Foot binding was a custom in China of tightly wrapping the feet of young girls to bend the toes under the sole and force the arch, so as to produce a small, narrow foot that was considered beautiful and a sign of status. The process began in childhood and was painful, causing lasting deformity and difficulty in walking. It is believed to have started among elite women and dancers at the imperial court, and spread through society over the following centuries, becoming common among Han Chinese families, including poorer ones who hoped to improve their daughters' marriage chances. Reformers and missionaries campaigned against it in the nineteenth century, and it was banned after the fall of the Qing, though it persisted in some regions until after 1949.
Before and after
- from 1000 to 1946Kingdom of Hungary
- from 1000 to 1300High Middle Ages
- from 10th century to 14th centurySeljuk dynasty
- from 1000 to 1200Rise of Romanesque art
- from 10th century to 20th centuryFoot binding
- 11th centuryConstruction of Winchester Cathedral
- from 11th century to 18th centuryHouse of Habsburg
- 11th centuryConstruction of Chora Church
- from 1005 to 1797Republic of Genoa
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The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes.