The “art” of Foot Binding

The so called “art” of foot binding was practiced in China for over 1000 years. This was practiced at first only in the upper class, but soon spread to every social class in China. For 1000 years

almost every young girl in the country was put through excruciating pain as their feet were bound into three inch

“Lotus Feet”.

• The toes were bent down underneath the foot and wrapped tightly so they were pushed up against the sole of the foot.

• This would stop the normal growth of the toes. The toes would now grow into the sole of the foot destroying the natural arch.

• After several years of this torture the feet were finally unbound after the feet were totally done growing. The results were tiny feet that were barely able to hold any weight at all.

• These are the shoes of a person with bound feet compared to normal size shoes. These shoes called “lotus shoes” or “lily shoes” were only about 3-4 inches long and only

about 1 ½-2 inches wide.

The shoes worn were very expensive and very decorated. They were usually

embroidered with bright colors and a lot of detail.

Being Held Back• This stopped

women from having any type of life outside of

their home. They

couldn’t walk any

distances on their feet so they were

stuck in their houses.

•If a girl did not have

bound feet they were considered

unsuitable for marriage.

•Any women in the upper

class society was banished or even killed if they did not have their feet bound.

Men's Views

* Men also thought that the tiny delicate steps that a women

had to take with bound feet looked

feminine.

*Men were in high favor of foot

binding. This kept women in

their homes and didn’t let them go seeking freedom and liberation.

*This was one of many ways women in China were help back from society.

The mutilation and pain caused was horrible. Many times when the toes grew back into the sole of the foot it caused infections like gangrene and

also death.

This process destroyed childhoods by not letting children have fun. They were unable to play or run around because of the excruciating pain

that was caused.

For the first few years of the feet being bound the

children had to be carried or else

there disabled feet would break. If the feet were to break, they were not able to be fixed or heal

right because of the mutilation they

were already put through.

Even though foot binding is not done

anymore, most elderly women in

China have bound feet. This process can not be undone even with today’s

medical technology All the women who

had this done to them lived in pain, or will live in pain, for the rest of their

lives.

• After a long 1000 years, the government of China finally made this ritual illegal in 1911. China was the only country in the history of the world that

ever practiced this. Today this is no longer practiced anywhere.