Foot binding began in the north of the country and soon reached the south. In the 12th century, it became much more widespread and peaked in the Qing Dynasty.
In order to have a good marriage, girls had to have their feet bound between the ages of 4 and 9. Foot binding also showed a woman's social status because only the very poor didn't need to do it.
Anti-Foot Binding Campaigns Failed Many Times
In the 19th century, many reform-minded Chinese intellectuals began to consider foot binding as a backwardness of China and advocated to abolish the practice. However, any movements to oppose it failed. It was not until 1912 that foot binding was banned by the new Republic of China government.
Famous Opponents of Foot Binding
In 1883, Kang Youwei founded the Anti-Foot Binding Society to combat foot binding. He asked his daughters to release their feet as examples. However, the thought of foot binding was too ingrained to be shaken off.
In 1902, the Empress Dowager Cixi issued an anti-foot binding edict, but it was soon rescinded.
In 1912, Sun Yat-sen outlawed foot binding, and it was not until then that this practice began to die out.
Beautiful Embroideries Inside and Outside
There were certain types of 'arch shoes' (弓鞋 gōngxié /gong-sshyeah/) for women with bound feet. A pair of well-made arch shoes had various embroideries both inside and outside the shoes. Rich women even added some accessories,such as bright pearls in the heels.
Pursuit of Fashion and Beauty
Binding their feet and wearing a corset and high heels were behaviors of women pursuing beauty. They were, to some degree, harming their health. The main differences were that foot binding and wearing corsets were forced while wearing high heels was voluntary.