The ancient socks were called “foot clothes” or “foot bags”, and it took thousands of years of evolution to develop into the current form of socks.
According to textual research, the most primitive socks appeared during the Xia Dynasty in China.
In the book “Han Feizi”, there is a record that “King Wen of Zhou conquered Chong and went to Fenghuang (Phoenix) village, where the tie of the spear was untied due to self knotting”, which refers to King Wen of Zhou’s loose straps on his socks. The scene of tying socks with one’s own hands. It can be seen that socks have already appeared among the upper class in China during this period, becoming a symbol of status.
During the two-week period, socks were made of ripe leather and cloth, and wealthy families could wear silk socks. Socks are usually over one foot high, with a strap at the top that tightens the upper opening when worn. Its color is mostly white, but the socks worn during worship are red. The most exquisite socks are made of silk and embroidered with patterns.
During the Qin and Han dynasties, there was a custom of taking off shoes and socks when entering the door. In the house, many people walk barefoot on the seats. Not only does this happen during regular banquets, but it also applies during court meetings. To be able to wield a sword in the palace is a great honor, and only a few people such as Xiao Xiang and Cao Cao enjoyed this treatment during the Han Dynasty. In addition, the two pairs of silk stockings unearthed from the Western Han Tomb No. 1 in Mawangdui, Changsha, were both made of whole silk tailoring and sewn on the top and back of the feet, with seamless bottoms. The silk used for the socks is relatively thin, while the silk used for the socks is relatively thick. The sock tube opens at the back, and there is a sock belt attached at the opening. The sock belt is made of plain yarn. The sock sizes are 23cm and 23.4cm, the sock tube height is 21cm and 22.5cm, the head width is 10cm and 8cm, and the mouth width is 12.7cm and 12cm. It can be seen that the craft of sewing socks in China has a history of at least two thousand years, much earlier than European countries, so China is undoubtedly the hometown of socks.
