The pattern on a 1930s Chinese shoe, made for women with...

HONG KONG, CHINA - 1994/01/01: The pattern on a 1930s Chinese shoe, made for women with bound feet. Foot binding began in China during the Song dynasty (10th century) and continued until the end of the Qing dynasty. The practice was formally prohibited in China in 1911 but continued in isolated regions well into the 1930s. In 1998, the last factory to manufacture shoes for women with bound feet (in Harbin, China) ended production. Mothers used to bind the feet of their daughters at around 5 years of age and gradually decreased the size of the child's foot over a period of months. The feet were called "lotus of gold" if they were 3 inches long (about 7.5 centimetres), "silver" if they were 4 inches long (about 10 centimetres) or "iron" if they were more than 4 inches long. Feet were the object of devotion and eventually so were the specially designed shoes. Women made their own shoes and even wore them in bed. The colour of the shoes was important. Red was the most popular colour. Some men, such as actors or male prostitutes also bound their feet. (Photo by Gerhard Joren/LightRocket via Getty Images)