<P> Foot binding was the custom of applying tight binding to the feet of young girls to modify the shape of the foot . The practice possibly originated among upper - class court dancers during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in Imperial China ( 10th or 11th century ) , then became popular among the elite during the Song dynasty and eventually spread to all social classes by the Qing dynasty . Foot binding became popular as a means of displaying status ( women from wealthy families , who did not need their feet to work , could afford to have them bound ) and was correspondingly adopted as a symbol of beauty in Chinese culture . Foot binding limited the mobility of women , resulting in them walking in a swaying unsteady gait , although some women with bound feet working outdoor had also been reported . The prevalence and practice of foot binding varied in different parts of the country . Feet altered by binding were called lotus feet . </P>
<P> Foot binding was the custom of applying tight binding to the feet of young girls to modify the shape of the foot . The practice possibly originated among upper - class court dancers during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in Imperial China ( 10th or 11th century ) , then became popular among the elite during the Song dynasty and eventually spread to all social classes by the Qing dynasty . Foot binding became popular as a means of displaying status ( women from wealthy families , who did not need their feet to work , could afford to have them bound ) and was correspondingly adopted as a symbol of beauty in Chinese culture . Foot binding limited the mobility of women , resulting in them walking in a swaying unsteady gait , although some women with bound feet working outdoor had also been reported . The prevalence and practice of foot binding varied in different parts of the country . Feet altered by binding were called lotus feet . </P>
what was the purpose of binding feet in china
what was the purpose of binding feet in china
a means of displaying status ( women from wealthy families , who did not need their feet to work , could afford to have them bound )
a means of displaying status ( women from wealthy families , who did not need their feet to work , could afford to have them bound )