Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties

The socks in the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties were triangular in shape and were lace socks that could only be put on the feet and then tied to the ankles with ropes. This kind of socks lasted until the Han Dynasty. "Han Feizi" once recorded: "King Wen attacked Chong and went to Fenghuang (Huang) Ruins. He untied them with his hands because he knotted himself." This means that King Wen of Zhou conquered Chongguo and made his own hands at Fenghuang Ruins. Tie garters. It was not until the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period that triangle socks began to be replaced by a new type of socks.

Since the emergence of textiles, although people's socks have begun to be made of textiles, leather socks still exist. Especially in the cold winter, leather socks are often more warm and practical than cloth socks.

People in Zhou Dynasty had extremely strict etiquette for wearing socks. When ministers see the monarch, they must take off their socks before entering the hall, otherwise it will be disrespectful. "Zuo Zhuan·Twenty-Five Years of Duke Ai" records such a story. It was common sense at that time to take off your socks when going to court. For people of the same rank and status, it was up to you whether to take off your socks indoors after taking off your shoes. But if an elder or someone with a higher status than you is with you, you cannot wear socks and can only take them off. This situation is also reflected in the folk. For example, women at that time were not allowed to wear socks when serving their aunts, and they had to bare their feet as a sign of respect.

Of course, poor people could not often wear socks made of cloth and cotton. Socks were mostly worn by the upper class at that time, so to a certain extent they were a symbol of people's identity and social status at that time.

Qin and Han Dynasties

Socks during the Qin and Han Dynasties were made of cooked leather and cloth, and wealthy people could wear silk socks. The socks are generally more than one foot high, with a belt at the top. The belt is used to tighten the upper part of the socks when wearing them. Their color is mostly white, but they are worn in red during sacrifices. The most sophisticated socks are made of silk yarn and embroidered with patterns. Most of the socks are in the shape of a sock with a straight toe, an opening at the back, and a garter belt attached to the opening, and are made of silk or yarn. The socks are double-layered, with finer silk on the top and slightly thicker silk on the inside. The entire sock can be made from one piece of cloth.

Women’s socks unearthed from Han Tomb No. 1 in Mawangdui, Changsha were made of plain silk. This kind of socks is made with high technology. If we start with this, the craft of sewing socks in our country has a history of more than 2,000 years, which is much earlier than in Western countries.

Another pair of women's socks unearthed from a Western Han Dynasty tomb in Fenghuangshan, Jiangling, Hubei, was made of hemp. Also seen in historical records during this period were brocade socks, damask socks, muslin socks, velvet socks, felt socks, etc.

The technology of socks weaving in the Eastern Han Dynasty was relatively advanced. For example, the treasures of footwear of the Eastern Han Dynasty unearthed from Tomb No. 1 in the Minfeng Desert in Xinjiang required 75 jacquard heddles to weave the brocade used.

Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties

Socks during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties were mostly made of linen, silk, and cooked leather. Legend has it that Emperor Wen of Wei Cao Pi had a beautiful and intelligent concubine. She felt that the horn socks were rough, ugly and inconvenient to wear, so she tried to knit socks with sparse and soft silk, and changed the pattern of the socks from a triangular shape to something similar to modern ones. Sock type. As a result, socks changed from the "add-on type" in the past to the "attached type" that fits the feet. Of course, such a story may not be credible, but silk socks did appear at this time, called Luo socks. There is a description of this kind of socks in Cao Zhi's "Luo Shen Fu": "Lingbo steps slightly, Luo socks produce dust."

Tang and Song Dynasties

Socks of nobles in the Tang Dynasty It is mostly made of brocade. In "Memory Beads" written by Feng Zhi of the Tang Dynasty, it was recorded that Concubine Yang left a brocade stocking in Feng Wei after her death: "On the day of Concubine Yang's death, Feng Wei got a brocade stocking."

Pantyhose appeared in the Song Dynasty. Judging from the silk women's pantyhose unearthed in De'an, Jiangxi Province, these socks are generally round-headed, open at the back, and nailed with two ribbons. The edge of the sock is sewn with a circumferential silk thread. The middle is woven with silk thread to form the sole of the sock.

Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties

After cotton was widely cultivated in the Yuan Dynasty, socks were mostly made of cotton.

During the Jiajing period, Zhenjiang felt socks were popular. After Wanli, men began to wear oil socks. With the development of handicraft industry, white cashmere socks appeared for nobles, while civilians wore dry cashmere socks.

In the Qing Dynasty, folk socks were generally made of cotton, while nobles used silk and satin to make socks. Most of the emperor's socks in the Forbidden City are edged with gold satin and embroidered with colorful patterns. In 1879, European countries imported knitwear to China, and foreign socks, gloves and other knitwear were introduced to the mainland through ports such as Shanghai, Tianjin, and Guangzhou. Affected by this, merchants successively set up knitting companies in major import ports along the coast. From then on, socks were mostly knitted products.