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Quiz about Caught in a Bind
Quiz about Caught in a Bind

Caught in a Bind Trivia Quiz


Kyleisalive's challenge fits well with foot binding - a former Chinese cultural tradition ostensibly designed to render girls more desirable but which effectively prevented them from running away.

A multiple-choice quiz by caramellor. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
caramellor
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
379,204
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
210
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. The object of foot binding - which involved breaking the toes of young girls and tightly binding their feet to prevent further growth - was to achieve what 'aesthetic' effect? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. The foot binding tradition is believed to have started when Emperor Li Yu asked his concubine, Yao Niang, to bind her feet in white silk to resemble a crescent moon, and do what? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Why did a Chinese Emperor's fetish for tiny feet become a cultural norm in China, spreading to women of all social classes?
Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Foot binding became an issue of Han pride and identity after the Mongols invaded China in 1279, and was particularly prevalent in northern China. In Sichuan, what was a less severe form of foot binding called?
Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. When the Manchu leader Hong Taiji founded the new Qing dynasty in 1636, he tried to ban foot binding. Why was he, and subsequent Manchu emperors, unsuccessful?
Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Up until the late 19th century, particularly among poor families in Guangdong, which daughter was usually chosen for foot binding? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Although the sight of bound feet - and the dainty walk - was supposedly erotic for men, what effect (apart from pain and lifelong disability) did the cultural tradition have on foot-bound women?
Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Which society discouraging foot binding was formed under the guidance and presidency of Christian missionary, John MacGowan, in Xiamen, 1875?
Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Kang Youwei founded the Anti-Footbinding Society near Canton in 1883. It replaced idealistic Christian feminist ideals with patriotic, health and which other reason? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. In 1912, the new Republic of China government banned foot binding. How was it enforced in regional areas?
Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The object of foot binding - which involved breaking the toes of young girls and tightly binding their feet to prevent further growth - was to achieve what 'aesthetic' effect?

Answer: Lotus feet

The most desirable lotus foot measured three Chinese inches (around 10cm) and was known as the "golden lotus." A "silver lotus" foot was acceptable at four Chinese inches, but five Chinese inches or longer was not particularly desirable and was called an "iron lotus". The pride women had in the size of their feet was reflected in their delicately embroidered silk slippers and bindings.

It's reminiscent of the tiny waists that women in Victorian England - and up to the 1950s - suffered so much to achieve (but their pain pales into insignificance compared to the agony those little Chinese girls were forced to endure, without quite knowing why it was being done to them).
2. The foot binding tradition is believed to have started when Emperor Li Yu asked his concubine, Yao Niang, to bind her feet in white silk to resemble a crescent moon, and do what?

Answer: Toe dance, ballet-like, inside a six-foot golden lotus

Emperor Li Yu (Southern Tang of the Ten Kingdoms) ruled in the tenth-century, before the Song dynasty. He created a six-foot tall golden lotus, decorated it with precious stones, and his concubine, Yao Niang - with feet bound in white silk shaped to look like the crescent moon - danced inside it on her toes, ballet-like. Seeing Yao Niang's graceful dance, other women sought to emulate her.
3. Why did a Chinese Emperor's fetish for tiny feet become a cultural norm in China, spreading to women of all social classes?

Answer: Women believed tiny feet were desirable, conferring social status

Initially, foot binding was limited to dancers in the Imperial Chinese court. During the Song dynasty it gained popularity with women from wealthy families who could afford to have their feet bound; and, through their influence, the 'lotus foot' became a symbol of social status and beauty in Chinese culture. The custom eventually spread to all social classes, but its prevalence varied in different parts of China. There was no edict from the Emperor, or officials, forcing women to bind their feet. It was a fashion that unfortunately became a tradition.
4. Foot binding became an issue of Han pride and identity after the Mongols invaded China in 1279, and was particularly prevalent in northern China. In Sichuan, what was a less severe form of foot binding called?

