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The Tradition of Chinese Foot Binding

The Tradition of Chinese Foot Binding. By: Brandi Gilliland. The practice of binding feet started just over 1,000 years ago. The Chinese government declared the practice illegal in 1911. The process continued, into the 1930’s

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The Tradition of Chinese Foot Binding

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  1. The Tradition of Chinese Foot Binding By: Brandi Gilliland

  2. The practice of binding feet started just over 1,000 years ago. • The Chinese government declared the practice illegal in 1911. • The process continued, into the 1930’s • In the 1980’s the last shoe manufacturer for bound feet closed its doors

  3. Sung Dynasty-960-1279AD • It was rampant by the 12th century • 17th century decline-the Manchu barbarians • The Manchus abhorred all Han Chinese traditions; above all, their attire and adornment, including foot-binding, and imposed death penalties on those who breached the fashion code. Men were made to shave their heads; women were made to unbind their feet.

  4. Wang Lifen was just 7 years old when her mother started binding her feet: breaking her toes and binding them underneath the sole of the foot with bandages. After her mother died, Wang carried on, breaking the arch of her own foot to force her toes and heel ever closer. Now 79, Wang no longer remembers the pain.

  5. What do you think these terms mean? • The Lotus of Gold • The Lotus of Silver • The Iron Lotus

  6. Beauty Is Pain • The process begins when girls are usually between 3 and 6 years old • The feet are soaked • All toes except the big toe are broken and folded under the sole • The feet and toes are bound tightly

  7. The wrappings are removed for washing and toenail clipping every two days • The feet are re-bound tighter and tighter until the arch breaks and is pulled straight with the leg • The feet are now considered an extension of the leg and are no longer a tool for standing or walking • A

  8. Girls were often made to walk long distances and sometimes carry weights to form their feet. • It was not uncommon for lacerations to occur which often opened the girl up for infection or gangrene • This process lasted anywhere from 2 to 10 years

  9. As if the pain wasn’t bad enough…. • The Dangers: • Toes • Nails • Foot soaks • Foot death • Death

  10. WHY? • Status • Marriage • Identity • Virtue • Class

  11. Think….. What would you do to look good? Consider the cultural values of the Chinese during the foot binding era and know that most, if not all, of these women wanted their feet bound.

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