Chapter 199: Left Eye Twitch for Wealth, Right Eye for Misfortune – Strange Beliefs and Superstitions! (2 / 2)
In society, many women began to speak out.
Among the former courtesans who had gained their freedom, some with exceptional literary talent penned sharp and biting verses. One poem read:
“The three-inch lotus shoes were never seen in ancient times;
The Bodhisattva Guanyin stands barefoot and unbound.
Where did foot binding originate?
From the baseness of men in this mortal world!”
Women practicing medicine publicly shared the harm caused by foot binding, explaining how it twisted and deformed the bones of the feet. Prolonged binding forced the body to adapt to the unnatural shape, making it impossible to fully straighten the feet even with physical manipulation.
Meanwhile, female merchants approached the issue from a practical perspective, calculating and demonstrating how women with unbound feet were able to earn more income for their families.
This was an era of bold and unrestrained customs—a time when the Admonitions for Women had not yet taken hold, and foot binding was unheard of. Women wearing men’s clothing was a popular trend, noblewomen rode horses and hunted in the mountains as a family tradition, and female labor was a common sight in both crafts and sports. Women actively participated in physical activities and games, and households with daughters but no sons were not considered doomed, as women retained the right to inherit property—though only in the absence of male heirs. This, while limited compared to matriarchal times, was still better than nothing.