Chinese Bound Feet.
This is a paper I wrote for English 111. Please do not copy. That is PLAGARISIM. YOU CAN GET IN TROUBLE FOR IT. All of my sources were cited. I have left the sources out so that you cannot plagarise as easily. This is MY work.
What do you think of when you imagine what China is like? If you have never been there like most of us, you first think of the Great Wall. Maybe you even think about that one Chinese restaurant at home with the place mat with a bunch of animals. No one seems to remember the one culture fad that deformed many women in China. Many elderly women are still dealing with the consequences of their culture. In the culture of China through the 10th and early 20th century, many women went through excruciating pain in order to become “beautiful”.
This is the old cultural practices of binding feet in young women. This was done to create what is called the Golden Lotus. According to historical accounts, the binding of feet was first started in 970 A.D. during the rule of Li Yu. Originally binding feet was used to help with dancing, as it would help the dancers to be stronger on their toes. This later was adopted by the upper class and a custom that lasted a millennium was born (2).
Before the Sung Dynasty (960A.D.-1276) women were allowed to have property, could marry and remarry at will, and were taught thoroughly in Arts. During the Sung Dynasty a woman’s role changed. They were now required to stay at home and take care of their father, older brothers, her husband, and her son if he should become widowed. It was considered taboo to educate a woman. Their attention was diverted to needlework and learning to use physical charm. Foot binding was now seen as a way of controlling women and shaping their moral conduct (1).
Along with the thought of having control, most men found that bound feet were considered intensely erotic. There are Qing Dynasty sex manuals that list 48 different ways of playing with a woman’s bound feet (2). Not only was the thought of tiny feet erotic to men, they also loved the tiny lotus shoes the women wore. They were made of silk with a wooden bottom as the sole. The patterns in the silk were intricate and beautiful. Women even put bells on their shoes, or wore ankle bracelets in order to gain attention. Women were told the only way to be beautiful and have a husband was to have bound feet. Walking became hard for women and they have to take small, swaying steps. This was called the Lotus Gait. Men overlooked a woman being ugly or having an unflattering figure if the woman had small and perfect Golden Lotus and a nice Lotus Gait (1).
Shi Gui-hua has said, “I don't have any idea where this custom came from, but in my day everyone did it, no matter who you were. The purpose of it was twofold: first, a woman was not considered attractive unless she had bound feet. This was the only standard for determining beauty. No one wanted to marry a woman with big feet - that isn't attractive at all. Secondly, the smaller your feet, the better the husband you would get - maybe someone with money or position in society. It was true, too - it worked." (1).
Usually around the age of six and sometimes earlier, young girls feet would become bound for the first time. The binding was used to mold the feet into the desired shape and length of four to six inches. Within the first year of binding the four smaller toes that were broken start to roll underneath the pad of the foot. The big toe stayed intact and became the point of the foot. In order to shape the perfect lotus foot the arch was to be very steep. The toes and arches are shaped much like wearing stilettos in present day, except the heel arches back down to the bottom of the foot, level with the toes. This shape was sometimes referred to as Lotus Hooks. The ultimate ideal foot was three inches long, known as the Golden Lotus. Anything four inches or longer is known as the Silver Lotus (2).
To achieve the desired shape the method was very precise. The binding had to take place before the arch becomes completely bone as to dull the excruciating pain. First each foot would be soaked in a mixture of herbs and animal blood, as were the bandages of silk and cotton. The girls’ toenails were cut back as far as possible to reduce the chances of becoming ingrown and infected. Afterwards the four small toes would be broken. The long strip of cloth was then wrapped around the four small broken toes, brought under the foot, up the heel, and then wrapped around the rest of the foot (2). This is much like the wrapping of a hand. The bandage goes around the four fingers, down across the palm, around the wrist and then wrapped around the rest of the hand and wrist. Every two days this was repeated, keeping the pain fresh and unbearable as each time the bandages were pulled tighter. Infection was very common due to the in growth of toenails.
Less common, and still painful, were the four small toes falling off because of the infection. Sometimes the ball of the foot would grow directly into the arch. Not only did the infections cause toes to fall off, it even caused death (2). Gangrene and a raging infection could kill a woman with bound feet. After many years of excruciating pain and constant binding, the pain would start to subside. Finally women were able to walk any distance without being in constant pain.
Lotus shoes for a woman with bound feet are very small. They are a silk top with a wooden bottom to support the heel. Shoes are handmade and have intricate designs from flowers to bugs, anything you can dream of really. Lotus shoes and bindings were included in a woman’s dowry when she was married. She had to have at least 20 pairs. Each color has a different meaning and a different occasion to be worn on. “The shoes in your dowry had to be many different colors, and each pair had a different meaning and was worn for different occasions.
