why was foot binding banned

Full Answer

When and why was foot binding abolished?

The Republic of China legally ended the practice in 1911 but it continued on in many areas. It was effectively abolished after the Communist Party banned it in 1949. Why Did Foot Binding Exist? There are various theories as to why foot binding was continually practiced in China for 1000 years.

Is foot binding still done?

They have created laws that prohibit foot binding and they have also provided education about the dangers of the practice. However, some women still choose to bind their feet because they believe it will make them more attractive or because it is a tradition that has been passed down in the family.

When was Gone with the Wind banned?

The government of the former USSR banned Gone with the Wind for 65 years. A Russian translation, by Tatiana Kudriavtseva, was finally published in Russia in 2001. In a CNN interview, she says, “The whole thing happened in Russia…we were survivors of war, like Scarlett, and this novel was ringing a lot of bells for us. We saw the ravages, we saw the fires, we saw the pilloried villages, and we saw the poverty and the hunger…

Does foot binding still exist?

Does foot binding still exist? Footbinding was first banned in 1912, but some continued binding their feet in secret. Some of the last survivors of this barbaric practice are still living in Liuyicun, a village in Southern China’s Yunnan province.

Who banned foot binding?

In 1912, following the end of the Qing Dynasty and the imperial era, Sun Yat-sen outlawed foot binding, and it was not until then that foot binding, which had lasted for over 1,000 years, began to die out.

What were the negative effects of foot binding?

Women with bound feet were more likely to fall, less able to squat, and less able to stand up from a chair without assistance than women with normal feet. They also had 14.3% less functional reach (a test of balance) and 5.1% lower hip bone density.

Is foot binding still practiced today?

Footbinding was first banned in 1912, but some continued binding their feet in secret. Some of the last survivors of this barbaric practice are still living in Liuyicun, a village in Southern China's Yunnan province.

Who stopped foot binding in China?

In the late 19th century, Christian missionaries and Chinese reformers challenged the practice. It was not until the early 20th century that the practice began to die out, following the efforts of anti-footbinding campaigns.

Do geishas bind their feet?

The purpose was to not only arrest a young girl's foot at a certain stage of growth, it was to actually bind the toes back underneath the ball to achieve a small bud-like appearance, a lotus-shape. This was considered desirable to men.

Why do Chinese bind women's feet?

Foot-binding persisted for so long because it had a clear economic rationale: It was a way to make sure young girls sat still and helped make goods like yarn, cloth, mats, shoes and fishing nets that families depended upon for income – even if the girls themselves were told it would make them more marriageable.

What did foot binding symbolize?

Footbinding was viewed as a rite of passage for young girls and was believed to be preparation for puberty, menstruation, and childbirth. It symbolized 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.

Who Started foot binding?

Foot-binding, which started out as a fashionable impulse, became an expression of Han identity after the Mongols invaded China in 1279. The fact that it was only performed by Chinese women turned the practice into a kind of shorthand for ethnic pride.

How did foot binding end?

In the year 1645, the Shunshi emperor issued a mandate banning foot binding, however, this emperor's successor, Kangxi, revoked the ban based on the fact that foot binding was a custom that was firmly rooted in Chinese traditions and customs had to be revoked through imperial dissolution.

What is considered small feet for a woman?

Accordingly, the average shoe size for women in the US is anywhere from 8.5 to 9. In other words, any size under 8.5 can be considered small.

Why did Chinese concubines have long nails?

Both men and women from the upper classes, especially literati, grew their nails long as a symbol of wealth: Long nails indicated that their owners did not have to do manual labor.

Was foot binding practiced in Japan?

Foot binding has never been practiced in Japan, and the Japanese footwear style evolved in in a very different manner to the Chinese style. Japan took a lot of influence from Chinese court culture, including in fashion, but that was during the Tang Dynasty.

Who did not have their feet bound because they were needed to work in the fields?

In the beginning, only women of the royal court had their feet bound. Peasant women were needed to work in the fields, so they escaped this torture. Those who had their feet bound hid the bindings under layers of socks and perfume.

Why is Footbinding important?

Footbinding was viewed as a rite of passage for young girls and was believed to be preparation for puberty, menstruation, and childbirth. It symbolized 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.

Was foot binding done in Japan?

Foot binding has never been practiced in Japan, and the Japanese footwear style evolved in in a very different manner to the Chinese style. Japan took a lot of influence from Chinese court culture, including in fashion, but that was during the Tang Dynasty.

