QUICK FACTS
Name: Lotus shoes
What it is: Extremely small footwear
Where it is from: China
When it was made: Between 1000 and 1950
More than 1,000 years ago in dynastic China, many young girls had their toes tightly bound in gauze strips to create the illusion of dainty feet. The oldest preserved example of their petite footwear, called “lotus shoes,” dates to the 13th century, but the practice of foot-binding — known as “chanzu” in Chinese — lasted until the mid-20th century.
“The bandages that women used for footbinding were about 10 feet long, so it was difficult for them to wash their feet,” Chinese writer Yang Yang, whose mother had bound feet, told NPR. “They only washed once every two weeks, so it was very, very stinky.”
The earliest known archaeological examples of lotus shoes come from the Song dynasty (960 to 1279) in China. According to experts at the Textile Research Centre (TRC) in Leiden, Netherlands, six pairs of shoes were found in the tomb of Lady Huang Sheng, who lived from 1227 to 1243, and they averaged just 5 inches (13 centimeters) long. Several other tombs dated to the 13th century also revealed evidence of foot-binding, suggesting it was an upper-class practice and a prerequisite for a woman’s “proper” marriage.
There are surviving examples of numerous types of lotus shoes, including daytime boots, wedding shoes and sleeping socks. Lotus shoes were commonly made from cotton, wool or silk and were often intricately embroidered with flowers and birds. The smallest example of a lotus shoe in the TRC Leiden exhibit measures just 2.4 inches (6 cm) long.
MORE ASTONISHING ARTIFACTS
By the late 19th century, the practice of foot-binding was falling out of favor in China due to fights for women’s rights, as the binding significantly deformed women’s feet and caused pain. But foot-binding was practiced in some areas until 1949, meaning that a few elderly women with bound feet can still be found today. The last factory that made lotus shoes closed in 1999, although some smaller shops continued even after that.
For more stunning archaeological discoveries, check out our Astonishing Artifacts archives.
