Chinese Footbinding The Story of the Golden Lotus.docx
《Chinese Footbinding The Story of the Golden Lotus.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《Chinese Footbinding The Story of the Golden Lotus.docx(14页珍藏版)》请在冰豆网上搜索。
ChineseFootbindingTheStoryoftheGoldenLotus
HIS3501A
TopicStudiesinTraditionalChineseHistory:
TheHistoryofChineseWomen
Lecturer:
PriscillaChung
Tutor:
MelodyMontague
ChineseFootbinding:
TheStoryoftheGoldenLotus
FinalPaper
EstherLee,NinaKo&SaraVantournhout
Introduction
TheChinesepracticeoffootbindingisacruel,mysterious,butalsoextremelyfascinatingcustomthatlastedformorethanathousandyears.Apairofperfectlyboundfeetsymbolizedidealbeauty.FortheChinese,thesewondrouslysmall‘GoldenLotuses’wereapieceofartandanobjectoferoticdesire–but,whatexactlyis‘footbinding’?
Whendidthiscustomoriginate,howdiditspreadthroughoutChina,andwhydiditcometoanend?
Andfinally,whydidChinesewomen,generationaftergeneration,continuetobindtheirdaughter’sfeet?
Inthispaper,wewillattempttounravelsomeofthemysteriesthatenveloptheChinesecultofthetinyfootbydiscussingfourtopicswithinthethemeofChinesefootbinding:
thepractice,itsoriginsandhistory,theimportanceoftheanti-footbindingmovementsandthedifferentinterpretationsoffootbinding.
Practice
Footbindingwasadaughter’sinitiationriteintothewomen’scommunity.Herfirstbindingtookplaceinthedepthsofthewomen’squartersunderthedirectionofhermother.Agirl’sfeetweremostlyboundwhenshewasbetweenfiveandeightyearsold.Atthatage,thelittlegirlwasprobablyunawareofthefactthatshewasbeingpreparedforsexualservicetoherfuturehusband.Butshewasmostdefinitelyawareoftheimmensepaincausedbytheboundfeetduringtheearlystages.Thesuccessorfailureoffootbindingdependedonskilfulapplicationofabandagearoundeachfoot.HowardS.Levydescribedtheprocessoffootbindingasfollows:
“Thebandagewaswrappedinthefollowingway.Oneendwasplacedontheinsideoftheinstep,andfromthereitwascarriedoverthesmalltoessoastoforcethetoesinandtowardsthesole.Thelargetoewasleftunbound.Thebandagewasthenwrappedaroundtheheelsoforcefullythatheelandtoesweredrawnclosertogether.Thefootoftheyoungchildwassubjectedtoacoerciveandunremittingpressure,fortheobjectwasnotmerelytoconfinethefootbuttomakethetoesbendunderandintothesoleandbringthesoleandheelasclosetogetheraswasphysicallypossible.”
OriginsandHistory
NooneknowsexactlywhostartedtheChinesecustomoffootbinding.QuestionsconcerningthebeginningofthepracticeinChinahaveoccupiedmanyminds,resultinginavarietyofdifferentopinions.Therehavebeenmadevariousspeculationsabouttheoriginoffootbinding,mostlybasedonsomeChinesemythsandsayings.InthissectionwewillsummarizesomeofthesespeculationsandexaminehowandwhenthepracticeoffootbindingspreadthroughoutChina.
1.OriginsofFootbinding
Accordingtosomeancientwritings,theoriginsoffoot-bindingcanbetracedbackasearlyasthetwenty-firstcenturyB.C.However,mostoftheearliestsourcesdonotmentiontheword‘footbinding’,butinsteadusewordssuchas‘smallfeet’or‘smallshoes’.Scholarshavenotbeenabletoresolvetheproblemastowhetherthereferencesweretoboundormerelysmallfeet.Forexample:
Thefactthatthetermdiechan跕纏(literally:
tobindthetoes)wasmentionedinSimaQian’sShiji史記(RecordsoftheHistorian)ledsomehistorianstotheconclusionthattherealreadyexistedaformoffootbindingintheQindynasty.However,therehasbeennoproofaboutwhetherornotthetermdiechandesignatestheverysamepracticeoffootbindingastheonethatspreadoverChinainlaterdynasties.
ChinesefolkloretraditionallyattributestheoriginoffootbindingtotheShangdynasty(16th-11thcenturiesB.C.).DaJi,theconcubineofthelastruleroftheShangdynasty,wasafoxthattransformeditselfintoabeautifulwoman.Beingunabletochangeherfeet,shewrappedthemincloth.Asthestorygoes,thefoxthussetapalacefashion,andbeforelong,thecourtwomenstartedimitatingher.TheSuidynasty(581-618)recordedthestoryofWuYueniang,oneoftheconcubinesofEmperorSuiYang.Inanattempttoassassinatethetyrant,shewrappedaknifeunderhersoleandputonapairofshoesthatmadelotusfootprintsontheground,knowingthatthesewouldcertainlyattracttheemperor’sattention.Whentheemperorsummonedher,shepulledouttheknifebutintheendfailedtokillhim.Aftertheincident,thekingforbadewomenwithboundfeettoenterthepalace.Tocommemoratethisbraveconcubine,manywomenstartedbindingtheirfeetlikeYueniang.
