In modern times, Chinese people often wear cloth shoes; leather shoes were initially worn by upper-class people when they wore suits and military uniforms, and then more and more people wore them; rubber shoes became popular with the rise of sports. At the beginning of the 20th century, China had a shoe-making industry that began to take shape, producing leather shoes, cloth shoes and rubber shoes; after the 1950s, a shoe-making industry system with leather, cloth, glue and plastic as the main materials was gradually formed.
Among the shoes of all countries in the world, the cowhide sandals of ancient Egypt in 3000 BC are the oldest shoes in existence. Shoes made of papyrus from around 2000 BC have also been found in Egypt. In medieval Europe, soft shoes, sandals and simple boots were popular, and the poor wore wooden shoes; the Arabs made shoes with high-quality leather. Until modern times, most shoes were still made at home.
