Chinese culture is one of the oldest on our planet, and some ancient Chinese traditions exist to this day. Undoubtedly, foot bandaging in China, leading its history from the 10th century, also applies to this. This process is indicated by two hieroglyphs, and literally means “connected foot”. In our review, we will tell you some interesting facts about this amazing eastern tradition.
Legends about the origin of tradition
There are several legends telling about the origin of the leg banding tradition. According to one legend, the concubine of the Chinese emperor from the Shang dynasty suffered clubfoot. For this reason, she ordered all the girls to bandage their feet in order to deform them. In this situation, her own legs became the standard of elegance and beauty.
Another legend tells that Emperor Xiao Baojuan's favorite concubine danced barefoot on a platform decorated with gold and pearl lotus flowers. The emperor exclaimed that from the touch of her magnificent legs lotuses blossom, and since then the expression "lotus legs" has come.
A beautiful legend was born in northern China, according to which men at weddings drank from women's shoes, which was called "drain the golden lotus." Over time, the tradition became popular throughout the country.
Historical explanation
Historians associate the emergence of tradition with the philosophy of Confucianism, according to which a woman personifies weakness and passivity. A woman with a deformity of the foot could not move independently, she was sitting at home and was very dependent on her family, especially her male half.
In this situation, women did not participate in the political and public life of the country. From the very beginning, the deformed little legs of the Chinese ladies became a sign of chastity and the unlimited power of men.
It is difficult to answer why such isolation of women was necessary, but, as history shows, in other cultures and societies there was such an attitude to the entire female sex, and their participation in politics and society.
Part of mass culture
Foot bandaging in China has become part of popular culture and psychology. It is noteworthy that such a tradition is characteristic only of China and has not gained distribution in neighboring states, in Korea and in Japan, although some points have been adopted.
At first bandaging was a privilege of wealthy ladies, and then spread to other segments of the population, becoming a common occurrence.
The idea was cultivated that only this form of the foot would provide the girl with a happy future and a profitable marriage. During the bride's wedding, relatives of the groom first examined the legs of the bride, and then they were already interested in her face.
Technology
Bandaging usually began when a Chinese girl reached the age of three. It was believed that by this age, the girl’s leg had already formed, and it was possible to proceed to her deformation.
The little Chinese woman accepted the difficult tortures associated with the deformation of her legs with dignity, as her mothers drew broad perspectives for them, which opened up to a girl with a miniature lotus leg.
They usually began to bandage in the autumn, when frost slightly reduced the pain. Fingers, besides the big one, were tied to the foot, thereby forming a miniature foot size. The bandaged leg, in fact, ceased to grow, and was severely deformed. The foot in this case was the main advantage of the girl.
Real torture
It is worth noting that before bandaging, the girls were broken bones of the fingers, except the thumb, as well as some bones of the foot. Only after this the foot was bandaged in horizontal stripes, and forced to walk in tight shoes.
After this, the foot was bandaged vertically to form an elongated shape. After such "torture", the leg took the form of a triangle, and the fingers completely pressed against the foot. In this case, it was difficult to trim the nails, and they grew into the body.
The only prophylaxis procedure was ablution, as well as medical care, if rot appeared.
Varieties of lotus legs
Naturally, in China there were those who began to explore this unusual rite. In the Middle Ages, one researcher, based on the form, identified 58 varieties of the feet of female lotuses.
So there was a lotus petal, bamboo shoot, Chinese chestnut. A classification was introduced, according to which a chubby, soft and graceful leg was designated A-1 and was called divine. But the wondrous leg, weak and refined, was called A-2.
Long toes became rare among Chinese beauties, and the shape of the legs or shoes emphasized the social status of Chinese ladies.
Territorial differences
In various regions of China, various forms of “lotus legs”, and correspondingly various shoes, which girls preferred to decorate their unusual feet, were fashionable.
For example, in the north of the country, narrow but elongated feet were in fashion, while southerners preferred shorter but wider lotus legs. Naturally, the various technologies that have become real art have made it possible to achieve the desired result. It is noteworthy that in those regions where women participated in the process of growing rice, the tradition of bandaging was not widespread.
Tied in a special way, the female leg gave it a different shape. The art of gait, sitting, as well as the appearance of special rules of etiquette were closely connected with this custom.
Bans
Even the owners of the most elegant and miniature legs were forbidden to do certain things. For example, it was impossible to move with your fingertips raised, loosen the bandaged heel, move the skirt while sitting, and also move your legs while resting.
