In the old days, except for some "modern people" who would wear leather or high-heeled shoes, most people would still wear handmade shoes made out of cloth. In the past, "Shoe-stitching Stall" provided an indispensable service for people. Although Shoe-stitching Stall was different from the stall that repaired old shoes, it also offered a shoe repair service. The so-called "stitching" is "the processing of joining materials." Customers would, according to their own preferences, make the upper and the soles, and then send them to the Shoe-stitching Stall to complete a pair of beautiful cloth shoes.

All shoemakers in these stalls were men because such delicate work required techniques and great strength. There are two kinds of this work, one is "stitch down construction", and the other is "stitch and turn construction". The "stitch down construction" is to directly put the upper on the sole and then stitch them together, commonly known as "trimming". The leather shoes we normally wear today belong to the "stitch down construction". The "stitch and turn construction" is to turn the upper inside out before stitching the upper and the sole together, so after the upper is turned back, its joint with the sole will be clean and free of traces. The cotton shoes for winter are very thick and cannot be turned over, so they can only take the "stitch down construction".

"Stitching the sole to the upper" is laborious and time-consuming work, which requires sharp eyes, a quick mind, and great strength. The procedure is complicated and cumbersome. Only people with good skills can do this job. However, although this job is so demanding, the processing cost of a pair of such shoes back then would only be enough to buy 3-4 kg of cornstarch. "Cloth shoes" and the work of "stitching the sole to the upper" were deeply appreciated by the working people of Beijing in the old time and represented their great wisdom.

(Note: Content source is from the Beijing News.)