Melanie Sunga

Professor Payor
East Asian Civilization
22 October 2018

Foot Binding in the Song Dynasty

Practiced in China, foot binding had made its

“lotus feet” establishment from the Song dynasty to the early
20th century. Foot binding may have been
originated from the upper-class court dancers in
10th century China. It only became popular
during the Song dynasty and had spread through
all social classes during the Qing dynasty. This
practice was a tradition of putting tight binding
on the feet of young girls to modify their shape
and size. The heels are compressed towards the
center of the feet, while the toes are wrapped under the foot, on the sole. This gives the foot a shape
similar to a right triangle. The sole purpose of foot binding is to maintain a status symbol and a
mark of beauty. These altered feet were called “lotus feet” and women wore “lotus shoes” on them.
They were embroidered shoes and boots made up of materials like cotton, wool or silk. The style
of shoes varies from where the woman’s family came from, how wealthy they were, and what the
latest fashions were.
There were many originating stories before foot
binding existed in the Song dynasty. There was one
about Pan Yunu, who was a Southern Qi imperial Pan Yunu
consort, and happened to be emperor Xiao Baojuan’s
favorite. Pan Yunu was known to have very delicate
feet but liked to dance barefoot on a floor that was
decorated with a golden lotus flower design. Referring
to the Buddhist legend of Padmavati, emperor Xiao
Baojuan said, “lotus springs from her very step!” This
legend may have given birth to the name of “lotus feet,”
although there were no signs that Pan Yunu had bound
her feet. The general action of the practice, where
people actually bound their feet, may have originated
by Emperor Li Yu from Southern Tang, which was a
part of the Ten Kingdoms in Southern China. When
creating a six-foot tall lotus draped with stones and
pearls, Li Yu asked Yao Niang, his concubine, to bind
her feet in white silk. He wanted her feet to be shaped
as a crescent moon while performing a ballet-style
dance on the lotus. Since then, many people imitated
Yao Niang because the dance was so graceful. After
that, foot binding was replicated by women of the
upper-class.
 How does the actual process work? At the ages ranging from 4 or 9, girls begin this process
before the natural arch of the foot have a chance to develop fully. It’s done in the winter season
because it would’ve been cold enough for the feet to be numb, making the pain more bearable.
Soaked in a warm mixture of herbs and animal blood, the foot would be “softened” enough to help
the binding process. To prevent ingrown nails and infections, the toenails would be cut far back as
possible. 300 x 5 cm cotton bandages are prepared by soaking them in the mixture. While the toes
were wrapped under, downward force and pressure were put on the foot until the toes broke. After
that, the foot is angled straight down until the top part of the foot was broken. The bandages were
wrapped in a figure-eight movement. Each time the bandaged is wrapped around the foot, it is
tightened, forcing the ball of the foot and the heel together. From there, the broken foot is folded
at the arch while the toes are pressed underneath the sole. The purpose of making the cloth so tight
is so the toes cannot move at all, making this process very strict. Once the cloth is wrapped, it is
sewn so whoever is wearing it cannot loosen or adjust it. This whole process causes infections.
Many women had to cut off all toenails due to infection. If injured, the lack of circulation would
make it less likely to heal. It’s known for 10% of women to die of gangrene and other infections.

bare bound feet

X-ray of a bound foot

Unbound vs. bound

 The Tale of Ye Xian
There are multiple interpretations
and views on the actual practice. One
popular perspective is the fact that foot
binding represents beauty and erotic
appeal. Even before foot binding existed
in China, Tang dynasty’s tale of Ye Xian
demonstrates the appreciation for small
feet. The author, Duan Chengshi, wrote
about a girl who had lost her shoe. She
had married a king who was searching for
the girl that fit the small shoe, following
the guidelines of Cinderella. Just like
fulfilling a certain standard in Cinderella,
in which the girl had to fit the shoe, China
upheld that standard in a similar way. The
small feet make women move more delicate and graceful. Many people believed that women with
“perfect lotus feet” were likely to make a more
Picture from Qing dynasty’s prestigious marriage. The desirability depends on the
“Pillow Book” size of the feet. There are three idealistic sizes.
“Golden lotuses” were the most desirable and
considered as the perfect size. This would be about 3
Chinese inches. The next sized foot is 4+ Chinese
inches, which are called “silver lotuses.” Lastly, the
“iron lotuses” measure to 5 Chinese inches or larger.
This measurement is the least desirable for marriage.
In terms of erotic appeal, the Qing dynasty acquired
erotic literature, known as the erotic “Pillow Book,”
that demonstrated 48 ways to play with bound feet. A
lot of men found bound feet very attractive, from the
size to the smell. Writer Robert Hans van Gulik
believed that the feet were the most intimate part of a
woman’s body. Any sexual body part could easily be
shown between spouses, but bound feet had always
seemed more private and concealed.
Confucianism had been a huge role in foot
binding. Many people argued that there was a decline in the status of women when Confucianism
was revived into Neo-Confucianism. Women were secluded, especially when the cult of widow
chastity was involved. Widow chastity, being a traditional Chinese cultural practice, discouraged
women to remarriage. Gulik said that the Song Confucian scholar Zhu Xi emphasized the
inferiority of women and supported the need to separate men and women. Because of his views,
Zhu Xi encouraged foot binding in the province of Fujian to maintain women’s chastity.
Minimizing the size of their feet restricts their movement, keeping them separate from men.
Although this was an interesting story of a certain perspective, historian Patricia Ebrey doesn’t
believe it’s true. Many people who followed Confucianism condemned the erotic relations of foot
binding. Women with unbound feet were praised.
 A feminist view had also made its mark on foot binding. Feminists see this as an
oppressive practice against women who have been victims of sexist culture; therefore, foot
binding is seen as a form of violence against women. Bound feet made women seem very
dependent on their families and spouses because they were so restricted with the pain and lack of
movement. An early Chinese feminist Qiu Jin believed that this practice was a form of
imprisonment for women. She had gone through a painful process of unbinding her feet. She
believed that women should separate themselves from this practice and earn their independence
through education.