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Tag Archive : Chinese Foot Binding

Chinese Foot Binding and the Lotus Shoes

The Lotus shoes are one of the oldest types of footwear recorded that were specifically designed for females use. Now, the manufacturing of these shoes currently is actually non-existent and the few lotus footwear still existing now are preserved in museums and galleries or personal collections similar to collectibles and artifacts. Even though the footwear were created for women of all ages, any single woman these days that is older than the age of ten would definitely find it out of the question to wear these shoes. For the reason that this type of footwear had originated from ancient China and was made for women back when foot binding was still carried out. For all those unaware of the procedure, foot binding actually implies the binding of the foot using wraps. The importance of this kind of practice is that it's practiced by women between the ages of two and five.

The procedure of foot binding would in all probability be seen as being a disabling act of pride as it involved the act of intentionally breaking up the arch and toes of each foot prior to being bound up. Furthermore, this procedure was carried out with no kind of pain alleviation. The aim of this practice was so that people at that time thought that slim and little feet had been regarded as being attractive as well as making the victim's motions more elegant. Quite a few misconceptions surround the origin of the technique of foot binding as well as the Lotus footwear. Probably the most popular of these misconceptions centered about the 10th Century period of time, when Royal Prince Li Yu that ruled within the 10 kingdoms. He had a concubine in his entourage who had particularly petite feet and she was a great dancer who had among the earliest versons of the Lotus shoe.

The foot binding process then began amongst the women of upper society and royalty to be able to simulate the Prince's concubine. As such, foot binding ended up being strongly connected with wealth and standing during that time. The following centuries saw to the prevalent adoption of the foot binding all the way through China. The process grew to become to ensure that girls that didn't have small feet ended up simply not marriage suitable. Back then, this became the hardest probable fate for a Chinese female. The brutal foot binding aside nevertheless, the Lotus shoe is a sight to behold and the modern world could possibly be taken back with the extensive pain it really inflicts on the feet. Of course, when the foot binding grew to become practiced by everybody, versions came along. The procedure was finally forbidden.

In the beginning, this delicately constructed footwear were made using cotton along with silk materials even though there is evidence of different versions created working with many other materials such as animal skins. Other variants often had particular features including high heels and also soles which appear like those of the present day wedge shoes. However, essentially the most differentiating characteristic with the lotus footwear involves the elaborate designs and patterns seen in all of them. In addition to that, a great number of these shoes ended up being embroidered using intricate designs featuring animal along with floral motifs along with shapes. This is particularly if you check out the unusual and expensive footwear made out of the best materials that decorated the feet of people in roles of influence.