What does foot binding symbolize in China?

What does foot binding symbolize in China?

The tradition, known as foot binding, eventually came to symbolize China’s backwardness, a relic from the country’s distant past. But despite the efforts of reformists, foot binding persisted well into the 20th century.

Is Chinese foot binding still practiced?

Footbinding was first banned in 1912, but some continued binding their feet in secret. Some of the last survivors of this barbaric practice are still living in Liuyicun, a village in Southern China’s Yunnan province.

How old is Chinese foot binding?

Footbinding usually began when girls were between 4 and 6 years old; some were as young as 3, and some as old as 12. Mothers, grandmothers, or older female relatives first bound the girl’s feet.

Why was the foot of a Chinese girl broken?

The feet of Chinese girls were broken and bound as early as the 10th century. It is widely believed that the deformed feet, which were placed in small embroidered shoes, would attract a better husband. A new study suggests feet were bound for another reason.

What was the significance of Chinese foot binding?

Chinese foot binding was seen as a sign of sophistication and being upper-class. Women without bound feet had little chance of marrying into nobility. Wikimedia CommonsAn X-ray of bound feet. Cultures around the world have always had different standards of beauty.

What happens to a girl with a bound foot?

If these infections spread to the bloodstream, as they often did, then the girl was at risk of dying from septic shock. Around 10% of girls subjected to foot binding died as a result of sepsis. Wikimedia Commons Woman with bound feet.

Where do women in China bound their feet?

Jo Farrell is a Hong Kong-based photographer who focuses on female traditions that are dying out. In the past eight years, she has photographed 50 women with bound feet in rural China. Most live in an area two hours outside of Jinan, Shandong province. Here we see Zhao Hua Hong’s feet.