Ancient Chinese Shoe

This shoe is not mean for children. It is only 7 inches long shoe where Ancient Chinese ladies use for 'foot binding' to 3 inches foot.

The general purpose of foot binding was to restrict the growth of the feet so that they would not exceed 3-4 inches. Small feet were considered beautiful and elegant. A foot measuring a perfect three inches was called a 'lotus of gold'; a four-inch foot was considered 'silver'; and one measuring more than four inches was an 'iron lotus'.

Thus the process normally began when a girl was between the age of three to eleven years old, the justification being that the pre-bone cartilage of the arch, which was predominantly water, would be more easily molded than matured bone. The mothers or more experienced female relatives who performed the foot binding were at least thoughtful enough to carry it out in late fall or winter when the foot was generally numb so that the pain would not be so severe.