Younger women, after they married, could then wear red shoes. Older women should only wear blue or black shoes. White shoes are worn at funerals or during a period of mourning. It is very complex. Just for a wedding ceremony alone, which is several days long, a girl needed a number of primarily red-colored shoes. Of course they are embroidered with many different colors, but they must be mostly red. On the wedding night, when the bride spends the first night at her husband's house, she must wear blue shoes.” said Shi Gui-hua (1).
In many stories from women with bound feet, there is one continuing trend. All the women were told when they were children that in order to get married and have a good life, they must bind their feet. Only the poorest of the poor did not bind their feet and they were looked down upon. If you bound your feet small enough, no matter your financial status, you could very well someday have a wealthy husband and a maid of your own. If they were not small, the woman would be doomed to a life of hard manual labor.
Another trend I noticed with the 16 stories I read is that though the women knew they had to bind their feet, and knew why, but they didn’t understand. They didn’t know how the cultural staple was started. They heard many legends, the most popular being about a dancer named Yao-niang in the Sung Dynasty who looked as if she was skimming gracefully over the court where she was dancing. She was so beautiful and fluid with her movement as her feet were bound to help with dancing. This was later translated into a mark of beauty. Many of the women also are illiterate for they never went to school. The women either stayed at home or did needlework or made shoes. Some women even managed to venture out into the field.
During the 1920s, the Nationalist party announced plans to stop foot binding in China. In the 1940s when the communists took over China, and Mao Zedong came to power, women were actually ordered to stop binding their feet. In some places women were forced to unbind their feet with threats of fines of livestock, money, and land. While some women did unbind their feet slowly, many women hid in order to keep their feet. While binding was painful, many women say unbinding was even more painful than original binding process.
Li Xiu-ying says this about having to unbind her feet due to the new communist regime; “They (the communists) implemented a policy where if a woman refused to stop binding her feet the family would have to pay a large penalty in cash, livestock and goods. Most people were afraid and couldn't afford to pay such fines, so they had no choice but to let their feet out. This was a very embarrassing experience for me. I was very, very unhappy about having to let my feet out. I was a dancer and knew that I couldn't walk, not to mention dance, if my feet were let out. After I removed the bindings it immediately became excruciatingly painful - it was terrible! I had such a hard time trying to walk. I had to crawl on my hands and knees, and it was impossible for me to resume my daily activities. After two years I had to begin binding again, regardless of what was happening in society. It was just too painful.” (1)
While foot binding is banned, it is still alive in China today. There are many women over the age of 60 with their feet bound. Many became used to their feet and think that unbinding would be too much of a hassle. Some women began to unbind their feet as soon as they could. The women do not know how the cultural custom started, but they did not question it. It was the way of life then, the way to become beautiful for they could not have a life without having the perfect Golden Lotus.
What do you think of when you imagine what China is like? If you have never been there like most of us, you first think of the Great Wall. Maybe you even think about that one Chinese restaurant at home with the place mat with a bunch of animals. No one seems to remember the one culture fad that deformed many women in China. Many elderly women are still dealing with the consequences of their culture. In the culture of China through the 10th and early 20th century, many women went through excruciating pain in order to become “beautiful”.
This is the old cultural practices of binding feet in young women. This was done to create what is called the Golden Lotus. According to historical accounts, the binding of feet was first started in 970 A.D. during the rule of Li Yu. Originally binding feet was used to help with dancing, as it would help the dancers to be stronger on their toes. This later was adopted by the upper class and a custom that lasted a millennium was born (2).
Before the Sung Dynasty (960A.D.-1276) women were allowed to have property, could marry and remarry at will, and were taught thoroughly in Arts. During the Sung Dynasty a woman’s role changed. They were now required to stay at home and take care of their father, older brothers, her husband, and her son if he should become widowed. It was considered taboo to educate a woman. Their attention was diverted to needlework and learning to use physical charm. Foot binding was now seen as a way of controlling women and shaping their moral conduct (1).
Along with the thought of having control, most men found that bound feet were considered intensely erotic. There are Qing Dynasty sex manuals that list 48 different ways of playing with a woman’s bound feet (2). Not only was the thought of tiny feet erotic to men, they also loved the tiny lotus shoes the women wore. They were made of silk with a wooden bottom as the sole. The patterns in the silk were intricate and beautiful. Women even put bells on their shoes, or wore ankle bracelets in order to gain attention. Women were told the only way to be beautiful and have a husband was to have bound feet. Walking became hard for women and they have to take small, swaying steps. This was called the Lotus Gait. Men overlooked a woman being ugly or having an unflattering figure if the woman had small and perfect Golden Lotus and a nice Lotus Gait (1).
Shi Gui-hua has said, “I don't have any idea where this custom came from, but in my day everyone did it, no matter who you were. The purpose of it was twofold: first, a woman was not considered attractive unless she had bound feet. This was the only standard for determining beauty. No one wanted to marry a woman with big feet - that isn't attractive at all. Secondly, the smaller your feet, the better the husband you would get - maybe someone with money or position in society. It was true, too - it worked." (1).
