For nearly a thousand years, a practice shaped the lives, bodies, and futures of millions of Chinese women. It began among dancers in imperial courts, spread to the elite, and eventually reached rural households.
At its height, foot binding affected nearly every upper-class Han woman and a large share of the general population. Despite repeated bans, it endured for centuries before disappearing in the mid-20th century.
From Court Dance to Widespread Custom
Foot binding is believed to have originated in 10th-century China, during the Southern Tang, when Emperor Li Yu’s concubine Yao Niang bound her feet in silk and danced atop a golden lotus. Her graceful performance inspired imitation among the elite.
By the Song dynasty, the practice spread among upper-class families, later reaching commoners by the Qing dynasty. Bound feet, often called “lotus feet,” became associated with beauty, status, and marriage prospects.
The Process and Its Consequences
Girls, usually between four and nine, began with feet soaked in herbal and animal-blood mixtures to soften them. Toes were curled under and pressed into the sole until broken, then wrapped tightly with long cotton bandages. The arch was forced to break, bringing heel and ball closer.
This binding was repeated regularly to maintain the desired shape. The process caused severe pain, infections, lifelong disability, and, in some cases, death from complications such as gangrene.
Resistance and Decline
Manchu rulers issued bans in the 17th century, but enforcement failed. Opposition gained momentum in the late 19th century, led by Christian missionaries and Chinese reformers like Kang Youwei. Anti-foot binding societies urged families not to bind their daughters’ feet or allow their sons to marry women with bound feet.
In 1912, the new Republic of China formally banned the practice, though it lingered in rural areas into the 1940s and, in isolated cases, the 1950s. By the early 21st century, only a few elderly women in remote regions still had bound feet.
A Vanished Tradition
The end of foot binding came through combined social reform, economic change, and shifting cultural attitudes. Machine-made textiles reduced the need for indoor spinning and weaving that had kept bound women at home.
Modern education for girls and new ideas about health and women’s roles further weakened the custom. In 1999, the last factory producing the tiny lotus shoes closed, marking the final chapter of one of China’s longest-standing and most distinctive traditions.
For centuries in China, girls’ feet were broken and bound into “lotus feet”.
The custom likely began in the 10th century among court dancers, spread to elites and then wider society, survived failed bans, and persisted until early 20th-century campaigns began to end it…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/ZqzJi8A0Q9
— Fascinating True Stories (@FascinatingTrue) August 16, 2025