An ideal later life in my mind is supposed to be like this: stroll between high streets and back lanes with feet in a pair of comfortable and warm cloth shoes, and have a bowl of fresh tofu made of green vegetables picked from the countryside and a small bowl of porridge.

Strong Cloth Soles (千层底 in Chinese) in Memory - Under the large Cuo (厝 in Chinese, a kind of folk residence) with cob wall and black tile lived my grandpa, father and mother. I was born in that Cuo. Under that large Cuo lived seven or eight households, including my uncle, auntie, elder brother and sister-in-law... The large Cuo then was rather lively and full of an air of affection. Strong cloth soles in my memory come from there... Sister-in-law Lianhua was the No.1 master of stitching soles of cloth shoes. In our local dialect, we used to call making cloth soles as stitching soles of cloth shoes (纳鞋底 in Chinese). In spite of her short and stout figure, sister-in-law Lianhua had two most skillful hands under this Cuo. Soles stitched by her were the best-made and sturdy. Wearing a pair of cloth shoes made by her would make one either comfortable and eey-catching. Therefore, in this small extending hundreds of miles, cloth shoes made by her outshines all. As a tiny ray of sunshine slanted through the dark eaves, the bright light shined over the slim fingers of sister-in-law Lianhua. She trawled through several pieces of old clothes deftly from the red wooden chest, tore them apart and made them flat, with one layer over another layer repeatedly. Afterwards, she smeared layers of white rice paste to bind the tore clothes layer by layer. After about ten layers of clothes were bound, she brought out these flattened and overlaid clothes under the sun for drying and after drying, she cut shoe patterns based on different shoe sizes. 

Sister-in-law Lianhua told me that a pair of such shoes would not come into being before seven processes were done and that each process was closely related. Thus, special care should be given while making them.  Rags pasting is the first process to make cloth soles. That is, layers of clothes are stuck together until it is about 1.5mm thick and then are dried into a cloth plate, which is known as "rags pasting". Rags pasting is followed by shoe sole cutting (the pasted rags are cut into pieces of shoe soles) and then edge covering with the four edges of the shoe sole fully covered by new white cloth stripes. Then, the edge-covered shoe sole with about eight or nine layers are stuck together and then is stitched by hemp rope. Given this process defines the shoes' intensity, it is an important link among the seven processes. After the sole is rounded, sole stitching begins by hemp rope. Every square inch of shoe sole is required to be stitched with at least 81 stitches. Thick hemp rope but fine pinhole, tightening by hands and also evenly distributed stitches are all required in making. After the above six processes are done, sole hammering begins. After soaked and stifling in hot water, the sole is hammered to make it flat. In hammering, a template is required to avoid sole deformation. A pair of shoes made of strong cloth soles comes into being after these rather complicated processes. In my childhood, 8 or 9 years old or so then, when one is curious about all things, I would fetch a small wooden bench when sister-in-law Lianhua was stitching soles to carefully and obediently sit her side when she was stitching soles. "Little sister, be sure to remember to make a good pair of soles, one should keep calm, with sharp eyes and deft hands..." sister-in-law Lianhua repeatedly told me while holding a hammer. In fact, she was teaching me the secret to make soles. However, I failed to make it clear in a young age only curious about new things. Sitting next to her, I only gawked at her deft hands stitching under the sun. The cheeping sounds from loom machines, laughter of women, 

running and playing kids in the hall, made the large Cuo rather bustling then. 

Maiden girls often surrounded sister-in-law Lianhua to fetch her skills. Certainly, they did not want to stitch soles for themselves but to make a pair of cloth shoes for their sweetheart. Thus, very often, they hid their real intention by any excuse. Some may say she would make sole for her father, or for her brothers. But the fact was held in their mind. In those days, letters are the most common romance token, and a pair of cloth shoes could also play a romance token role. To make a pair of cloth shoes for their sweetheart, those girls would take great pains. First, they cut their sweetheart's shoe pattern when they paid no attention and then stitched soles based on the shoe pattern they got. Holding a hammer in hand, they usually stitched at night and the dense stitches are just like their meticulous thought. Though a green hand and having no experience, their heart would be brimming with love when they thought their sweethearts wore a pair of cloth shoes made by themselves. The dense stitches hold great affection. 

There is a custom in my hometown that the mother would fetch a pair of self-stitched cloth shoes from her arms and hand them to her son who is about to go out and say to the son that "dear son, wear the cloth shoes made by mother to have a safe journey to go to a distant place." A pair of self-made shoes fully demonstrates the mother's affection for her son. When my male cousin was to about to getting married, my mother stitched shoes under the dim light of a lamp at night each day. All these shoes were made of quality thread and expensive clothes. Mother was meticulous about each stitch, for it contained my mother's blessing for him. Though it is not made of thousands of layers, the affection in each stitch cannot be replaced by modernized machines and each layer contains affectionate love. One writer once described his later life like this that an ideal later life in my mind is supposed to be like this: stroll between high streets and back lanes with feet in a pair of comfortable and warm cloth shoes, and have a bowl of fresh tofu made of green vegetables picked from the countryside and a small bowl of porridge. One pair of cloth shoes becomes the most considerate and warmest longing of a writer. In a materially wealthy and increasingly better-off era, when people place much more store on thought and spiritual wealth, a pair of pure handmade cloth shoes will bring you the most peaceful, primitive and warmest life.

From: Official Website of Baishuiyang - Yuanyang Stream Scenic Area