Usually around the age of six and sometimes earlier, young girls feet would become bound for the first time. The binding was used to mold the feet into the desired shape and length of four to six inches. Within the first year of binding the four smaller toes that were broken start to roll underneath the pad of the foot. The big toe stayed intact and became the point of the foot. In order to shape the perfect lotus foot the arch was to be very steep. The toes and arches are shaped much like wearing stilettos in present day, except the heel arches back down to the bottom of the foot, level with the toes. This shape was sometimes referred to as Lotus Hooks. The ultimate ideal foot was three inches long, known as the Golden Lotus. Anything four inches or longer is known as the Silver Lotus (2).
To achieve the desired shape the method was very precise. The binding had to take place before the arch becomes completely bone as to dull the excruciating pain. First each foot would be soaked in a mixture of herbs and animal blood, as were the bandages of silk and cotton. The girls’ toenails were cut back as far as possible to reduce the chances of becoming ingrown and infected. Afterwards the four small toes would be broken. The long strip of cloth was then wrapped around the four small broken toes, brought under the foot, up the heel, and then wrapped around the rest of the foot (2). This is much like the wrapping of a hand. The bandage goes around the four fingers, down across the palm, around the wrist and then wrapped around the rest of the hand and wrist. Every two days this was repeated, keeping the pain fresh and unbearable as each time the bandages were pulled tighter. Infection was very common due to the in growth of toenails.
Less common, and still painful, were the four small toes falling off because of the infection. Sometimes the ball of the foot would grow directly into the arch. Not only did the infections cause toes to fall off, it even caused death (2). Gangrene and a raging infection could kill a woman with bound feet. After many years of excruciating pain and constant binding, the pain would start to subside. Finally women were able to walk any distance without being in constant pain.
Lotus shoes for a woman with bound feet are very small. They are a silk top with a wooden bottom to support the heel. Shoes are handmade and have intricate designs from flowers to bugs, anything you can dream of really. Lotus shoes and bindings were included in a woman’s dowry when she was married. She had to have at least 20 pairs. Each color has a different meaning and a different occasion to be worn on. “The shoes in your dowry had to be many different colors, and each pair had a different meaning and was worn for different occasions.
Younger women, after they married, could then wear red shoes. Older women should only wear blue or black shoes. White shoes are worn at funerals or during a period of mourning. It is very complex. Just for a wedding ceremony alone, which is several days long, a girl needed a number of primarily red-colored shoes. Of course they are embroidered with many different colors, but they must be mostly red. On the wedding night, when the bride spends the first night at her husband's house, she must wear blue shoes.” said Shi Gui-hua (1).
In many stories from women with bound feet, there is one continuing trend. All the women were told when they were children that in order to get married and have a good life, they must bind their feet. Only the poorest of the poor did not bind their feet and they were looked down upon. If you bound your feet small enough, no matter your financial status, you could very well someday have a wealthy husband and a maid of your own. If they were not small, the woman would be doomed to a life of hard manual labor.
Another trend I noticed with the 16 stories I read is that though the women knew they had to bind their feet, and knew why, but they didn’t understand. They didn’t know how the cultural staple was started. They heard many legends, the most popular being about a dancer named Yao-niang in the Sung Dynasty who looked as if she was skimming gracefully over the court where she was dancing. She was so beautiful and fluid with her movement as her feet were bound to help with dancing. This was later translated into a mark of beauty. Many of the women also are illiterate for they never went to school. The women either stayed at home or did needlework or made shoes. Some women even managed to venture out into the field.
During the 1920s, the Nationalist party announced plans to stop foot binding in China. In the 1940s when the communists took over China, and Mao Zedong came to power, women were actually ordered to stop binding their feet. In some places women were forced to unbind their feet with threats of fines of livestock, money, and land. While some women did unbind their feet slowly, many women hid in order to keep their feet. While binding was painful, many women say unbinding was even more painful than original binding process.
Li Xiu-ying says this about having to unbind her feet due to the new communist regime; “They (the communists) implemented a policy where if a woman refused to stop binding her feet the family would have to pay a large penalty in cash, livestock and goods. Most people were afraid and couldn't afford to pay such fines, so they had no choice but to let their feet out. This was a very embarrassing experience for me. I was very, very unhappy about having to let my feet out. I was a dancer and knew that I couldn't walk, not to mention dance, if my feet were let out. After I removed the bindings it immediately became excruciatingly painful - it was terrible! I had such a hard time trying to walk. I had to crawl on my hands and knees, and it was impossible for me to resume my daily activities. After two years I had to begin binding again, regardless of what was happening in society. It was just too painful.” (1)
While foot binding is banned, it is still alive in China today. There are many women over the age of 60 with their feet bound. Many became used to their feet and think that unbinding would be too much of a hassle. Some women began to unbind their feet as soon as they could. The women do not know how the cultural custom started, but they did not question it. It was the way of life then, the way to become beautiful for they could not have a life without having the perfect Golden Lotus.