How was foot binding done in China?

It was obvious why the process had to begin in childhood when a girl was 5 or 6. First, her feet were plunged into hot water and her toenails clipped short. Then the feet were massaged and oiled before all the toes, except the big toes, were broken and bound flat against the sole, making a triangle shape.

What is foot binding?

the practice of foot binding began to shift from a symbol of beauty to one of torture, oppression and control. The world began to regard foot binding as something that was an integral part of the old China and became a custom that was deemed as barbaric.

When did anti foot binding societies start?

Societies in Shanghai that were against foot binding began to form during 1895 and grew rapidly in numbers and spread across the country. These anti-foot binding societies conveyed their teachings through three different methods.

Why was foot binding banned in China?

When the Qing Dynasty fell in 1911 and 1912, the new Nationalist government banned foot-binding again. The ban was reasonably effective in the coastal cities, but foot-binding continued unabated in much of the countryside. The practice wasn't more or less completely stamped out until the Communists finally won the Chinese Civil War in 1949. Mao Zedong and his government treated women as much more equal partners in the revolution and immediately outlawed foot-binding throughout the country because it significantly diminished women's value as workers. This was despite the fact that several women with bound feet had made the Long March with the Communist troops, walking 4,000 miles through rugged terrain and fording rivers on their deformed, 3-inch long feet.

Where did foot binding originate?

Origins of Foot Binding. Various myths and folktales relate to the origin of foot-binding in China. In one version, the practice goes back to the earliest documented dynasty, the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600 BCE–1046 BCE). Supposedly, the corrupt last emperor of the Shang, King Zhou, had a favorite concubine named Daji who was born with clubfoot.

Why do girls have lotus feet?

Because bound feet were considered beautiful, and because they signified relative wealth, girls with "lotus feet" were more likely to marry well. As a result, even some farming families that could not really afford to lose a child's labor would bind their eldest daughters' feet in hopes of attracting rich husbands.

Why do people have bound feet?

Having a daughter with bound feet signified that the family was wealthy enough to forgo having her work in the fields—women with their feet bound could not walk well enough to do any sort of labor that involved standing for any length of time. Because bound feet were considered beautiful, and because they signified relative wealth, girls with "lotus feet" were more likely to marry well. As a result, even some farming families that could not really afford to lose a child's labor would bind their eldest daughters' feet in hopes of attracting rich husbands.

What is the significance of women's feet?

Thus, women's feet became an instant marker of ethnic identity , differentiating Han Chinese from Mongol women. The same would be true when the ethnic Manchus conquered Ming China in 1644 and established the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912). Manchu women were legally barred from binding their feet.

What is the procedure called when a girl's feet are tied?

Updated November 21, 2019. For centuries, young girls in China were subjected to an extremely painful and debilitating procedure called foot binding. Their feet were bound tightly with cloth strips, with the toes bent down under the sole of the foot, and the foot tied front-to-back so that the grew into an exaggerated high curve.

What did Chinese feminists do in the nineteenth century?

In the latter half of the nineteenth century, western missionaries and Chinese feminists began to call for an end to foot-binding. Chinese thinkers influenced by Social Darwinism fretted that disabled women would produce feeble sons, endangering the Chinese as a people.

How was foot binding done?

According to the Smithsonian, it started mildly enough: with a soak in hot water, a pedicure, and a massage. Then, all the girl's toes would be broken, folded under her foot, and bound so they lay flat against her sole. Then, the arch of her foot was bent as far as possible and also bound tightly with long strips of cloth.

Who started foot binding?

That story suggests that it was a Shang empress who had a clubfoot and ordered everyone to bind their feet in solidarity that started the practice, but that's not the only tale.

Why were the bindings wrapped so tightly?

In addition to the breaking of the bones and the reshaping that was done with the bindings, those bindings had another purpose: They were wrapped so tightly that they restricted the amount a foot would grow.

Why do girls lose their toes?

All the bending and breaking of the foot interfered with a girl's circulation , and skin ulcers, Healthline says, are open sores that develop because of poor circulation. As if that all isn't bad enough, it also wasn't uncommon for girls to lose a few toes in the process, which The Guardian calls "auto amputation."

How long did it take for a girl to heal her foot?

Bindings were regularly tightened, and the foot would eventually heal into a form that — ideally — crushed the toes and the heel together and formed a deep cleft along the sole. The entire process could take from two years or well into a girl's teenage years, says Ancient History, and while there were professional foot binders who would do the process for some, for others, it was just done by a mother, grandmother, or other older family member.

