s.13 Moreover, love was not a deciding factor, in marriage. The women werepromised to other families by their parents or masters, and could not object.14 Thein-laws and husband were in power after a women wed. Distant behavior and respect andlove for the in-laws, were a must. The relationship with the in-laws was more importantthan the one with the husband.15 Motherhood was where the in-laws supervised a childsupbringing while the mothers only tended her children occasionally. The children did notbelong to the mothers but to the families.16In a society where they had no power or decision, footbinding held women to theold customs. The origins of footbinding are vague and mostly unknown, although thereare momentary references in early Chinese works, from the Han dynasty, that small feetwere favored over larger feet in women. The court of the Southern Tang dynasty inNanjing, offered the first documented reference to the practice of footbinding. In Nanjing,dancing girls were acclaimed for their little feet and beautiful bow shoes.17 Their feetwere wrapped in strips of silk cloth and they danced among the petals of the lotus. Thebeauty in this and the Emperors satisfaction began the tradition of footbinding.18Evidently, footbinding later became the model for feminine beauty in the imperial courtuntil its demise in 20th century China. The rise of footbinding in China was contributedby various reasons. Bound feet were a part of Chinese culture, the custom was done forthousands of years and women were expected to follow tradition.19 They were a womansprized possession, part of her dowry, a gift from a wealthy father to be presented to aworthy man.20 Footbinding was believed to assist health, conditioning, and fertility. Thepractice offered dignity and a sense of class while footbinding also maintained a womansgood family values, which were inseparable from societys values.21 The bind in a womansfeet determined the reputation of both her natura...
