Footbinding timeline?

Question

I am currently researching footbinding for my dissertation and I know that originated in the Tang dynasty, but I have not been able to find any information regarding specific dates. Mostly I am interested in the role of women at this period of time and I would like to include Wu Zetian into my piece in relation to footbinding and the position of women. Was footbinding instituted as a practice before or after Wu's reign? And if it was before, was she herself subjected to the practice?

Answer 1

Sorry I don't know the history, but my own great-grandmother had bound feet..... they were teeny-tiny (and deformed :P)

Answer 2

there is such classic novel as "The Flowers in the Mirror"

(X NOT "the plum flowers in the golden vase" X)

the novel was written in the Middle Ages, sorry i forgot the author, and is about travelers who visited many countries, the plot and the structure remind the Gulliver's travels

to make it short -- one of the chapters is about the case when the main hero found himself in the women's kingdom and, opposite to Chinese traditions, was treated like a girl

so

in that classical novel, you can find the detailed description on the procedure and the consequent sufferings, described rather vividly

and

there are notes at the end of the book to clarify some particular moments of this torture

this is the most trustworthy info i could recall on your topc

Answer 3

As far as i know, Mu Zetian didn't bind her feet. For a woman of that period, her ideas were extremely radical and daring. it seems unlikely that she subjected herself to that kind of physical torment, for a woman of her power and beliefs. It's very difficult to find specific dates as to when footbinding started. It started in the Tang Dynasty, China's most prosperous time, but noone knows for sure the exact dates.To my knowledge, there are still women alive in China still with bound feet, but they are very old ladies. My mother is currently 49, but she had neighbours who had bound feet when she was around 15 years old.