Foot-binding, also known as foot-binding, commonly known as foot-binding in Cantonese, is an ancient custom in China. When women were young, they wrapped their feet tightly with cloth, making their feet deformed and their toes small, so they could only walk with their heels. In ancient times, women's feet were beautiful, but since the late Qing Dynasty, people began to generally think that they were a means to suppress women, and this custom gradually disappeared.

The origin of foot binding

There are many sayings about the beginning of foot binding. One said that it began in Nanqi, and the other said that it began in the dance code of Jin Ping Mei Dance compiled by Li Yu in the Southern Tang Dynasty. Dancers bound their feet gracefully, and ladies-in-waiting followed suit. However, most of these early records are difficult to determine whether it is just a compliment to a little girl with feet or a description of the decoration of feet. It was not until the Song Dynasty that there was a clear record. Foot-binding was first thought to be popular among prostitutes, and then it gradually affected upper-middle class women.

The prosperity of foot-binding custom

In the Ming and Qing dynasties, it gradually spread to women in the general class. Almost all Han women have the custom of foot binding, but there are a few exceptions. For example, Hakka women do not bind their feet because they have a tradition of picking tea. Some ethnic minorities are also influenced by the Han ethos and bound their feet. After the establishment of the Qing Dynasty, the court ordered many times that people were not allowed to bind their feet, especially Manchu people. However, due to the deep influence of this custom, the effect is not great.

The way of foot binding

Generally speaking, girls will start to bind their feet when they are about 5-8 years old. Foot-binding work is mostly carried out by mothers or handmaids who are familiar with foot-binding methods. When binding feet, except the thumb, the other four points are bent downward, wrapped in long cloth and sewn with needle and thread.

Social and Cultural Background of Foot-binding Custom

Foot-binding, a custom that harms women's health, can last for nearly a thousand years in China. There are many social and cultural factors, including:

Aesthetic reasons: At that time, people, whether male or female, thought feet were beautiful, especially for men, feet were sexually attractive. For example, the word "three-inch golden lotus" stands for the beauty of lifting a beautiful woman's feet. Regarding the aesthetics of feet, the most famous work on foot aesthetics is Xiang Lian Pinzao written by Li Yu in Qing Dynasty, which classifies and comments on women's feet from the perspectives of shape, size, decoration and smell.

Moral reasons: the custom of foot-binding was considered as a good woman's watch at that time, so it is often difficult for women who do not bind their feet to get married. Foot-binding, as an important part of identifying female characteristics, strengthens the traditional norms that men and women are different. Foot-binding also makes it difficult for women to walk independently. Even if you go out, you need to take a car or a sedan chair, which strengthens the spatial division between men and women at that time.

Reasons for national consciousness: After the Qing people entered the customs, the body view of Han men and women was controlled. Men must shave their hair and women must ban foot binding. The former achieved success under the vigorous promotion of the Qing government, but the ban on foot binding failed. Therefore, in the Qing Dynasty, foot-binding was often regarded as a manifestation of resistance to Manchu consciousness.

Anti-foot-binding Movement and the End of Foot-binding Custom

The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in the middle and late Qing Dynasty first carried out anti-foot-binding, but in the end it failed. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, foot-binding was regarded by intellectuals at that time as one of the signs of China's social backwardness, and they believed that foot-binding made women in China weak, thus affecting the strength of the whole nation and country. So the anti-foot-binding movement was launched and many foot-binding clubs were established. After the Revolution of 1911, the custom of foot-binding in China began to disappear from coastal cities and gradually affected inland areas. The custom of foot-binding did not completely disappear until the AD1940s or even after the AD1950s at the latest.