Question:

What was foot binding?

Answer:

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The ancient Chinese considered small feet to be very beautiful. So, to be beautiful, female children had their toes bent and tucked under their feet to make them smaller. Then their feet were bound with long wraps of cloth to keep their toes tucked underneath. This broke the bones in their feet. The bones in their feet had to be broken many times for several years to achieve the perfect look. Yes, this was very painful. Legend says foot binding began in Shang times. Whenever it began, it was not illegal to bind a female child's feet until the early 1900s in modern times, and foot binding continued anyway for many years thereafter. There are Chinese women alive today who had their feet bound as a child. These women can barely walk. Foot Binding