3.  The practice was popular by the 12 th century  There are 3 stories as to how this tradition began “Golden Lotus”, Imitation, Deformity  Foot-Binding was made illegal soon after the Chinese Revolution in 1911

4.  (1) Reportedly to imitate an imperial concubine who was required to dance with her feet bound  (2) The ruler's favorite consort, Yao-niang, performed a dance atop a golden lotus pedestal that had been specially built. She had wrapped her feet in long strips of silk cloth, much like a ballerina in toe shoes today. Li Yu was so overwhelmed with the beauty of her movement as she danced that other court maidens followed suit, and "Golden Lotus" became a euphemism for their delicately bound feet.  (3) Another folklore: an empress who was born with a club foot convinced her husband to make it mandatory for the young girls to have their feet compressed so that her foot maybe considered "beautiful".

5.  Began between the ages of 3 and 11  Was performed by the girl’s mother or another female relative  Foot-binding usually took place in the fall and winter so the girl would feel less pain

6.  1. The girl’s toenails would be cut  2. Her feet would be soaked in hot water  3. Except for the big toe, all of her toes would be broken and folded under the foot  4. Her feet would be wrapped tightly in silk or cotton bandages  5. Every few days, the bandages would be taken off, the feet cleaned, and the feet wrapped even more tightly

9. Wealth Status Beauty Marriage

10.  A three-inch-long foot, called a “golden lotus,” was considered beautiful  Feet this size would be able to fit into the delicate and beautiful shoes made for bound feet

11.  Having bound feet made it difficult to walk, and so a man who had a wife with bound feet looked as if he had so much money and status that his wife did not need to work

12. Corsets

17. "Bind your feet small, A Scholar you shall marry. Then you'll eat white bread, meat and veggies. Bind your feet big, A blind man you shall marry. Then you'll eat cornbread and hot peppers daily."

18.  Associated Chinese University Women, Traditions for Living, A Booklet of Chinese Customs and Folk Practices in Hawaii. Volume Two. Honolulu, 1989.  American Girl. Middleton, WI. Pleasant Company Publications, Article (Sampler, pg. 36), 1992.  Chinn, Thomas. Bridging the Pacific: San Francisco Chinatown and Its People. San Francisco: Chinese Historical Society of American, 1989.  Dicker, Laverne Mau. The Chinese in San Francisco: A Pictorial History. New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 1979.  diFranco, Toni L. Chinese Clothing and Theatrical Costumes. San Joaquin, CA: San Joaquin County Historical Museum, 1981.  Yu Young, Connie. Chinatown, San Jose, USA. San Jose, CA: San Jose Historical Museum Association, 1991.  Yung, Judy. The Chinese Women of America: A Pictorial History. Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 1986.