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on october 1, 2024, the national day, a controversial incident occurred in the west lake scenic area in hangzhou. a man wearing clogs performed a live broadcast in a scenic spot, causing dissatisfaction among some tourists. some people think it is inappropriate to wear clogs during such a festival. as the incident spread online, people began to discuss whether clogs were part of japanese culture and whether wearing them during the national day was an insult to the country.

in fact, clogs do not originate from japan, but are an important element in traditional chinese culture. if you look through history and ancient documents, you will find that clogs have been widely used in ancient china and are often mentioned in ancient poetry.

as a kind of practical shoes, the history of clogs in china can be traced back to the zhou dynasty. it is rainy and humid in the south, and clogs have become a necessity for people to prevent their feet from getting wet in the mud. there is a record in "shuowen jiezi" that "clogs are wooden shoes", which shows that clogs have long been an indispensable part of chinese people's life.

during the tang and song dynasties, clogs were especially popular in the jiangnan area, and many poets praised them. for example, bai juyi wrote in "traveling to the southeast": "the wooden bridge has slippery wooden bridges, and the first clear rain in the river has added water marks." the "clogs" in the poem refer to the tooth-shaped design on the bottom of the wooden clogs, which can prevent slipping. this not only reflects the practicality of clogs, but also vividly depicts the scene after the rain in the south of the yangtze river.

the poet lu you of the song dynasty also mentioned clogs in "reading on a winter night": "i lie down at night and listen to the wind and rain, and the iron horse glacier falls into my dreams." although this poem mainly expresses the poet's ambition, it also reflects the separation of life in the south. the reality of not wearing clogs.

clogs are not only common in southern wetlands, but are also a daily necessities in many places in china. especially in the jiangnan water towns, people rely on wooden clogs to walk on slippery roads and bamboo bridges. during the tang and song dynasties, the rainy season in the south of the yangtze river was long, and the use of clogs reflected people's wisdom in life.

su shi wrote in "ciyun sun xinlao": "the new marks on the teeth of the clogs are filled with water, and the flat boat carries the clear wind after the rain." in just a few words, he outlines the fresh scene after the rain in jiangnan, in which clogs play an important role.

clogs were not only practical tools, but also became part of the lifestyle of literati. according to records, tao yuanming, a famous scholar in the eastern jin dynasty, liked to wear wooden clogs and walk around his home, which was consistent with the reclusive life he pursued.

although clogs are also very important in japanese culture, they are not original to japan, but were introduced to japan through historical sino-japanese exchanges. especially during the tang dynasty, envoys sent to the tang dynasty brought a large amount of chinese culture, including the use of clogs, to japan. on the basis of absorbing chinese culture, japan gradually developed its own style of clogs.

in general, although clogs are often regarded as a symbol of japanese culture, their roots are actually in china. the japanese clogs we are familiar with today are closely related to the design of ancient chinese clogs. it is the spread and evolution of this culture that allow clogs to develop their own characteristics in different countries.

what is worth pondering is that during china’s national day, the number of people traveling to japan is no less than in the past, and many patriotic tourists also held large parades on the streets of japan to celebrate the national day. wearing chinese national costumes and holding high the chinese flag, they openly showed their love and blessings for their motherland on the streets of japan.