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Monday, July 22, 2013

Some Insane But True Things About China’s Foot Binding

China’s Foot Binding: Some Intriguing Facts!

For 1000 years, foot binding were the erotic hallmarks of Chinese women and girls. Yet for someone to practice the tradition requires enduring the agonizing pain of disfigurement and even the threat of death should the procedure was improperly done. Read on to learn some intriguing and controversial facts about Chinese foot binding.

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Foot binding was first recorded during the middle of the 10th century, where the practice was restricted to royal families and the upper most class of the society.

For the record, Precious Thing, a ballerina was the very first to show off her bounded feet. Her erotic dance routine where ribbons spins from her legs and feet led to this ancient Chinese tradition.

This custom was handed down from generation to generation where it is believed that girls having bounded feet have a bigger chance of getting a partner. While a prospective husband deemed it a feather in his cap if he got a woman with bounded feet as her wife.

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Some Chinese tribes at one time or another don’t practiced foot binding among them the Hakka, Manchu and Tanka. However, since majority of Chinese fall under the Han ethnic clan, who believed that woman with bounded feet could get a decent husband the custom became widespread.

Attaining a “golden lily” feet, a bound foot must be three inches or smaller. To achieve such a feat, the foot’s arch would have to be broken and the toes (excluding the big toe) be folded under the foot.

Girls who wanted to have their feet bounded must undergo the process at a very young age probably between five to six years old. At this age the bones are more flexible. The process traditionally starts in the fall in the belief that the cold weather would bring numbness to the affected foot thus helping the girl to endure the pain during the first few months.

Traditionally, foot binding is a big family affair where women have to travel distant places just to be present when one member of the family undergoes this process. In some cases, female relatives would do the actual binding or at times skilled women would be invited to do the task.

The first part of the process requires that the foot be soak in a mixture of hot water and some hebs to soften the skin. In some provinces of China, a girl’s feet would be stuffed into a lamb‘s sliced stomach.

Bandages about 10 feet long that is soaked in water is required to bind the feet. Binding with wet bandages will produce a tighter bind. If the need arise, bandages are sewn just to keep them in place. Afterwards, the girl is to walk on her feet.

Foot finding is a very long process that may took two tears to complete. Each time, rebinding is done, the foot is washed and inspected to help prevent infection.

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While it is a traditional belief that “little feet” arouses a man’s desires, men are not allowed view the naked foot. Men will have to satisfy their lust by merely enjoying the site of seeing this small foot adorned with the little silken and embroidered shoes.

During the Taiping Rebellion, the rebels tried to stop this custom but to no avail, and the practice was still continued well into the twentieth century. Today, foot binding is seldom practiced in China, however, many of China’s older women lived to tell the pains of this cruel practice.

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38 comments:

  1. My manager before was a chinese and I never heard this kind of stuff. Thanks for sharing, as it is really interesting.

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  2. If it's a fashion, I'd call it a torture kind of fashion. That looks painful!

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  3. Wow! This got my interest that I had to search more about foot binding. That is totally agonizing! But I guess in the name of vanity and culture, people do illogical things.

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  4. it looks too painful, I have learned about this before being practiced from a book I read and later from stories of some Chinese I met, that was such an agony :(

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  5. I feel their pain just by looking at those photos. I don't see any reason why it should be done. They look UGLY to me. I think, the embroidered shoes are the ones that stimulate desire. This is truly a sacrifice to women doing the practice.

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  6. This is very interesting facts Papaleng :-) All I know is that Chinese have flawless skin and cheap lol :-)

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  7. Seryoso???? OMG!!! That looks really painful. It's not fashion at all. :(
    Buti na lang di ako Chinese! :D

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  8. goodness me, must be really painful...but really interesting story! different kinds of traditions and beliefs in each country always amaze me. :)

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  9. This is what we call as lotus feet Papaleng, diba? I learned about this Chinese practice when I was in high school :)

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  10. Really unique practice and tradition that only Chinese do!

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  11. it looks so painful, though I am not surprised, since not only in this form, but a lot do sacrifice health for looks or for status, though may not be as extreme as this one.

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  12. I made a course paper on this Papaleng during my gender masters. It was entitled the cultural evolution of foot binding: All in the name of beauty.

