Early text referred to the Han Dynasty as people who preferred that the women have small feet (Vento, 1). Vento also acknowledged the first documented reference to actual binding of the feet was from the Tang Dynasty in Nanjing (1). Before the Sung Dynasty Binding was only slightly constricting, allowing for free movement, they were also thought to have used footbinding to suppress women. The Yuan Dynasty introduced binding into the central and southern parts

As young as four years old, the Chinese girls were forced to bind their feet. None of them asked to have this type of torture placed upon them. However, when they grew up they were very proud to have nicely bound feet. Especially when they were married to the scholars and became part of a well-known, old and big family. Footbinding was an important social custom. What one society feels is wrong another may consider right in the context of their cultural beliefs.

of China. It may have been emphasized to draw a clear cultural distinction between the Chinese and their large footed conquerors, the Mongols. Footbinding was most popular during the Ming Dynasty, if parents cared for their sons they would not go easy on their studies and if they cared for their daughters they would not go easy on their footbinding (Levy, 47-49). One recent study estimated that there are still one million women in China with bound feet. The last Chinese women, still living with bound feet in Hawaii, was in 1994 (Kam, D-6).

The non-Han people such as Mongols and the Tibetans did not bind their feet. And in the rice farming areas in China it was not as common because of the need for girls to work the fields. The anti-footbinding reformers, mostly missionaries,: 1) educated the Chinese by explaining that the rest of the world did not bind women's feet, and that if they continued it would lead to China losing face, 2) education explained the advantages of natural feet and disadvantages of bound feet, 3) they formed natural-foot societies, the members pledged not to bind their daughters feet and not allow their sons to marry women with bound feet (Vento, 3-4). The last banning by the Chinese Government was in 1949, although the practice continued until in the late 1950's (Kam, D-1).

There are many legends of how footbinding began, one such legend is Lady Yao, a dancer and concubine for Prince Li Yu, danced with such grace that the prince required her to bind her feet to resemble new moons all the time. Another, is that it began out of the sympathy for Empress Taki who had club feet (Aero, 112-113). Although it has not been proven how footbinding started, one of the biggest reasons the practice continued for over 1000 years was it's sexual appeal (Kam, D-1).

Some topics in this essay:
Jiangxi Province, Gottschalk C-3, Kam D-1, D-1 Humans, China Vento, Mongols Tibetans, , D-6 Matchmakers, D-1 Chinese, Ming Dynasty, bound feet, bind feet, kam d-1, actual binding feet, kam d-6, bound foot, women's feet, vento 3-4, documented reference, feet vento, tang dynasty nanjing, actual binding,