The Cult of Foot-Binding

From the 10th century the culture of famous rich merchant cities in South China like Suchow, Hangchow and Quanchow were the most refined in the world. Here Wine houses, expensive courtesan houses, bathhouses and tea houses were patronized buy the rich merchants and a refined courtesan culture developed. This courtesan-culture gave the trend in all kinds of fashion, including the practice of bound feet.

Though small feet had been Chinese female beauty ideals since very early times, the practice of foot binding suddenly came up in the 12th century. It lasted until the early twentieth century. It is said that the custom originated with the love poet Li Yu (937-978). He made his favorite consort compress and bind her feet so that they became "pointed like the crescent-ends of the moon". Then he had her dance on a large lotus-flower which he had constructed. It was said that this event attracted such attention and admiration that other ladies imitated her foot-binding.

However, foot-binding did not become a real fashion until the Ming Dynasty. From then on not just courtesans and concubines but even simple housewives and farmwomen would bind their feet. These feet were then viewed as the most intimate part of her body, the very symbol of feminity, and the most powerful centre of sex-appeal.

A secondary affect of foot-binding also affected the courtesan world. Bound feet discouraged the girls' interest in dancing and so came an end to the great old Chinese art of dancing. After the Sung dynasty famous beauties and courtesans were praised for their skill in singing and playing musical instruments, but one hears less and less about great dancers. Eventually the art form vanished, though in Korea and Japan this art- imported from China, continued to develop among the courtesans and is still flourishing today.