Horrors of Footbinding in Tang Dynasty China

Imagine, if u will, a young girl who purposely bends and occasionally breaks her own feet at grotesque angles While simultaneously mangling her toes from early as the age of five. Why would anyone ever do such a thing ?. Well in a word, the answer is fashion. Let us brace ourselves and look as to why footbinding in china existed.

History

Footbinding was a tradition or a practice first carried out on young girls in Tang Dynasty China to restrict their normal growth and make their feet as small as possible. Considered an attractive quality, the effects of the process were painful and permanent. Widely used as a method to distinguish girls of the upper class from everyone else, and later as a way for the lower classes to improve their social prospects, the practice of foot-binding would continue right up to the early 20th century CE.

How footbinding worked

In a nutshell, footbinding was the process of breaking than tightly wrapping the feet of young girls in China. the process was to alter the shape and size of the foot. Moreover, foot binding severely limited the mobility of women who wan underwent it and often resulted in permanent disabilities. The practice, which resulted in a shape that became known as lotus feet, remained prevalent through five dynasties in china.

Age

A footbinding ceremony was performed on girls between the ages of four and six. At that age, the girl’s bones are still composed of pre-bone cartilage and were easier to break and mold. foot binding usually started during the winter. when the feet were more likely to be numb.

Symbolism

Footbinding was viewed as a rite of passage for young girls and was believed to be preparation for puberty, menstruation, and childbirth. It signifies a girl’s willingness to obey, just as it limited the mobility and power of females, kept women subordinate to men, and increased the differences between the sexes. It ensured a girl’s marriageability in patrilineal Chinese culture and was a shared bond between daughters, mothers, and grandmothers.

Myth

the practice of foot binding began with the Emperor’s most favoured concubine, Daji, who had abnormally small feet. This led other women in China to want to imitate her seemingly attractive yet small feet, which was achieved through foot binding.

Heart-wrenching Memories for China’s Footbinding Survivors, Millions of Chinese women bound their feet, a status symbol that allowed them to marry into money. Footbinding was banned in 1912, but some women continued to do it in secret. Some of the last survivors are still living in a village in Southern China