What is cucumber foot?

The Wall Street Journal says that with the "cucumber" foot, the four toes were folded under and broken, while the big toes were left straight — which was popular in the south. Others would have their foot bent and compressed lengthwise as well, and that served to make the foot even less stable. It also meant that many upper-class women were so crippled by it that they were assigned a companion when the process was started who would help her care for her feet and carry her when she was unable to walk.

What are the shoes that women wear with bound feet called?

The tiny shoes worn by some women with bound feet are called lotus shoes . They're so named, says The Wall Street Journal, because in the most extreme form of foot binding, the final shape of the foot was said to resemble a lotus bulb.

Why did foot binding persist?

Foot-binding persisted for so long because it had a clear economic rationale: It was a way to make sure young girls sat still and helped make goods like yarn, cloth, mats, shoes and fishing nets that families depended upon for income – even if the girls themselves were told it would make them more marriageable.

Where did foot binding endure the longest?

They found that foot-binding endured longest in areas where it still made economic sense to produce goods like cloth at home and began to decline only when cheaper factory-made alternatives became available in these regions.

What did girls with feet bound do?

Girls who had their feet bound didn’t lead a life of idle beauty but rather served a crucial economic purpose , especially in the countryside, where girls as young as 7 weaved, spun and did work by hand, Bossen said.

Who said women weren't shy about talking about their bound feet?

Bossen says women weren’t shy about talking about or showing their bound feet, making her skeptical that it was an erotically charged fetish.

Who was the first woman to have bound feet?

Zhang Yun Ying was the first woman with bound feet that Jo Farrell photographed. Several of the women documented by Farrell have since passed away. Photos: Last living women with bound feet. PHOTO: Courtesy Jo Farrell.

Who wrote the book "Bound feet, Young hands"?

They were thought to be attracted to small feet,” said Laurel Bossen, co-author of the new book “Bound feet, Young hands.”. But Bossen’s research suggests that the custom has been massively misunderstood.

How can FGM be eradicated?

They believe FGM could be eradicated by educational campaigns and forming groups to explain the damage done by the practice.

Where did the foot binding come from?

Some early evidence for it comes from the tomb of Lady Huang Sheng, the wife of an imperial clansman , who died in 1243. Archaeologists discovered tiny, misshapen feet ...

Why did the Han women do foot binding?

The fact that it was only performed by Chinese women turned the practice into a kind of shorthand for ethnic pride. Periodic attempts to ban it, as the Manchus tried in the 17th century, were never about foot-binding itself but what it symbolized. To the Chinese, the practice was daily proof of their cultural superiority to the uncouth barbarians who ruled them. It became, like Confucianism, another point of difference between the Han and the rest of the world. Ironically, although Confucian scholars had originally condemned foot-binding as frivolous, a woman’s adherence to both became conflated as a single act.

Why did the girls walk long distances?

The girls were forced to walk long distances in order to hasten the breaking of their arches. Over time the wrappings became tighter and the shoes smaller as the heel and sole were crushed together. After two years the process was complete, creating a deep cleft that could hold a coin in place.

What does a small foot mean in China?

A small foot in China, no different from a tiny waist in Victorian England, represented the height of female refinement. For families with marriageable daughters, foot size translated into its own form of currency and a means of achieving upward mobility.

Who were the three women who lived before foot binding?

And the impact can be appreciated by considering three of China’s greatest female figures: the politician Shangguan Wan’er (664-710), the poet Li Qing-zhao (1084-c.1151) and the warrior Liang Hongyu (c.1100-1135). All three women lived before foot-binding became the norm.

Who is the last woman to practice foot binding?

Despite the pain, millions of Chinese women stood firm in their devotion to the tradition. Zhao Hua Hong is one of the last living foot-binding practitioners. (Jo Farrell / Living History Project)

Why was Liang laudable?

Though it may not seem obvious, the reasons that the Neo-Confucians classed Liang as laudable, but not Shangguan or Li, were part of the same societal impulses that led to the widespread acceptance of foot-binding. First and foremost, Liang’s story demonstrated her unshakable devotion to her father, then to her husband, and through him to the Song state. As such, Liang fulfilled her duty of obedience to the proper (male) order of society.

Overview

History

Practice

Views and interpretations

In literature, film, and television

See also

References and further reading

External links