood for auspicious meanings.
In addition to those common patterns, lotus shoes made during the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) featured English letters.
"Only a few shoes bore English letters," Yang said. "It is evidence of the Western influences of the time."
More than 1,000 pieces in his collection are shoes from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties. Foot-binding reached its heyday during the Qing period. After the fall of the dynasty, the practice was outlawed.
Among the shoes Yang considers most precious are a pair from the South Song Dynasty (1127-1279). The most expensive pair are Manchu-style shoes that cost him 20,000 yuan (US$3,225)
"They are a lost culture," Yang said of his collection. "I feel a responsibility to try to preserve these cultural relics, and I hope my efforts will help others better understand our history."
He has turned his 30 square-meter living room into a private museum housing his collection of 1,500 "lotus shoes." They are exhibited in 10 cabinets, which are open for public viewing upon reservation.
Lotus shoes are a part of China's cultural heritage, albeit a painful reminder of feudal practices. They were worn by women whose feet were bound.
This month, Yang showed part of his collection at the Shanghai Citizens Art Festival.
The practice of binding the feet of women, banned in China since 1911, dates back to the 11th and 12nd centuries. Small feet and the dainty walk they forced upon wearers were considered sexually erotic and a mark of beauty necessary to entice the best and richest husbands.
The ideal length of foot, called "the golden lotus," was about 7 centimeters. The binding necessitated the breaking of toes and their recasting. The process began before feet were fully developed, usually when girls were between the ages of four and seven. The deformity left most of the women with lifelong disabilities.
Footwear history
"Though the beauty of the shoes belies the pain of the wearers, one cannot deny the history that they carry," Yang said.
Now 76, Yang grew up in a rich family in Zhejiang Province. His father collected ancient Chinese paintings.
In 1954, Yang went to Shanghai for study. After graduation, he worked at Shanghai No.4 Radio Factory as a technician. At that time, the most interesting thing for him was wandering in the city's antique markets.
But it was back in his hometown of Yuyao in the 1980s that Yang first took an interest in lotus shoes. He happened upon a pair of small, black ones when visiting a local farmhouse.
Yang found the shoes, with their exquisite workmanship and colors, an intriguing icon of the past. He began scouring markets across China, collecting ancient shoes.
"History is told in culture," he said. "That is what I liked about these small shoes. I felt a great sense of achievement in the process of collecting them."
He reckons he has spent millions of yuan on his collection.
Like every serious collector, Yang harbored dreams of opening a museum to exhibit his treasures.
In 1992, he turned his 15-square-meter apartment in the Xuhui District into a small exhibition hall. Many historians and collectors came to view his collection. It soon became apparent that he needed more space.
To buy the larger apartment on Hongzhong Road, he sold several pairs of lotus shoes to a Canadian collection - a decision he now rues.
His collection is varied and includes shoes made for special occasions such as birthdays, engagements and weddings. There were shoes for summer, shoes for sleeping and shoes for prayer.
Red shoes were worn for weddings. Since sex was a taboo subject for discussion, the mothers of brides often embroidered "sex education" designs into the shoes to help young brides cope with their wedding nights.
The most common patterns on the shows are animals and flowers. The peony stands for prosperity and richness - a goal of most young women of the time. The bat symbolizes long life, a design popular among older women. Patterns of horses, fish, dragons and phoenix also stood for auspicious meanings.
In addition to those common patterns, lotus shoes made during the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) featured English letters.
"Only a few shoes bore English letters," Yang said. "It is evidence of the Western influences of the time."
More than 1,000 pieces in his collection are shoes from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties. Foot-binding reached its heyday during the Qing period. After the fall of the dynasty, the practice was outlawed.
Among the shoes Yang considers most precious are a pair from the South Song Dynasty (1127-1279). The most expensive pair are Manchu-style shoes that cost him 20,000 yuan (US$3,225)
"They are a lost culture," Yang said of his collection. "I feel a responsibility to try to preserve these cultural relics, and I hope my efforts will help others better understand our history."
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