    This practice is nothing different with women in stilletos of the modern day, #tiisganda, the space and time just change, we have created notions to let it appear justifiable.

    Tapos feeling ko ang ganda-ganda ko, oozing with self confidence pero hirap na hirap, sakit na paa, hahahaha! Haayy buhay babae!

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  13. I once saw a documentary about this.. Crazy i all it lol! meron pa kayang nagpaparctice nyan in modern times na mga royalties? yay

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  14. Whoa! Parang sumakit bigla ang ulo ko sa pinaggagawa nila! Lol. That was pretty painful I must say! If I were one of them, I might have defied such thing myself. :D

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  15. Very interesting , asian esp chinese have so many supertitious. the picture of an old woman showing her foot kinda creepy.

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  16. insanely interesting but for their culture this kind of torture is like amazing to them....I just don't understand...lol!

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  17. That's truly insane! A total deprivation of human rights...I am so thankful that I wasn't born in China and in those times.

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  18. I've read some articles and viewed some pictures of foot binding and I just can't imagine the excruciating pain that they have to undergo. i pity these women who have practiced the foot binding. Good thing, it's not practiced today. Phew!

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  19. I'm so glad I didn't live in the old ages. My dad's Chinese and his family is quite traditional. If it were in the older years, there's no telling if I'd be forced to undergo such a procedure too! Anyway, I haven't personally met someone with bound feet, but I have classmates who had great great grand grannies who've undergone this. >.<

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  20. Interesting fact. I think this is the inspiration of that horror character named Lotus Feet. Scarry But I feel for her. They think women with small feet are sexy.

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  21. this is really painful. for sure, a lot of chinese have foot deformities because of this.

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  22. Haha kulit! Sa paa pa lang dapat masatisfy na sila! Haha can you do it?

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  23. I first heard this from my Social Studies teacher when I was in highschool. Just imagining it while it was described to us makes me wince. I think it is really painful and just by seeing the photo of the old lady's foot above. Oh my! I'm just glad we Filipino, don't have traditions like this (But I'm not sure with the natives).

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  24. this whole foot binding freaks me out it reminds me of a Kris Aquino Horror movie Feng Shui.

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  25. That is just a very crazy idea and I wonder if it has an affect to their health in the long run.

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  26. I'm shock when I saw the old woman foot. Every country or people on specific country have beliefs. Scarry but on their belief it is true.

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  27. I could just imagine how difficult it is to have the foot binded.

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  28. This is probably one of the most painful rituals imposed on women in the name of "beauty".

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  29. i've know this story when I was watching kris aquino's feng shui movie. I got curious about lily foot and searched about it. i was stunned that they actually do that in real life and even see some at ripley's too!

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  30. I never thought before what does this "small feet" among the Chinese women. In our dialect, we call those women with "small feet" as "pakha". Now I know why Chinese women had to bind their feet to make or look them as "small" for decent honor and respect and the best opportunity to get married with a royal blood person in their community. What a unique culture, practice and tradition. I don't now if this is practised nowadays in China.

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  31. I remember this from the movie "Feng Shui".. the so-called "lotus feet".. for me, honestly, this just looks to scary!

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  32. this is the first time i have known this Chinese tradition.Grabe buti nalang di na nagpatuloy ang tradition,

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  33. Nakakatakot namang tingnan yung paa sa huling picture. Looks like preserve pig's feet. You just can't imagine how painful was it to them wrapping their foot to prevent from growing.

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  34. Is this the same as "lotus feet" ? This is quite scary. But if it's their tradition, we have to respect it.

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  35. omg :( hindi ko ma take yung itsura ng paa ng babae nung tinanggal niya na yung shoes na to. mukhang masakit siya and mukhang na deform na yung paa niya. :(( scaaaaaaary..

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  36. This is terrible! If women's fabuleux shoes are mostly referred to "shoes are not made for walking", now this one is made to make you not walk at all. Hindi ko kinaya!

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  37. Grabe yan, kaloka! hahaha pero parang ang sarap isama sa outfit shoot yung shoes! :)

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  38. I think that is just so gross, Papaleng! I never heard of this thing in Chinese culture before. Just looking at the photos make me cringe in pain. Arrrghh!

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