The custom of bandaging the feet of girls in China originated in the early 10th century and was practiced until the beginning of the 20th century. The standard of female beauty in China dictated that a girl’s foot should be tiny, shaped like a lotus or a small crescent moon. The ideal foot of a Chinese girl should not exceed 7–10 centimeters in length. Such perfect feet were called “golden lotus” feet.
Chinese girls had to go through the ritual of footbinding to wear miniature shoes. This aesthetic principle required incredible sacrifices. First, the girl’s foot was broken at the age of five, then her feet were bandaged with strips of cloth in such a way that they eventually stopped growing and deformed, becoming small and resembling the shape of a lotus flower.
It is no coincidence that tiny feet were compared to a lotus flower or a lily: in Chinese culture, this flower was considered special, symbolizing purity, peace, harmony and chastity.
The lotus shoes worn by Chinese women centuries ago were genuine works of art. They were striking in their tiny size and elegance.
Women sewed their own shoes, learning this art from childhood, using cotton or silk fabric, decorating them with embroidered images of flowers and birds. The shoes were cone-shaped, sometimes they had heels or wedge-shaped soles, making the foot seem even smaller.
The size of the lotus foot was an important condition for marriages. Brides with big feet were subjected to ridicule and humiliation, as they looked like common women who worked in the fields and could not afford the luxury of bandaging their feet. When meeting the bride, the groom’s parents first asked about her feet, and only then paid attention to the face.
The “lotus foot” was not only the pride of women, but also an indicator of a man’s status. It was believed that the less a woman was able to move, the more time she spent in idleness and the wealthier her husband was. Thus, bandaged feet could “pave the way” to a better life. In addition, in China, small feet were also considered a symbol of national identity, since the Mongols and the Manchus did not practice footbinding.
