Clockwise from left: The silk stockings and dancing shoes famous in 18th and 19th-century Europe; The Red Lantern brand used by a socks factory in Liaoning province from 1967 to 1976; A Shanghai sock-factory advertisement from the Republic of China period (1912-49); Sleeping socks worn by women with bound feet in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911); Socks worn by Michael Jackson during a 1988 concert in Leeds; Handmade socks, worn by Qing Dynasty officials in spring, made of white linen with embroidery on the soles; These 19th century French stockings were expensive gifts at the time.

Fancy a look at Michael Jackson's signature white socks or the pair worn by China's first astronaut? You've come to the right place

Some people wait their entire lives to realize their ambitions. Zhu Cheng is about to fulfill his lifelong dream of establishing China's first socks museum at the age of just 27.

The Chan Socks Museum, currently under construction, will be open to the public in November. It will display thousands of socks collected from around the world, and visitors will get a tantalizing glimpse of the international history of socks.

"The 3,000-square-meter museum will combine exhibitions with research, education and entertainment," says Zhu, explaining that it is made up of seven sections, including celebrities' socks, a collection of famous brands and an interactive zone.

The museum is located in the Huashi township of Jiangyin, a county-level city in Jiangsu province that is noted for its production of high-quality socks. Zhu says tourists may be pleasantly surprised that there is more to the area than scenic beauty.

"Jiangyin has been manufacturing socks since the 1900s, when the technique of knitting socks by machine was introduced to China, and I was brought up in a city where there were numerous sock factories," he says.

Zhu says he was fond of socks when he was a little boy, but he did not enter the sock-making industry until he was 20 years old.

When he was a college student in 2005, Zhu brought socks made in his hometown to sell to his schoolmates. In 2007, after negotiating with his parents, Zhu sold the family house for 486,000 yuan ($77,000, 59,380 euros). Adding the 100,000 yuan he had set aside over two years of selling socks, Zhu established his own socks factory soon after graduating.

"At the beginning my factory had just six staff members," says Zhu. "Now it has more than 100 employees, and annual sales have surpassed 50 million yuan."

The Chan Socks Museum features many kinds of special-function socks manufactured in Zhu's factory. Some are fireproof, others absorb and evaporate sweat, while one pair known as "air-conditioner socks" emanates heat in winter and produces a cooling effect in summer.

Zhu says that he is only aware of two other sock museums in the world, one in Japan and the other in France.

"But the socks museum in China is more interesting to visit," he says. "The pieces here include Michael Jackson's well-known white socks, those worn by ancient Chinese women with bound feet, and one pair donated by China's first astronaut."

"Video material showing how machines knit socks are also provided for visitors who are interested," says Li Jingyong, manager of the museum. "In the interactive zone, visitors can even make their own socks and add specific ornamental designs on the side by using an ancient knitting machine."

Visitors can purchase socks from famous brands such as Armani, Givenchy and Dior, but the museum's range extends from these vogue offerings to ancient socks from China and abroad.

When the idea of establishing a socks museum was put forward and received support from the local government, a five-member team was sent out to seek valuable socks.

To collect as many valuable socks as possible, they went to antiques markets at home and overseas, asked friends to buy items at auctions, and sent out messages on the Internet for donations.

"One day I found that a French national owned a valuable pair of socks. I flew to France to visit him immediately," says Zhu. "At first he refused to sell me the socks, but after I explained to him that it was for the first socks museum in China, he nodded his head."

The team also worked out an effective way to collect ancient socks - giving new socks to people who had been living in old cities for generations in exchange for their families' socks.

By joint effort, the museum now has many socks with historical value, such as one donated by a Japanese company. The sock, dating back to the 1930s, is one of a pair that first featured a rubber band to prevent it from falling to the wearer's ankle.

"Because of the historical value, the Japanese company that made the socks only agreed to give me one but not a pair," says Zhu with a smile. "We learned so much from the Japanese socks museum when ours was being prepared. I really appreciate their friendship and generosity."

According to Zhu, socks were seldom found in tombs before the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), though people at the time usually wore shoes. Brocaded socks have been dug out from Han Dynasty tombs, but colorful brocade was not widely used to make socks until the Sui Dynasty (AD 581-618).

By the year 960 when the Song Dynasty began, Chinese people wore socks more frequently. Ordinary people wore socks made of cotton while rich people's socks were generally made of silk. Some women with bound feet in the Song Dynasty wrapped their feet with a long piece of cotton fabric to replace socks.

Ornamental embroidery appeared in socks during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), according to Zhu.

"Socks have evolved over the centuries to make people feel comfortable," he says, pointing out that some modern socks are so light that wearers hardly feel them.

In recent years, Japan has invented liquid socks, which can be sprinkled on legs to create the look of smooth and shiny skin and function just like nylon socks.

"Nowadays socks have become an important part of fashion," Zhu says.

He explains that his factory's next goal is to make various kinds of world-class socks.

"Compared with many famous international brands, the Chinese ones are not so good in terms of materials or techniques. China's socks industry needs to be changed," Zhu says.

Contact the writers at cangwei@chinadaily.com.cn and songwenwei@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 10/05/2012 page24)