Foot Emancipation Society
Encyclopedia
Foot Emancipation Society (Chinese: 不缠足会), or Anti-footbinding Society (Chinese: 戒缠足会), was a civil organization which opposed foot-binding in the late Qing Dynasty
. It was impacted by Hundred Days Reform (戊戌变法) of 1898, and this organization advanced the Feminist movement
in China.
Foot binding
was a custom practiced on young girls and women for approximately one thousand years in China, beginning in the 10th century. In Chinese society, bound feet were considered beautiful and erotic. The practice also limited women's mobility and was sometimes seen as a mark of status (the woman did not have to work) or a mark of male ownership (the woman's mobility was limited and she was intensely dependent on the males in her household).
After the Opium Wars
, China signed the "Treaty of Nanking
" with Britain
, which forced the Qing government to open the five ports. More Christian
s came to China and began to oppose foot binding, because they thought it was discriminatory against females. In 1875, a Guangzhao pastor organized a "anti-foot-binding organization", and more than 80 people attended, despite the fact that these kinds of activities had very limited influence.
In 1887, Kang Youwei
(康有为) and Qu Eliang established the "Foot Emancipation Society" in Nanhai
, Guangdong
; however, it was abandoned due to of public opposition. In 1885, Kang Youwei and his brother Kang Guangrou (康广仁) established "Canton Foot Emancipation Society". He asked his daughters Kang Tongwei, Kang Tongbi
to release their feet as examples. This movement began to impact the culture in Guangdong. In late 1896, Wu Xinggang (吴性刚) founded the "Anti-Footbinding Society" in Hunan Province.
After 1897, the anti-footbinding movement developed rapidly. In Shunde
, Guangdong
, more than hundred people attended the anti-footbinding movement. Liang Qichao
(梁启超) wrote an article called "Report of Anti-footbinding" (《戒缠足会叙》). On June 30, the Shanghai Foot Emancipation Society was established. It impacted the related organizations in Fuzhou
, Tianjing
, and Macau
. In 1897, Chen Baoyi (陈保彝) announced the establishment of the Foot Emancipation Society in Changsha. The next year, Tan Sitong
(谭嗣同) and Tang Caichang (唐才常) began the Hunan Foot Emancipation Society.
These activities may have been restricted by the districts during this period. The movement was also limited to the more knowledgeable citizens. After the failure of Wuxu Reform, the anti-foot binding movement ended and foot binding continued to be widely practiced.
announced a ban on foot-binding to appease foreigners, but it was rescinded a short time later. In 1905, Natural Feet Society (天足会) was established and largely impacted this movement. This movement gained the support of governors. Sichuan Governor Cen Chunxuan
(岑春煊) printed 50,000 books in support of the movement; Zhili
Governor Cen Chunxuan
(袁世凯), Huguang
Governor Duan Fang (端方) also wrote anti-footbinding articles. In 1904, foot binding was outlawed in many provinces, and some governmental officers asked their wives or daughters to release their bound feet.
In 1912, after the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the new Republic of China government banned foot binding. Women were told to unwrap their feet lest they be killed. Societies were founded to support the abolition of foot-binding, with contractual agreements made between families who would promise an infant son in marriage to an infant daughter who did not have bound feet. When the Communists took power in 1949, they were able to enforce a strict prohibition on foot-binding, including in isolated areas deep in the countryside where the Nationalist prohibition had been ignored. The prohibition on foot-binding remains in effect today.
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
. It was impacted by Hundred Days Reform (戊戌变法) of 1898, and this organization advanced the Feminist movement
Feminist movement
The feminist movement refers to a series of campaigns for reforms on issues such as reproductive rights, domestic violence, maternity leave, equal pay, women's suffrage, sexual harassment and sexual violence...
in China.
Background
Foot binding
Foot binding was the custom of binding the feet of young girls painfully tight to prevent further growth. The practice probably originated among court dancers in the early Song dynasty, but spread to upper class families and eventually became common among all classes. The tiny narrow feet were...
was a custom practiced on young girls and women for approximately one thousand years in China, beginning in the 10th century. In Chinese society, bound feet were considered beautiful and erotic. The practice also limited women's mobility and was sometimes seen as a mark of status (the woman did not have to work) or a mark of male ownership (the woman's mobility was limited and she was intensely dependent on the males in her household).
After the Opium Wars
Opium Wars
The Opium Wars, also known as the Anglo-Chinese Wars, divided into the First Opium War from 1839 to 1842 and the Second Opium War from 1856 to 1860, were the climax of disputes over trade and diplomatic relations between China under the Qing Dynasty and the British Empire...
, China signed the "Treaty of Nanking
Treaty of Nanking
The Treaty of Nanking was signed on 29 August 1842 to mark the end of the First Opium War between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Qing Dynasty of China...
" with Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, which forced the Qing government to open the five ports. More Christian
Christianity in China
Christianity in China is a growing minority religion that comprises Protestants , Catholics , and a small number of Orthodox Christians. Although its lineage in China is not as ancient as the institutional religions of Taoism and Mahayana Buddhism, and the social system and ideology of...
s came to China and began to oppose foot binding, because they thought it was discriminatory against females. In 1875, a Guangzhao pastor organized a "anti-foot-binding organization", and more than 80 people attended, despite the fact that these kinds of activities had very limited influence.
