The Horrors of Foot Binding Trivia Quiz

Answer: 10th

Foot binding started in the Five Dynasties and Ten States period in the 10th century. It seems to have begun in the south of the country and spread north to the rest of China. By the 12th century, it was very popular with most families across the country.

Answer: The Emperor's favourite concubine did it, so other women copied her

According to legend, the Emperor Li Yu had a favourite concubine named Yao Niang, who danced in a gilded cage that had been made in the shape of a lotus flower. She had wrapped her feet in the shape of a new moon and danced on the lotus petals. Other concubines then imitated her because she was the Emperor's favourite and they were trying to gain favours by acting like her.

The practice soon spread outside the Royal court, and to younger and younger girls.

Answer: Fishing

Girls who were born into fishing families did not routinely have their feet bound. This was because the small feet that resulted made it extremely difficult to stand and work in the boats. Families living in poverty also did not routinely bind the feet of their young girls. Ethnic Hakka people held different beliefs and also did not bind the feet of their daughters.

Answer: 4-7 years

It is generally believed that girls had their feet bound between the ages of four and seven years. If they were younger than that, they could not endure the pain. If they were much older than six or seven, their feet had grown too large. Parents also felt that they were able to explain the procedure to girls between four and seven. Any younger than that, and the girls were not able to understand what was going on.

Answer: True

Foot binding involved bending the toes under the foot, breaking the toe bones, and breaking the foot bones. Once the bindings were in place, they were removed often to break more bones in the arch to force the toes towards the heels as the foot grew. Then, the foot was re-bound.

The process usually took between two and three years before the foot was shaped. Then, the feet would stay bound for the rest of the girl's/woman's life. Families who were more well-off would re-bind their child's feet daily, often using a professional foot-binder. Families who were less well-off would rebind feet a few times a week. During the rebinding, checks for infection and toenail growth were made and the feet were massaged to make the young bones more pliable before they were tightly bound again.

Answer: 1912

Foot binding was officially allowed in China into the early part of the 20th century. Although the practice was banned, it continued in some areas in the south, such as China's Yunnan province until the mid-20th century. The last known new case of binding the feet of a young girl occurred in 1957.

After the practice was banned, government inspectors were sent out to ensure that there was no foot binding, but they were fooled when parents put large shoes on their daughters that were stuffed with paper.

Some women who bound their feet lived well into the 21st century.

Answer: 10 cm (4 inches) or less

Small feet were considered very attractive. The binding made them small, but also made them shaped like a lotus petal. Both of these traits in women's feet were very desired amongst the Chinese men. Women whose feet were 10 cm (4 inches) or less were said to have "golden lotus" feet and were the most sought after. Women with feet that were 13.3 cm (5.25 inches) were said to have "silver lotus" feet, less desired than the smaller golden lotuses. Women who had feet that were 16.7 cm (6.6 inches) were considered to have "iron lotus" feet, and were the least desirable for marriage.

Answer: To be attractive to a man for marriage

Small feet came to be known as erogenous zones in China. As the practice of foot-binding spread, it was almost like the entire country developed a foot fetish. There is evidence from Qing dynasty pornographic books that women with bound feet were considered sexy.

It lists 48 different ways of playing with women's bound feet for sexual arousal. This is also a time when genitals regularly appear in artwork, but bound feet were always hidden in special silk shoes known as "lotus shoes". Art historians suggest that this means that the bound feet were the most intimate part of a woman's body. Women with tiny feet were sought for wives by every man. Scholars today suggest that not only did men find small feet sexy, but bound feet caused female subjugation because women were more dependent on their husbands.

The bound feet also ensured that they remain faithful to their husbands because women could not move very far from their homes due to the discomfort in their feet.

Answer: Yes

Toe infections were quite common in bound feet. Even if feet were unbound daily to check for in-grown toenails, it was very common for the nails to push into the toes and feet, thus causing infections. This often resulted in the flesh rotting away, which made the feet even smaller. Given that this was the desired outcome of foot-binding, rotted and disappearing flesh was seen as a good thing. Sometimes, infections would spread to the toe bones.

This would often cause the toes to drop off completely. Again, this was preferred because it made the foot smaller and easier to bind. If toes remained fleshy, they would often have shards of glass or tile inserted into them.

This would increase the likelihood of an infection, which resulted in the dropping away of the flesh and bones.

Answer: Four were needed for each season

Girls with bound feet were taught how to make their own lotus shoes at home. Often, red silk was used since it was the most desirable colour. Material for the shoes would be purchased from market stalls and door-to-door peddlers. The girls would then make elaborate shoes to show off their small feet.

In some areas, contests were held where the girls were behind a screen, with only their feet showing at the bottom. Their shoes were then judged for their beauty, workmanship, and small size. If they didn't make their own footwear, women with bound feet purchased their lotus shoes because it was tradition that they have four different pairs of shoes for each of the four seasons.

The last lotus shoe factory in China closed in 1999.