Flowerpot-sole Shoes
The tread of women's shoes in the Qing Dynasty was in the shape of a horse hoof or flowerpots, basically as high as ten centimeters. The instep was usually made of silk, with colored embroidery on it. Petite as she is, Cixi collected a wide assortment of those shoes, all of which had glittering jewelry inlaid on the vamp and supposedly made her slimmer and more coquettish.
Flowery Enamel Dressing Case
Cixi was captivated by the beauty of flower all her life, especially by orchid, apricot and plum bosom. Almost all sorts of flowers could be found in her royal palace and were meticulously tended by hordes of servants. In her private chamber, a Flowery Enamel Dressing Case was always sitting on the wooden table. She once said only the dressing case and the nandin can really make her calm down amid thumping irritation and turbulence.
By Hu Zhicheng
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