Founding
Hundred Days Reform of 1898 stimulated many social reform activities. The widest-ranging movement was the "anti-footbinding movement," which generated the founding of "Foot Emancipation Society".In 1887, Kang Youwei
Kang Youwei
Kang Youwei , was a Chinese scholar, noted calligrapher and prominent political thinker and reformer of the late Qing Dynasty. He led movements to establish a constitutional monarchy and was an ardent Chinese nationalist. His ideas inspired a reformation movement that was supported by the Guangxu...
(康有为) and Qu Eliang established the "Foot Emancipation Society" in Nanhai
Nanhai
Nanhai District , historically known as Namhoi, is a district of Foshan prefecture-level city, in Guangdong province, southern China. It is the first city to have developed e-government informatization at the county level in China.-Administration:...
, Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
; however, it was abandoned due to of public opposition. In 1885, Kang Youwei and his brother Kang Guangrou (康广仁) established "Canton Foot Emancipation Society". He asked his daughters Kang Tongwei, Kang Tongbi
Kang Tongbi
Kang Tongbi a.k.a. Kang Tung Pih , 1887–1969, was the daughter of Kang Youwei, a Chinese reformer and political figure of the late Qing dynasty and early Republican era.-Early life:...
to release their feet as examples. This movement began to impact the culture in Guangdong. In late 1896, Wu Xinggang (吴性刚) founded the "Anti-Footbinding Society" in Hunan Province.
After 1897, the anti-footbinding movement developed rapidly. In Shunde
Shunde
Shunde District is a district of Foshan prefecture-level city in the Pearl River Delta, Guangdong Province, southeast China.-Administration:Shunde was a county-level city until December 8, 2002, when it became a district of Foshan prefecture-level city...
, Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
, more than hundred people attended the anti-footbinding movement. Liang Qichao
Liang Qichao
Liang Qichao |Styled]] Zhuoru, ; Pseudonym: Rengong) was a Chinese scholar, journalist, philosopher and reformist during the Qing Dynasty , who inspired Chinese scholars with his writings and reform movements...
(梁启超) wrote an article called "Report of Anti-footbinding" (《戒缠足会叙》). On June 30, the Shanghai Foot Emancipation Society was established. It impacted the related organizations in Fuzhou
Fuzhou
Fuzhou is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian Province, People's Republic of China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute the Mindong linguistic and cultural area....
, Tianjing
Tianjing
Tianjing is the name given to Nanjing by Hong Xiuquan, king of the "Heavenly Kingdom of the Great Peace", during the Taiping Rebellion, in imperial China, from 1853 to 1864.- Brief history :...
, and Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
. In 1897, Chen Baoyi (陈保彝) announced the establishment of the Foot Emancipation Society in Changsha. The next year, Tan Sitong
Tan Sitong
Tan Sitong , courtesy name Fusheng, pseudonym Zhuangfei , was a well-known Chinese politician, thinker and revolutionist in the late Qing Dynasty who was in support of reform; he was however, finally executed because of the failure of the reformation...
(谭嗣同) and Tang Caichang (唐才常) began the Hunan Foot Emancipation Society.
These activities may have been restricted by the districts during this period. The movement was also limited to the more knowledgeable citizens. After the failure of Wuxu Reform, the anti-foot binding movement ended and foot binding continued to be widely practiced.
Second Development
During the Gengzi Reform (清末新政, 庚子新政), anti-footbinding activities resumed. In 1902, Empress Dowager CixiEmpress Dowager Cixi
Empress Dowager Cixi1 , of the Manchu Yehenara clan, was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908....
announced a ban on foot-binding to appease foreigners, but it was rescinded a short time later. In 1905, Natural Feet Society (天足会) was established and largely impacted this movement. This movement gained the support of governors. Sichuan Governor Cen Chunxuan
Cen Chunxuan
Cen Chunxuan was the governor of Shanxi , governor-general of Sichuan , Liangguang , Yungui , and Tibet and chairman of the Governing Committee of the Military Government of China .-Biography:He was under the protection of General Lu Rongting's Old...
(岑春煊) printed 50,000 books in support of the movement; Zhili
Zhili
Zhílì was a northern province in China from the Ming Dynasty until the province was dissolved in 1928 during the Republic of China era.-History:...
Governor Cen Chunxuan
Cen Chunxuan
Cen Chunxuan was the governor of Shanxi , governor-general of Sichuan , Liangguang , Yungui , and Tibet and chairman of the Governing Committee of the Military Government of China .-Biography:He was under the protection of General Lu Rongting's Old...
(袁世凯), Huguang
Huguang
Huguang was a province of China during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties. It was partitioned in the late Qing Dynasty, becoming the provinces of Hubei and Hunan....
Governor Duan Fang (端方) also wrote anti-footbinding articles. In 1904, foot binding was outlawed in many provinces, and some governmental officers asked their wives or daughters to release their bound feet.
In 1912, after the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the new Republic of China government banned foot binding. Women were told to unwrap their feet lest they be killed. Societies were founded to support the abolition of foot-binding, with contractual agreements made between families who would promise an infant son in marriage to an infant daughter who did not have bound feet. When the Communists took power in 1949, they were able to enforce a strict prohibition on foot-binding, including in isolated areas deep in the countryside where the Nationalist prohibition had been ignored. The prohibition on foot-binding remains in effect today.