Why are the little feet called golden lotus?

Three-inch Golden Lotus, also known as foot-binding, foot-binding, foot-binding, foot-binding***, Guangdong***, is a custom in ancient China, although there are many There were criticisms, but it was only gradually abolished in the early 20th century. Foot binding existed in the Tang Dynasty, but it is unclear when and where it started. So what?

One theory is that the Golden Lotus got its name from the story of Concubine Pan who grew up with lotus flowers step by step in the Southern Dynasties. Donghun Hou cut gold foil into the shape of a lotus and spread it on the ground, allowing Concubine Pan to walk on it with her bare feet, creating a wonderful scene of lotuses growing step by step. But the golden lotus here does not refer to Concubine Pan’s feet.

There is also a theory that the Golden Lotus got its name from the aforementioned story of Yao Niang dancing on the lotus platform in the Five Dynasties. But the golden lotus here refers to the shape of the stage, not Yao Niang’s feet.

In this regard, some scholars believe that the reason why the small feet are called golden lotus should be examined from the perspective of lotus in Buddhist culture. The lotus emerges from the mud without staining, and is regarded as a symbol of purity and purity in Buddhism. After Buddhism was introduced to China, the lotus as a beautiful, noble, precious and auspicious symbol was also introduced to China and accepted by the Chinese people. This is also illustrated by the fact that the lotus occupies a considerable position in the auspicious words and auspicious patterns of the Chinese people.

Therefore, there is no doubt that using lotus to call women’s feet is a good name. In addition, in Buddhist art, Bodhisattvas often stand on lotus flowers with bare feet, which may be an important reason for connecting lotus flowers with women's feet. Why do we need to add a gold character in front of the lotus? This is due to the traditional Chinese language habits. Chinese people like to use gold to decorate precious or beautiful things, such as golden mouths, golden eyes, golden palaces, etc. In the era of foot binding when small feet were valued, adding the word "lotus" in gold next to the word "lotus" to create a golden lotus was considered a good name to express preciousness. Therefore, later fans of small feet often classified the beauty and ugliness according to the size. Those within three inches were called golden lotus, those within four inches were called anemone, and those larger than four inches were called iron lotus. So when it comes to golden lotus, it must be three inches, which is the so-called three-inch golden lotus. Later, golden lotus was also used to refer to foot-binding shoes, and golden lotus became synonymous with small feet.

Reasons for foot binding

Why is foot binding popular in China? There are roughly two reasons. One is the influence of the ruler's will on the people of the world, and the other is the appreciation and praise of cultural people. [3] Foot binding has its origins and is related to rulers. It is said that foot binding originated from Li Yu, the empress of the Southern Tang Dynasty who sang "When will the spring flowers and autumn moon come?" His concubines tied their feet with cloth into a crescent shape and danced on the lotus made of gold. Empress Li Thinking this was the most beautiful thing, foot binding began in the harem, and later spread to the people. As long as the emperor likes something, it will be popular among the people. The emperor of the Tang Dynasty loved Taoist culture. Later, Empress Li liked women with small feet, so foot binding became popular. There are still several theories about the origin of foot binding. Some say it started with Pan Yunu, the deposed imperial concubine of Qi in the Southern Dynasty, some say it started with the late Tang Dynasty, some said it started with Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty, etc., but all without exception Relations with the rulers also explain this reason.

In addition to the will of the ruler, it is the influence of literati on social customs. Women in ancient times paid great attention to their headwear, and then their feet. The idioms "Taking the head and talking about the foot" and "Taking the head and talking about the foot" both have the meaning of discussing women's appearance and body. The head and feet have become an important standard of female beauty in the eyes of educated people. Cultural people have many words of praise for small feet, such as "Golden Lotus", "Three-inch Golden Lotus", "Fragrant Hook", etc., are all words of praise given to small feet by cultural people. Su Dongpo's "Bodhisattva Man" has a poem about feet that says: "Slimness is difficult to say, it must be seen from the palm of your hand", and even formulated seven standards for the beauty of small feet: thin, small, pointed, curved, fragrant, soft and straight, and also summarized the "seven beauties" of small feet: shape, quality , talent, god, fatness, softness, beauty, it is really profound and profound.

Style

Three-inch golden lotus styles include: high-tube golden lotus, low-cut golden lotus, cocked-headed golden lotus, and flat-headed golden lotus. According to the types, they include: Pi Jinlian, rain boots for rainy days, overshoes for indoor and outdoor use, longevity shoes for birthdays, sacrificial shoes, auspicious shoes, filial piety shoes, slippers, etc. According to the season, there are: cotton nasturtium, nasturtium, and sandals. According to shoe decorations, there are two types: embroidered nasturtium and plain nasturtium. According to the soles, they are divided into: flat-soled golden lotus, bow-shaped bottom golden lotus, and high-heeled golden lotus. According to the style and walking posture, they are divided into: golden lotus with double stems, golden lotus with double head, golden lotus with hairpin head, single-leaf golden lotus, red rhombus golden lotus, bitai golden lotus, goose-head golden lotus, cotton-edged golden lotus, etc.

The patterns on the three-inch golden lotus are traditional Chinese patterns, including peonies and other flowers and plants, fish, insects, birds, figures, fortune, wealth and longevity, copper coins, dragons, phoenixes, dark eight immortals, pomegranates, longevity peaches, Lotus, lotus root, lotus root, etc. The colorful pattern on a pair of golden lotuses itself is the wish and dream of the shoe owner. A pair of golden lotus also represents the status of its owner. Generally, young women wear bright and colorful nasturtiums such as red, while older women wear black and dark nasturtiums.

Academic and literary research

In modern times, Feng Jicai began to pay attention to "Three Inch Golden Lotus" and attracted social attention. But since then, there has been no article that accurately and comprehensively recorded "Three-Inch Golden Lotus".

After 2002, "Popular Photography" reporter Li Nan published "The Peerless Golden Lotus" in the form of pictures and texts, and Yunnan writer Yang Yang published "The Shaking Soul". However, according to the analysis of relevant data, both works have obvious regional characteristics, and there is no record of the development form of the "Three-Inch Golden Lotus". However, according to relevant literary works published by Lanzhou Evening News, Culture and Art News, Readers and other publications, Sun Jie, vice chairman of the Gansu Photographers Association, spent eight years searching for all living elderly people with small feet in the country and will publish "The Last" in 2012. "Golden Lotus". Lanzhou Evening News and Reader Magazine’s articles and pictures about Mr. Sun Jie’s three-inch golden lotus have received a great response.