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The following article on the Chinese "foot binding" practice is pertainent to the history of pointe shoes and classical dancing en pointe because of the Simulating Lotus Shoes that are still being worn in Chinese opera houses in mainland China today. While the women that wear the Simulating Lotus Shoes have not actually had their feet bound since childhood, the shoes they wear in operas maker it appear so.
Taglioni may be the first European to have been accredited dancing an entire ballet en pointe, but the Chinese were probably the first to bind the feet for cosmetic purposes into the pointed shape. This "foot binding" practice started in the the Sung dynasty (960-976 BC) or the Latter Tang Dynasty (923-936 AD). No one can agree on a correct time frame. It's beginnings are shrouded in myth and legend.
The Legends........
Scholars have found stories of an imperial concubine that was required to dance with her feet bound.
Some folk tales speak of an evil Emperor that ordered every peasant on his land to build him a pleasure boat so he and his Household could sail in leisure. Through all this hardwork, one frail old man died. His daughter bound her feet until they were three-inches in length and then dressed very beautifully to attract the Emperor. This daughter tried to kill the emperor by hiding a knife in her shoe for when he sought her company for the night. But, being unused to the cramped shoes she wore, she tripped and was stabbed instead by the Emperor. The women in the region began to bind their feet as a show of respect to the girl's valor and courage.
Another legend of how foot binding began was that also in the tenth century, a prince had a favorite concubine. This concubine had unusually small feet that were only three-inches long. (Many scholars now believe this was a birth defect) The prince was so in love with her he named her feet "san chun jin lian" which means "three-inch golden lily.) He had a shoe maker come to the palace and make special silk shoes for her, called "lotus shoes." In her honour, the Prince decreed that all noble women had to bind their feet in a similar fashion to keep them small and delicate. These lotus shoes and deformed feet became the normal custom for the aristocratic class of women.
How and Why.......
For over 1,000 years in China this foot binding was the difference between a noble marriage or disgrace to one's family and house. The process was done to upper class female children when they were between the ages of 2 and 11.(We have found contradicting times on this age issue.) The child's feet and legs were washed and massaged. Long strips of linen cloth were used to wrap around the child's ankles, feet, and toes. The larger toe was left straight, while the other four were turned under the foot. Over time, the toes broke and the feet stopped growing past 10 cm (3 or 4 inches), due to lack of blood circulation to the extremities. Some did not survive the process. Gangrene would set in. In some cases the toes would have to be amputated- and in old age, the entire foot.
These children had difficulty standing, walking, and even doing simple toiletry things to take care of themselves. In most cases, they needed servants to help them get up from a sitting position or walk across the room. Going outside or taking a walk through town was a daunting thing. They had to take very small mincing steps because the pain was so great. The children were either carried in someone's arms or taken in a carriage lifted by servant men from the household.
Because this foot binding was done for cosmetic reasons, it should be explained why men found it so appealing. It is believed that the woman's husband never saw her feet unwrapped the entire time they were married. The mystique of the unknown was powerful and served as a fetish. Some men in almost every culture today have "foot fetishes" of some sort. This fetish served as a useful way to keep track of one's wife as well. If your wife couldn't leave the house, then she couldn't have affairs.
These "lily feet" as they were called were identifying traits of noble born ladies. But after several centuries the practice spread to more rural areas. Foot binding was banned by the Manchuria who invaded China and established the Qing dynasty, which lasted from 1644 to 1911. This didn't stop it from being performed. As late as 1949 woman still had their feet bound in the mountainous areas, even when "New China" was founded. The last shoe factory which made lotus shoes, decided to stop production of them in the late 1990's.
Today, classical Chinese dancers put on a special wooden pointe shoe that they wear inside of a "lotus shoe" that is made just for these types of performances. This wooden pointe enables the dancer to fit only the tip of her toes inside the lotus shoe and then wrap the upper part with linen. To the audience, all they see is the small walking surface of the dancers shoes, when in fact, the dance is en pointe inside the lotus shoe. Note: picture below is of a dancer in "Simulating Lotus Shoes."
Compiled and Written by PS4Y Staff
Sources:
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sfmuseum.org
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and the combined effort of helpful Readers-Thank You!
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