Chinese Research: Foot-binding

There's a lot more behind the old tradition of foot-binding than a lot of people think. First off, foot-binding started off in the Song Dynasty (era of Chinese history beginning in 960 A.D.) and lasted up until the mid-1900's. It was a tradition that would involve young girls making their feet smaller than they should be. This tradition was viewed as a standard of beauty back then, just as girls wear make-up in modern American times. Taylor from Qingdao University shared her terrible views of foot-binding and stated that the tradition was finally abolished by the National Republic of China.


Foot-binding is the process of making your feet into "3-inch lotus feet." It's a very brutal process that calls for extra maintenance. The feet can easily be infected, so nail clipping, frequent washing, massage, and the removal of dead skin was the norm. The process begins by soaking the feet of a young girl, usually between 2-5 years old, in a warm mixture of animal blood and herbs. A massage would follow the brew soak in order to relax the muscles in the foot so they can easily be rearranged. Toes are curled and pressed into the a sole until broken. The arches would eventually break, and warm cloth strips, which were soaked in the brew of blood and herbs, were wrapped to hold the toes against the sole of the foot. They were sewn in a way that would prevent the girls from taking the wraps off. Once sewn, the girl would be ordered to stand so the pressure would press them into the soles even more. See this article for more information on the process.


Foot-binding was mainly a symbol for wealth and luxury. The smaller feet you had, the more likely you were to get a great husband. This symbol eventually lost meaning, as lower classes began imitating the rich. The extremely poor were the only ones who didn't participate in the process, not because they didn't want to, but because of the lack of money and supplies. Though the tradition was outlawed in 1911, lotus shoes were still being manufactured until the 1900's as antiques. Due to complaints, all lotus shoes were removed from displays and shelves all over the world.

I chose this research topic because I found it super interesting how far women would go just to make themselves "beautiful," based on the standards of their culture. I heard of foot-binding in Asian Studies class during my junior year of high school. We didn't really go into depth unfortunately, which has motivated me to look more into this tradition. I personally believe that it was ethically wrong, but I am not one to judge their standards. It's understandable that they would view beauty in such a way, but I do not necessarily agree with the extreme precautions they practiced.

Works Cited:

Tan, Melissa. "Painful beauty how lotus feet are made." New Moon Girls May-June 2012: 22+. Student Resources in Context. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.

"Footwear of Early Asian Cultures." Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear Through the Ages. Ed. Sara Pendergast, et al. 2nd ed. Vol. 2: Early Cultures Across the Globe. Detroit: UXL, 2013. 237-243. Student Resources in Context. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.