Concubines and Foot Binding
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Where did foot binding come from?
The first account of foot binding ever recorded was during the Five Dynasties and Ten States period in the 10th century. According to the story, Emperor Li Yu, their monarch, had a favorite concubine, Yao-Niang- this being a dancer who built a stage in the shape of a lotus flower. When she bound her feet into a hoof-like shape and danced on the lotus, the practice became very fashionable. That said, she was the emperor's favorite concubine so other concubines tried to imitate her in order to gain the emperor's favor.
The fashion trend was soon adopted by upper-class women in the south of China and eventually, it spread to the north of the country. While at the beginning it was considered a symbol of high social status and wealth, eventually it spread to all women, regardless their social position.
In the 12th century, foot binding was very common, and by the early Qing Dynasty (in the mid-17th century), every girl who wished to marry had her feet bound.
For centuries, tiny, curved feet were a symbol of beauty in the Chinese culture, and the tradition of foot-binding was passed from mother to daughter, generation to generation, causing many medical problems and in some cases even death.
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The method of binding feet varied in different regions, and it was most common among women in urban areas since women in peasant communities needed their feet to be fully functional so they can work in the fields.
For instance, very poor women who worked in fishing kept unbound feet since they needed normal feet to balance themselves on boats.
A lotus shoe for bound feet. The ideal length for a bound foot was around 4 inches (10 cm)