There was a story and belief about Chinese culture which was called "Feet Tightening". It was an ancient Chinese custom where most Chinese women had to tighten their feet with either robes or any other objects to basically damage their feet, in order to show their status. Women with their feet tightened up were believed that they had come from a high-status family, unlike any other women from the countryside, They were assumed that they had come from low-status family. However, "Feet tightening" was not common among farmers or women who are from agriculturists' families.
Because of this ancient Chinese custom was known for its brutality blending with its beauty. Though, "Feet tightening" was an act to determine the future of Chinese women, stability, and happiness in life. In addition to that, this brutally action was asked to stop by the communist party few years back after all those years of struggling for Chinese women.
The time when "Feet tightening" was legal and was considered a "must-do" custom, and the pressure from the society forced the women, especially, from Hun family to start tighten their daughters' feet with silk-made fabric in order to be able to save the face of Hun family.
Blue silk-made fabric is known or made to protect the wound that their daughters get from having their feet tightened. It would be called "Golden lotus" when the feet get to 3 ft. If it got to 4 ft. it would be called "Silver lotus" and if the feet were bigger than 4 ft. it would be called "Steel lotus". It was measured by the size as the feet were compared to "Lotus". The smaller the feet, the more beauty the lotus will get.
Even though, the custom was well known back in the day, but there were deaths due to "Feet tightening". The women or most Chinese women didn't make it to the first two years because the first two years were painful, but after two years, their feet started to get in shape. This custom was passed on by the Tung dynasty as the King was impressed by the dancer and asked her to make her feet smaller like the moon by tightening her feel with silk-made fabric, so that The king could enjoy the dancers.
It is true that the story was true and most Chinese women willing to sacrifice their daughters to go through the pain because of brutal custom and because of stereotyping. The mothers have to keep their daughters' toes under their feet and tie them up with their feet with silk-made fabric. This caused the bones to go in all directions which later caused joints problems, paralyzation.
Feet tightening was not only know among high class and lower class people, but also the middle class people and the Royal family as most family members in Tung Dynasty have short feet that had been shorten by tightening their feet. It became a common practice for Chinese women.
There were no scientific proves whether having small feet can really make the life of Chinese women better or predict their futures. It seemed to be more of a torturing practice as the mothers began to tighten their daughters' feet when they were 4 or 5 years old. If the mothers didn't do so, it would consider as breaking the rules or giving the family a bad name.
In 1912, The Chinese government had banned "Feet tightening" due to most girls were under age and may lead to abusive act. It doesn't seem that this abusive act has stopped for hundred of years, but as time passes, women are starting to realize that tightening the feet will not help them anything.
