Footbinding

In response to Ye Xiaoluan’s poem by Shen Yixiu. They say she leaves her footprint on the green moss lightly, Only as she stands alone, lost in thought. He hears tinkling of jade ornaments from afar, Only because she shifts her bound feet slightly. The slender, slender feet, creating lotuses at every step, The Duke of Donghun cannot but be indulgent. The slim, slim socks as they move, Inspire the pity of Cao Zhi in his verse. As spring befalls the emperor’s garden, The fallen petals make a fitting companion. As she walks the treasure house in the moon, the fragrant greens become more lovely. Childhood memories by Hu Shilan. Remember those bygone days in the depth of my inner chambers, Fragrant pieces of jade adorned my tender skin. My little maid stood by me under canopy of flowers, So that my tiny shoes wouldn’t slip on moss so green. Little did I know that in mid-life I would have to roam around, Braving the scorching sun and furious storms.

"...Very rarely would a Chinese man ever see a bound foot without the white bandages covering it. He might know what every other part of the woman's body looked like, including the genitals. Her body was very real to him, but the feet were literally shrouded in mystery...." p. 107 Splendid Slippers: A Thousand Years of an Erotic Tradition New book by Beverley Jackson

Venetian Footbinding: the twenty-inches chopines