Answer: Cucumber foot

It was given the name 'cucumber foot' because of its slender shape. Rather than forcing up the heel and tapering the ankle, this less severe form of foot binding in Sichuan just folded the four toes under the foot.

Interestingly, Harbin - in northern China - was where the last manufacturer making shoes for foot-bound women closed in 1999.
5. When the Manchu leader Hong Taiji founded the new Qing dynasty in 1636, he tried to ban foot binding. Why was he, and subsequent Manchu emperors, unsuccessful?

Answer: Manchu women wanted the same 'desirability' as Han women

Manchu women did not follow the severe bone-breaking and foot binding of the Han women. Instead, they wrapped their feet tightly to give an appearance of slenderness. They also invented their own type of shoe which allowed them to walk with the same swaying gait and daintiness of foot-bound Han women. These 'shoes' had a wooden platform or pedestal, up to six inches in height, which was fitted to the middle of the sole. Reminds you of high heeled western shoes, doesn't it?
6. Up until the late 19th century, particularly among poor families in Guangdong, which daughter was usually chosen for foot binding?

Answer: Eldest daughter

Foot binding was a long and expensive process. Professional foot binders were needed to break the toes and attend to the ongoing binding. So, poor families chose the eldest daughter in the hope that she would quickly marry a rich man and in doing so help support the rest of the family. Other than the physical pain she was forced to endure, the eldest daughter was pampered and raised to be a lady. Her younger sisters were treated brutally, becoming domestic or field slaves - but at least they could run away if life at home became too unbearable for them.
7. Although the sight of bound feet - and the dainty walk - was supposedly erotic for men, what effect (apart from pain and lifelong disability) did the cultural tradition have on foot-bound women?

Answer: Limited mobility and total dependence on others

Women with bound feet had limited mobility. It was difficult for them to walk very far and for this reason most stayed home and had little social life. It was impossible for them to escape. They were, of course, totally dependent on others, especially their husbands. In the event of a husband's death - or if they never found a husband in the first place - they became virtual family slaves.

While field work may have been very difficult for them, they were ideally suited for hand craft-work - and some scholars believe that some mothers deliberately bound their daughters' feet in order to enslave them. Other foot-bound women found employment as 'dainty' dancers.
8. Which society discouraging foot binding was formed under the guidance and presidency of Christian missionary, John MacGowan, in Xiamen, 1875?

Answer: Heavenly Foot Society

It was actually called the Natural Foot Society, but in Chinese "tianzu" literally translates as Heavenly Foot. This society was then championed by the Woman's Christian Temperance Movement (founded in 1883) which actively promoted equality between the sexes.

Opposition to foot binding was already existent in China. The Hakka Han Chinese people, particularly, had never adopted the tradition, believing it to be a cruel assault on little girls. Gradually, reform-minded Chinese intellectuals took up the cause, but they rejected Christianity as the means by which reform should take place.
9. Kang Youwei founded the Anti-Footbinding Society near Canton in 1883. It replaced idealistic Christian feminist ideals with patriotic, health and which other reason?

Answer: Economic

Kang Youwei's Anti-Footbinding Society promoted the abolition of foot binding on fundamental economic reasons - believing that better health and more mobility would not only lead to a stronger national identity but, more importantly, a more efficient labour force. Women with bound feet were a drain on the nation, totally dependent on others, an economic waste of space.
10. In 1912, the new Republic of China government banned foot binding. How was it enforced in regional areas?

Answer: Feet inspectors and fines

The new Republic of China government, led by intellectuals rather than aristocrats, saw foot binding not as a cultural tradition but as a symbol of China's backwardness. In regional areas feet inspectors were employed to stamp out foot binding of little girls, and heavy fines were imposed on those who continued it. This enforcement was successful, but in the more remote areas foot binding lingered.
Source: Author caramellor

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor stedman before going online.
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