ZhangBangji,atwelfth-centurycommentator,believedthatthepracticeoffootbindingdidnotgobackasearlyastheShangandSuidynasties.HestatedthatfootbindingactuallybeganatthecourtofthesovereignpoetLiYu(reign,961-975),thelastemperoroftheSouthernTangduringtheFiveDynasties(907-960).Hehadasix-foot-highgold-gildedlotusmadeforhisfavouriteconcubineYaoNiang,andorderedhertodanceonitwithherfeetboundinwhitesilkcloth,resemblingtheshapeofthenewmoon.Thestorygoesthatalltheothercourtladiessoonimitatedthepalacedance,andthe‘lilyfooted’becameamodelofbeautyforChinesewomen.
2.BriefHistoryofFootbinding
EventhoughthepracticeoffootbindinghadsupposedlybegunintheFiveDynastiesperiod,itwasnotuntiltheendoftheeleventhcenturythatfootbindingbecameamorewidespreadpracticeamongChinesewomen.ThereissomedistinctiveevidenceinbooksandpaintingsshowingthatmorewomenstartedbindingtheirfeetfromtheNorthernSong.Forexample,therearesomefolktalesfromthisperiod,likeNianyuGuanyin碾玉觀音,thatemphasizethepainandsufferingthatcomeswiththepracticeoffootbinding.Forthisreason,wecanassumethatthepracticeoffootbindingasweknowittodaywasanestablishedcustominNorthernSongChina.
BytheSouthernSong,thecustomoffootbindingspreadfromthenorthernpartofChinatothesouth.TherearetwomajorreasonswhythecultoftinyfeetstartedtoflourishinsouthChinaduringtheSouthernSong.ThefirstreasonwasthemoveofthecapitaltoLin’an(Hangzhou),whichobviouslyhelpedspreadfootbindingtothesouth.AnotherreasonwecanfindinthefamousConfucianscholarZhuXi朱熹,whostronglyadvocatedthepracticeoffootbindinginsomesouthernregionslikeFujian.ZhuXiorderedthatallFukienesewomen’sfeetbeboundtoanexcessivedegree,inordertorestraintheirunchastityandotherimmoralhabits.Whilefootbindingmayhavebegunasaninnovationofthepalacedancer,duringtheSouthernSongitcametoberegardedasadeviceforthesuppressionofwomen:
“Whymustthefootbebound?
Topreventbarbarousrunningaround!
”
WithencouragementfromtheMongolrulers,footbindingwideneditspopularbaseduringtheYuandynasty(1271-1368).TheMongolslovedboundfeet,andconsideredthecustomoffootbindingasawondrousandbeautifulcult.Undertheirinfluence,tinyfeetbecamethestandardmeasurementforbeautyamongwomen.Furthermore,theMongolspropagatedtinyfeetasameanstopoliticalstability,forboundfeetwouldkeepwomendocileathome.
BytheMingdynasty(1368-1644),footbindingbegantospreadalloverChina.ThecultoffootbindingbecamesoimmenselypopularthatintheearlyMingthenatural-footedwomenwereridiculedforhavingbig,uglyfeet.Duringthisperiod,boundfeet,apartfrombeingtheChinesestandardforfemalebeauty,alsobecamethesymbolforsocialstatus.IndifferentregionsinChina,footbindingbecameasnecessaryforaproperwomanaslearningwasforaman.AstheoldChinesesayinggoes:
“Ifyouloveyourdaughter,bindherfeet;ifyouloveyourson,lethimstudy.”Forupper-classwomen,footbindingconfirmedtheirhighstatusinthesocialhierarchy.Forgirlsfromthelowerclass,footbindingenhancedtheirmarriageprospects,thusgivingthemanopportunitytomoveupwardinthemarriagemarket.BytheendoftheMingdynasty,footbindingnotonlyseemedtohavespreadthroughoutthecountry,butalsofromtheuppertothelowerclasses.
FootbindingreacheditspeakduringtheQingdynasty(1644-1911),eventhoughtheManchuswereopposedtothepracticeoffootbindingfromtheverybeginning.Theyrepeatedlytriedtoimposeabanonthecustom.However,aswewillseeinthenextsectiononanti-footbindingmeasures,theirattemptsateradicationwereunsuccessful.Astheyearswentby,theinfluenceoffootbindingwasincreasinglyfeltbytheManchus;Manchumencametolikethetinyfoot,andtheirwiveseveninventedsomekindofimitationoffootbindingbycompressingthefootwithoutbendingthetoes.
3.Conclusion
OwingtothemostpopularandconvincingoriginmythaboutthecourtdancerYaoNiang,isitgenerallyacceptedthatthepracticeoffootbindingstartedamongthecourtandroyalfamiliesaroundtheeleventhcentury.DuringtheSongandYuandynasty,thepracticespreadgraduallythroughoutthecountry,andwasadoptedbythecommoners.ThecustomoffootbindingasastandardforfemalebeautyflourishedintheMingdynasty,andreacheditspeakintheQing.AsthebindingspreadalloverChina,theredevelopedmanydifferentfootbindingfashions,dependingonlocality.However,therewasonegeneralstandardforfootbindingthatwasfollowedbyHanwomenthroughoutthecountry:
thesmallerthebetter.
Anti-footbindingMovements
Inthemid-thirteenthcentury,CheRuoshui,aSungdynastyliteratusandtheearliestanti-footbindingspokesmanonrecord,wrote:
“Littlechildrennotyetfourorfivesui,whohavedonenothingwrong,neverthelessaremadetosufferunlimitedpaintobind[theirfeet]small.Idonotknowwhatusethisi