Footbinding

The custom of footbinding apparently began in the Song Dynasty.(Ebrey, 160) It lasted until well into the 20th Century. These pictures are all of women from the late 19th or early 20th Century.

Photo of Chinese woman with bound feet

Bound feet of several wealthy Chinese women

Chinese woman with bound feet

Mother & daughter- compare the size of their feet

Size comparison: regular size man's shoe, woman's bound feet & a teacup

This is what the feet looked like properly wrapped up and with the women wearing their special shoes. Now take a look under the bindings.

Under the Bindings

Chinese woman from Shanghai 1900 shows her bound feet

top view of the feet of the woman from Shanghai unwrapped and shown next to the foot of a typical woman with unbound feet.

Now for a look at the bottom of her feet

close up of typical bound feet.

typical bound foot. The toes have been wrapped so completely under the foot that they are visible on the opposite side

Chinese woman with bound feet compared with another woman's unbound feet (she turned one foot so that the side view could be seen

Not just in China. This woman is from Toronto.

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Walking on these poor feet, was an exercise in pain. After all the women's toes were now tucked into the sole of her feet. To walk, she either had to walk on her toes, or, learn to walk on just her heels (It is not easy to do.) Walking only on your heals gave these women a certain characteristic walk. Women whose feet were not bound, wanted to be able to walk the same way. So, they created special shoes to help them.

Example of shoes, for women whose feet were not bound, designed to help them walk like women with bound feet.

Works Cited

Ebrey, Patrica Buckley. "The Cambridge Illustrated History of China". New York, Cambridge University Press, 2010, 2d ed.