How Chinese Foot Binding Works

At some point during the Sung dynasty, wealthy Chinese women started doing something peculiar to their daughter's feet. Instead of allowing them to grow naturally, they bound them tightly, toes folded under to the heels. For years, young girls would walk on what were almost stumps, developing a unique swaying walk unique to the Orient that became unavoidable when the feet were bound. Their toes might fall off, they might suffer from falls and terrible infections, but beauty must be served.

This was the tradition of foot binding, a unique mutiliation that lasted from about the first millenium AD through the early 20^th century.

History of Foot Binding

The origin of foot binding is lost in antiquity, and there are several legends associated with it. In one, the prince Li Yu of the Sung Dynasty was so enamored of the way his favorite concubine Yao Niang walked on her tiny feet that the rest of the female court found ways to match her (perhaps an Oriental version of Cinderella?). In another, the same Yao Niang was ordered to bind her feet to make half-moons so that she might dance on her toes; considering the terrible pain of foot binding even for young girls whose bones are still somewhat flexible, this is a doubtful story.

In another legend that is perhaps more plausible, the last empress of the Shang Dynasty had a clubbed foot, a deformity that looks somewhat similar to the bound foot; she ordered that the female court bind their feet so that her foot did not stand out.

Regardless of its beginning, we do know it started during the Sung Dynasty, and though foot binding at first was fairly mild, it soon grew extreme and became a sign of wealth. Women with bound feet could not easily work in the fields, and were more ornamental than helpmeets. Ultimately, however, even poor women bound their daughter's feet in hopes of improving their social standing.

The Foot Binding Process

The process of binding a girl's feet began in the winter of her fourth or fifth year, when her feet were still tiny - winter because the cold prevented the worst of the pain in the early part of the process, and probably also because the cold inhibited infection. Her mother lovingly bathed her feet in warm water or animal blood infused with a potion that sloughed off any dead skin, then cut her toenails as short as possible and massaged her foot.

Once the massage was done, each of the four smaller toes was broken below the second joint and folded under. Silk or cotton bandages about ten feet long were soaked in the foot bath, and the foot was wrapped tightly in a high-arched lotus position, starting with the smallest toe and pulling it tightly toward the heel. Every two days, the foot was rewrapped, with each consecutive wrapping pulling the toes even closer to the heel. This continued for at least two years, until the girl's feet were stunted to a length of perhaps three or four inches; the feet were left wrapped for an additional ten to prevent them from straightening.

Health Results of Foot Binding

As you might expect, the health results of foot binding were terrible. It was not uncommon for the toenails to grow into the heel of the foot, causing lacerations that became infected. Sometimes the entire foot would die; this could kill the girl. If she didn't die, her rotting foot caused her to be surrounded by a terrible odor. It was not unusual for even surviving feet to lose toes.

But she also had to walk on these stumps. Girls with bound feet were anything but athletic; they also tended to be slender, simply because extra weight could cause agonizing pain. The sedentary lifestyle and meager diet led to poor bone density, already a problem with many Oriental women; a fall after the age of fifty easily led to a broken hip and a slow death.

Despite its dangers, foot binding was seen as absolutely essential. A woman whose feet were not bound could not find a decent husband - a necessity when men carried all the wealth. The prospective groom's mother would check the feet of any possible brides to ensure they were bound and tiny, not "clown feet."

Why Foot Binding Stopped

Like all fashions, foot binding could not last forever. When the Manchus came to power in the 1600s, they were appalled by the fashion and outlawed it. For a very long time, foot binding became a form of protest against the government, especially by the proud Hans who had been removed from so much of their former power.

After three hundred years of surviving as an illegal action, foot binding finally died out when the Cultural Revolution came around in the 1900s. Today, only very elderly women are likely to have bound feet. This cruel fashion will eventually die with them, leaving only an unpleasant memory and thousands of the peculiarly-shaped lotus shoes that were designed to fit bound feet.