The practice was known as foot-binding. It was popular then as small feet were regarded as a hallmark of beauty, wealth and status and thus increased a girl’s prospects of a favourable marriage.
Forced to stunt the size of their feet to an unreasonable 7.6cm in length, the bright-coloured ‘lotus shoes’ these women wore concealed the ugliness and pain of their deformities.
Thankfully this brutal custom was banned in China in 1912. However, one shop in Melaka offers customers a rare glimpse into the history of foot-binding and the feminine footwear of those days.
Called ‘Wah Aik’ Shoemaker, the shop looks like any other in Melaka selling Nyonya beaded shoes. However, a closer look will reveal the tiny silk-embroidered footwear of assorted colours displayed under the banner ‘Bound-feet shoes’.
Newspaper clippings of the shop showcasing this miniature footwear have made headlines in the past – as evidenced by the many foreign online sites that have also written about them.
Inside the shop, Yeo Kheng Chuan is deep in concentration, tracing a pair of shoes on a piece of fabric. He is the third-generation owner of the Wah Aik business.
Having worked in the shoe business for almost 40 years, Yeo prides himself on crafting shoes for women with bound feet which he sells to foreigners and locals who are fascinated by them.
He learned the art from his father, Yeo Sing Guat, who learned it from his father, the first owner, Yeo Eng Tong.
“Most of the time, foreigners who visit my shop do not know the history of these shoes, so I tell them.
“Others are keen on buying them as their grandmothers were products of this brutal practice that carried on for so long. So for these buyers, it’s a way of remembering their history,” he told FMT, adding that many also purchase them solely for decorative purposes.
Kheng Chuan said that ‘Wah Aik’ was hugely popular during his grandfather’s time. It was located at Jonker’s Street back then and people snapped the shoes up as they were regarded as prized-possessions.
A pair of bound feet shoes can take up to five days to craft by hand. It is a painstaking process using both delicate and hardy materials like silk and leather. A pair costs RM95.
Like many other businesses, Wah Aik suffered losses during the Covid-19 pandemic when the country’s borders were closed to tourists.
“Business went down quickly during that time. But thankfully, we’re back and we have customers still ordering Nyonya shoes for weddings, or buying the bound feet shoes for decoration in their homes.
“We’re fortunate to be still doing what we love best – hand making shoes and being able to put our hands to good use,” chuckles Kheng Chuan.
With tourism back on track, Kheng Chuan said that business is picking up as customers are keen on buying the intricately decorated Nyonya beaded shoes besides the Lotus shoes.
The Nyonya beaded shoes are made specially for Peranakan weddings or customised for visitors overseas. The more popular motifs are those featuring the phoenix and flowers. The motifs are formed using a combination of ‘manik potong’, which are Peranakan cut beads, and other smaller beads.
Wah Aik
92, Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock
75200 Melaka
Business hours: 9.00am to 5.00pm daily
Contact: 06- 284 9726