Essay --

China has many traditions that they follow very closely. Not much of the Chinese culture has been forgotten or not practiced anymore. But there is one tradition that China does not practice, and for good reason too. Chinese foot binding was first used to show superiority and power. Over the years women started to foot bind their daughters to show beauty and class. Chinese foot binding started in 1700-1027 B.C., during the Shang Dynasty. Foot binding started with the royal family. The Shang Empress had a clubfoot, so she demanded that foot binding be required in the court. Over the years foot binding spread throughout China. The wealthy did it to show wealth and power and eventually even farmers started to bind their feet, making it easier for them to marry into wealth. 40 percent to 50 percent of Chinese women had bound feet in the 19th century. For the upper classes, the figure was almost 100 percent. â€Å"Some estimate that as many as 2 billion Chinese women broke and bound their feet to attain this agonizing ideal of physical perfection†. Farm girls were able to marry into wealth and all was wonderful. People were happy and you were considered beautiful if you had bound feet. Although people were starting to realize that foot binding was making them suffer they continued to do it. They had to be carried around because they couldn’t walk on their prized "three-inch golden lotuses.† Geishas started foot binding before most people except for royalty. The Geishas would bind their feet to show beauty. They were extremely proud of their three-inch prized golden lotuses. "The bandages that women used for foot binding were about 10 feet long, so it was difficult for them to wash their feet," Yang, an old woman now, who grew up in... ...oupe which toured the region. Such public display is a far cry from their youth, when their bound feet limited their freedom, keeping them close to their homes. But the local press criticized the dance troupe, talking of abuse and freak shows. These women yet again are victims of history in a society that finds their dilemma an uncomfortable reminder of its own recent cruelty towards women. Overall, foot binding was a practice that will forever be remembered. Many women have suffered from this horrific practice but they don’t let it hold them back. They strive to overcome being shunned and today, they are respected for surviving the foot binding epidemic. All over China there are old women with bound feet and many stories about growing up with three inch golden lotuses. Many of these women live in the village of Liuyicun. We will never forget the foot binding era .