Qianmen Dashila 大栅栏

Neiliansheng 內联升 (北京内联升鞋业有限公司) is a traditional shoe store founded in 1853. Originally they made court shoes for the senior officials and expanded their business to serve the general population. The shoes are all made of cloth. There are beautifully embroidered silk shoes, satin pumps, and they made the special shoes for women's bound feet. The extraordinary popularity of their shoes comes from the plain shoes for everyday wear. They are very comfortable and cool.

The secret is in the sole of the shoe that is crafted of 27 layers of cloth. The way in which they are sewn makes them firm enough to give support to the arch, but pliable for easy walking. The layers absorb the shocks of walking and provide natural ventilation.

Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De and other more recent leaders of China have continued to wear the shoes, although for everyday purposes at home. One of the features of the shop is that once you buy a pair of shoes there, they keep your measurements and all particulars on file. When you want another pair, you don't have to return for a fitting, they have the information already. They guarantee that the shoes will fit. You can also buy ready-made, of course, but you won't enjoy the full experience of the emperors.

Not all of the cloth shoes you see in China come from here, of course. Everyone wore them in the past and saved their one pair of leather shoes for special occasions. In fact, one of the indicators of prosperity I used through the nineties was to note the number of vendors in markets who were wearing cloth shoes versus leather shoes. Gradually, leather, and quickly, running shoes, supplanted the cloth shoe for everyday wear. The cloth shoe became the comfort shoe for strolls or to wear at home. You still see dancing groups in the parks wearing matching cloth pumps because they are perfect for dancing.

They opened the store on Dashila in 1956, moving from Qianmen Dajie. Today, they make many different styles of shoes, but the traditional cloth pump serves as the mainstay of their business.