Straw Sandals

Straw sandals, a kind of shoes invented by the Chinese, are woven with rice straw, wheat straw or corn stalks. Some of them have laces while some are just slippers. Straw sandals have been the traditional working shoes for the residents in mountain areas since ancient times in China. People, men and women, old and young alike, would wear straw sandals when they are laboring in fields or cutting firewood or logging or gathering medicinal herbs or going hunting on mountains. They would wear them in all weather conditions. Straw sandals are airy, light, soft, skidproof and, most importantly, cheap. They are good for health for the effect of massage. In summer, when one takes a long walk, straw sandals with a proper hardness will make one feel fresh, cool and comfortable, and move with incredible agility. On rainy days, they will not be damaged by water and are skidproof. On snowy days in winter, people can wear a pair of palm-made socks in sandals made of a special grass, which is both snug and skidproof; if walking on an icy road, people can put the skidproof accessory made of iron on their sandals to stay safe. 

Straw sandals have already become a remarkable folk custom in the dressing code of people living in mountain areas in China. It was also a common practice for people in ancient times. According to the historical records, Liu Heng, Wen Emperor in the Han Dynasty once wore straw sandals. The swordsmen and hermits in ancient times seemed to consider wearing straw sandals as a fashion. The swordsmen in TV dramas also wear them in many cases, which really makes them look elegant, carefree and detached. Liu Bei, a royal family member in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, sold straw sandals to make a living in the early years. It proves that straw sandals were favored not only by common people but also by emperors and swordsmen in ancient times. The literature and the real straw sandals in the sites of the Western Zhou Dynasty as well as the picture of straw sandals on the feet of the terracotta figurines in the tombs of the Han Dynasty can prove the existence of straw sandals in the era of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties as early as more than 3,000 years ago. 

Straw sandals have formed a kind of culture in China's social life: the culture of straw sandals. They are a symbol of industry and wisdom, courage and struggle; and they reflect the indestructible unity of the Chinese nation. Nowadays, it has been given new cultural connotations: environmental protection and recycling of resources.