Sole of discretion

Many Beijingers will have heard of Nei Lian Sheng, the shoe shop whose own shoes date back to 1853. Locals often refer to them as qian ceng di (shoes with a thousand layers). The shop finally revealed the shoes' secret during the largest ever show of Chinese folk craftsmanship at the National Agricultural Exhibition Center.

The cloth-soled show is not precisely 1,000 layers, of course, but is nonetheless made in multiple layers according to a strict technique. There are more than 30 intricate procedures among the 100-plus steps involved in making one pair of shoes. Each procedure is precisely defined, according to Wang Binsheng (front right), an on-the-spot demonstrator.

The sole, for instance, requires shoemakers to cut the shape, position the cloth, hammer the sole into place, insulate the shoe and stitch the twine to make the unique qian ceng di shoe bottom. This type of shoe is made of many layers of cloth stitched together.

The shop was founded 150 years ago by shoemaker Zhao Ting. He made shoes for officials who worked behind the walls of the Forbidden City and that's what inspired the name of the shop - Nei Lian Sheng, which means wearing shoes that will raise you progressively through the ranks.

Nobles also patronized the shop but their shoes were embroidered with gold-threaded patterns of auspicious animals, clouds or flowers.

34, Dazhalan Jie, Xuanwu District, 6301-3038 宣武区大栅栏街34号,