Chinese Literature Chinese Erotica: Footbinding
Footbinding was practiced in China from about the 11th century to the founding of the Chinese republic in 1911. Initially, it was a luxury practiced only by the royal women and rich families but eventually became a common practice even in the peasantry. The ideal foot size was only three-inches long. To achieve this impossibly small "lotus" feet, girls would have their feet tightly bound by a long piece of cloth from about age five. The smaller the feet, the better her ability to attract more desirable suitors. It was also believed that walking with bound feet caused the women to have the "permanent muscle tone of a virgin". Though often reviled by modern Chinese and Westerners alike, the practice was equivalent to the current practice of plastic surgery or body modification. In fact, the ideal of the sexy feet lives on as the present day high-heel shoes.
| Title | Mini Review | |
|---|---|---|
| Aching for Beauty: Footbinding in China Written by Ping Wang Anchor Books, 2002 208 pages |
A thorough history of footbinding including the literature surrounding it. | |
| Every Step a Lotus: Shoes for
Bound Feet Written by Dorothy Ko University of California Press, 2001 200 pages |
An examination of the footbinding tradition through the shoes because as the author points out, "most of the bodies are gone; only the shoes remain". These weren't just any shoes, of course. They were made of silk and decorated with fancy embroidery. | |
| Splendid Slippers: A Thousand
Years of an Erotic Tradition Written by Beverley Jackson Ten Speed Press, 1998 192 pages |
Another history of footbinding with a lot of pictures of the slippers worn. | |
| The Three-Inch Golden Lotus Written by Feng Jicai (1942-) Translated by David Wakefield University of Hawaii Press, 1994 248 pages |
The title of this novel, written in 1985, refers to the ideal size of female feet. The pursuit of the "Golden Lotus" involved constant and painful foot-binding starting at childhood. Fragrant Lotus is young girl from a poor household whose feet have been bound from age six. With her perfectly proportioned feet, she is married to a wealthy family and eventually becomes its matriarch, staunchly defending the practice against the anti food-binding forces that arose in the early 1900s. |
