Bound To Be Beautiful: 30 Photos of Chinese Women With Bound Feet
Foot binding was a custom practiced on young females for approximately one thousand years in China, from the tenth century until the early twentieth century.
Women with bound feet wore special, tiny shoes decorated with beautiful embroidery. Since they were unable to do labor, the tiny feet were a symbol of privilege and wealth. Girls with small, bound feet had a better chance of getting a higher bride price.
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 1](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/43d9db18b7e3e885bb29ac0dfc5bb1c5.jpg)
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 2](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/1c6e82738784c84dc3c8869cf51fade5.jpg)
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 3](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/2e2ccc223863deaa5b3f2962e50bf69b.jpg)
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 4](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/2e964033389122540fbcb3280f16a4a0.jpg)
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 5](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/7f8ca6ddc82afc958f42f804be5680c0.jpg)
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 6](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/38d9ce5e72af624eae0e1502f3a33aff.jpg)
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 7](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/c0eb5560e63a9abe1ccb4672d1973ae5.jpg)
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 8](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/b7ff5a3720dac8cdf942cfee7d6531d3.jpg)
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 9](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/b51f7fc7f0e2d78d863ec8b507bd289d.jpg)
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 10](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/ef1224b5edc800bddd317e1b71169f23.jpg)
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 11](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/87d0c385b489bd0e9dba69f1c5b1fd78.jpg)
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 12](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/ad2be90f3fd06aaa59c4f84fc44682ce.jpg)
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 13](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/d12e2d9380efe3748b423a4d8b3ff132.jpg)
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 14](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/3066059c702a02da651f83a77025c3c8.jpg)
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 15](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/46c67c0299e380835c8a40a77415a9d4.jpg)
The practice originated among entertainers and members of the Chinese court during the Song Dynasty (960–1279). By the end of the Song dynasty, the practice had spread among the families of the scholarly class which governed China. Initially, foot binding was common only in the wealthiest parts of China, particularly in northern China.
However, by the late Qing Dynasty, foot binding had become popular among people of all social classes except the poorest, who needed able-bodied women to work the fields.
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 16](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/5f9f388bbca0f076dac33ce28d8048e3.jpg)
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 17](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/48e464329d5fa72863f9e8919340bc7e.jpg)
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 18](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/c70908c6b1ebff7b578fb7e28bf2b9e5.jpg)
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 19](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/d88c92a6517cc09f2910e60273dca69c.jpg)
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 20](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/9fd1e4c8ad30004ca5d49ebdab259f0f.jpg)
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 21](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/454e3de221437913c50a0670e67fcf8a.jpg)
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 22](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/191a41b60903b9775e0f180273ba3f8d.jpg)
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 23](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/8807cee7d4bb202ba13a3f1137689e90.jpg)
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 24](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/ffc735f880e1c3b31476fa79cefd1256.jpg)
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 25](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/2a8a780e3aff2d3dc595a47798cb7714.jpg)
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 26](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/d38fc160696f8eef5ff7c8ddb1d3ade3.jpg)
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 27](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/db5b1737ab5bb9d5d5a8da147e1ccdce.jpg)
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 28](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/5c14b1ac52202d8a6a7c38c14a476b45.jpg)
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 29](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/60714d0896cc509b7e808f1e69cdf047.jpg)
![Chinese Women With Bound Feet 30](http://cdn.historydaily.org/content/52734/a89aa634b67a9a34496a0cb4857e2e31.jpg)
No comments: