Source+11

[|Foot Binding]


 * 1) In the 10th century, in China, legend says a prince began the practice of foot binding because he loved the small "Lily Feet" of his concubine.
 * 2) The tiny foot became the mark of a wealthy and well-born woman.
 * 3) for over 1000 yrs, rich women had their feet bound
 * 4) New Republic banned foot binding in 1912, died on in 1930's
 * 5) perfectly bound foot was 3'' long
 * 6) couldn't walk, run, or dance
 * 7) began between 4-7 yrs old
 * 8) strip of bandage 10 feet long and 2 inches wide was wrapped around the foot tighly
 * 9) 4 smaller toes were broken
 * 10) arch of foot was bowed
 * 11) bandage was tightened daily and put into a smaller shoe
 * 12) 2 yrs to finish
 * 13) by that time, a woman couldn't walk very far with it
 * 14) washed and cared for daily
 * 15) infection could set in if the toe nail grew wrong
 * 16) if bound too tightly, gangrene and blood poisoning could set in as well