Thursday, April 30, 2009

Tragdey behind embroidered shoes ...

EP
===

An exhibition nearby my working place showing these adorable
ancient Chinese embroidered shoes .All of them are handmade
for women and children , most of the pattern on the shoes related
to the 12 animals zodiac / seasonal flowers / dragon / lion etc .
Representing good luck and fortune . The more patterns on the shoe
showing the more wealthy the family was .


This exhibition also showing some " Golden Lotus shoes " for the women
who bound their feet into 3 inches ( or less ) in the past .
Foot binding was a custom practiced on young girls and women for approximately
one thousand years in China beginning in the 10th century and ending in
the early 20th century. It is be viewed as a source of "beauty and pleasure ".
The purpose of binding foot due to a legend " tiny feet pride " , people believed
that if a girl have a tiny feet no longer that 3 inches , she will have a successful
marriage . A tiny feet was also considered most exciting to men in sexual life .
NO deny that the process of foot binding is a immense human suffering ,
The toes on each foot were pressed downwards into the sole of the foot until
they were broken, The foot was then drawn straight with the leg and the arch broken.
And than a binding cloth is sewn tightly to prevent the loosening .
Than the girl would often have to walk long distances on her broken & bound feet,
so that her own body weight crushed her feet into the correct shape . The bindling
cloth will be tighten daily or twice a week so that the feet can remain in the correct
shape .

i can't imagine how " beautiful " it can be with a broken feet for my whole life .
Shocked me a lot when i saw some x-ray pictures about a bound feet ,
lucky that such ridiculous custom been outlawed by the Communists
in 1949 .Otherwise Chinese women will still need to suffering in this so-called " beauty pride " .

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Is there a way for your feet to become smaller??? hahaha...but the shoes are very artistic and beautiful