Men were not forbidden, but they were not advised to admire lotus legs without a bandage, so as not to violate the general aesthetic idea, but to be content only with the appearance. But meanwhile, removing the bandage from the graceful female legs was the pinnacle of sexual fantasies of Chinese men.
By the way, about the most beautiful Chinese women of our time, most-beauy.ru has prepared an interesting article for you with photos.
Health effects
The lotus leg was considered sexual and was ideal, but at the same time, the bandaged leg affected health and disrupted the natural structure of the female body.
Having great difficulty walking, the main load fell on the hips and pelvic bones. The hips swelled and became also the object of worship. The Chinese called them "voluptuous." Naturally, there was a curvature of the spine, and the girls stooped strongly.
So, for the beauty and sexuality of Chinese women paid very dearly. The foot was miniaturized by its mutilation, which made it difficult to move, and some beauties also broke bones to make their leg even more miniature.
Lotus shoes
Lotus shoes. The ideal foot length was 3 Chinese inches (寸), which is about 10 cm
The tiny legs of the Chinese women required special shoes. According to an ancient legend, for the first time such shoes were made for themselves by a court lady named Yu.
Her dance in such small shoes in the form of lotus petals so fascinated everyone that the custom to produce such shoes spread throughout the country.
Such shoes were first made by specially trained master shoemakers, and at the beginning of the 19th century, whole factories appeared for mass production of unusual shoes for Chinese fashionistas. Lotus shoes have become part of traditional culture and philosophy.
Love philosophy
The aesthetics of sexuality, or as the “art of love" used to say in China, was filled with all kinds of rituals, and was directly related to the custom of bandaging the legs.
The sexuality of the miniature bandaged leg was based on its closedness from prying eyes, as well as on the mystery of its formation and care for it.
After the bandages were removed, the feet were subject to ablution, which was covered in mystery. Miniature feet were washed from 1 time per week to once a year. Interestingly, other parts of the female body were not subject to ablution.
In China, there was a misconception that the deformation of the feet affects the shape of the vagina, which will give the man the highest pleasure. Doctors have proven that this is not so, although the female body undergoes deformation under such a rite.
Fashion trends
China has long remained a territory closed to Europeans, but since the 17th century, Europeans began to discover the culture and national traditions of this mysterious eastern country.
In France, among the ladies of high society, small shoes called “mules” became widespread. They were made without a backdrop, and strongly resembled Chinese miniature shoes. Such a passion for Chinese traditions even got its designation - "chinoiserie", which literally means "Chinese". Sharp-toed shoes worn by women and men in European countries were called Chinese only.
Until the end of the twentieth century, thanks to the fashion designer Roger Vivier, who revived the production of miniature shoes, mule shoes were popular among European fashionistas.
The disappearance of custom
Beginning in the 17th century, when Europeans began to discover China, criticism of the custom for a European person to bandage their feet begins. Of course, the customs of ancient China, its philosophy and mentality were incomprehensible to Europeans.
In 1883, China even created a society for the liberation of female legs. In 1912, the first official decree was issued prohibiting bandaging. In 1944, when the Communist Party came to power, the ban on this custom adopted the force of law.
In modern China, the law on the prohibition of bandaging of legs has not lost its legal force, and in 1999 the factory for the production of lotus shoes was closed, transferring unsold products to the museum.
Bandaging in Japan
Japan is also famous for its unusual traditions and mystery. Even in ancient times, there was a tradition that forbade the demonstration of various parts of the female body, because Japanese girls wrapped themselves in tight kimonos.
For example, geisha tightly pulled his chest, and his waist tightening belt. The legs of the geisha were shod in wooden sandals, hidden under the narrow hem of a kimono.
In such a “tied” position, Japanese women squatted several times a day, serving tea and greeting men. Over time, the ideal in understanding men, female Japanese legs were formed, thin with knees bent inward.
Modernity
Despite the almost hundred-year-old ban on leg bandaging, this ancient tradition is still alive, and in some areas of vast China you can meet girls with lotus legs.
Today this is not a mass phenomenon, but rather a tribute to a tradition that has no practical significance. For a long time, miniature legs were the pride of Chinese women, even though they had to go through such painful procedures.
Photos of Chinese miniature legs can be found in museum displays, which also exhibited unusual Chinese shoes. Visiting such unusual expositions here, a person always wonders what strange customs exist in the world. And though many of them are already a thing of the past, but this is part of the history of the Chinese people, whose culture still has a lot of unusual and mysterious.
Article author: Valery Skiba