Foot binding

Foot binding is a cruel tradition that used to exist in China between the 10th and early 20th century. Tiny female feet were treated as kind of fetish. People started to practice foot binding on girls aged between 4 or 7. Some parents postponed food binding as they needed help on their farms.

First both feet were soaked in mixture of herbs and animal blood. All toe bones were broken. Toenails were cut to a minimum size to prevent infection. Special silk or cotton bandages were then tightly wrapped around each foot. It has to be said that wrapping bandages were also soaked in already mentioned mixture. Due to tight bandages toe fingers slowly became deformed toward the heal.

foot binding in China
Foot binding in China

Each day bandage was tightened and feet were put in smaller sized shoes. The whole process lasted for about two years. Problems with blood circulation in such feet were common thing.