The earliest foot binding in the history of China was recorded in the late Northern Song Dynasty and flourished in the Southern Song Dynasty.
At that time, all the nobles in the dynasty regarded women's feet as beautiful, and then this trend spread. In a patriarchal society, women must bind their feet to please men.
Foot-binding conforms to men's standards for the beauty of the opposite sex, but women suffer greatly. The process is cruel and painful, and I can't bear to look straight.
Simply put, foot binding is to bend all four toes except the big toe to the deepest part of the sole of the foot, and then wrap them tightly, so that the naturally growing feet become petite and deformed, about three inches, so there is? Three inches of golden lotus? Said.
The foot-wrapping cloth is wound layer by layer, forcing the bent toes to grow only to the bent side. During this period, the toes are too long, so I can only endure severe pain and acquiesce that my fingernails grow to the soles of my feet. This kind of foot-binding should start when the girl is about 5 years old, and it will be basically stereotyped until she is a teenager. In this decade's foot-binding career, the foot shape is deformed and it is extremely difficult for women to walk. So I often read some historical materials? Weak? Describe women, powerful women need help when walking.
It's not enough for women to walk less, because they don't walk often, and they still have four bent toes. Normal? Growing up and occasionally walking will make it difficult for women to go to the fields, so the cruel means came, that is, smashing four bent toes to reduce the pain caused by accumulated pressure.
In fact, foot-binding is the full embodiment of abnormal aesthetics in ancient feudal patriarchal society, which is based on sacrificing women's health. Do women please themselves? Become inactive, a pair of feet and a jar of tears? Even walking is supported by handmaids or eunuchs, which truly reflects the status of ancient women as male vassals.
Eunuch politics
I'm afraid everyone treats eunuchs with contempt. No one will respect eunuchs. However, in the history of China, eunuchs have always been a very important political force in history.
I was surprised. As we all know, the demise of the Qin Dynasty was related to a eunuch named Zhao Gao. Why did the later emperor not learn this lesson, but trusted the eunuch very much? Basically every dynasty, later, eunuchs became the most trusted people of the emperor. Obviously, everyone knows that it is believed that eunuchs will perish. Why does the emperor still believe in eunuchs?
Now I understand.
Because, in fact, no one can trust the emperor except the eunuch.
Eunuchs are victims of the imperial power system. In order to ensure the authority of the emperor, the system in history began with ensuring the sexual authority of the emperor. Because the authority of sex is the most basic authority of a man. For the sake of the emperor's sexual authority, the system castrated men who served the emperor, and these men became eunuchs.
But for the emperor, the potential enemies of sexual life can ensure their authority by castration, but there is no way to solve the competitors of power. The powerful bureaucrats in the imperial court are all competitors of their own power. Every dynasty in China is like this: at the beginning of the dynasty, the emperor was in power; The authority of the emperor is beyond doubt. In the medium term, imperial power and bureaucratic power are basically the same. In the later period, there were not many ministers around the emperor who could be trusted. Then, what about those people around the emperor who have less desire for power? The eunuch became the only person the emperor could trust. However, it is impossible for the emperor to know that eunuchs' desire for power is indeed less than that of ordinary people, just because they are physically deformed. When eunuchs are in power, the politics they pursue are actually deformed.
Eunuch politics? Is to use the most inhuman system to ensure the improvement of human nature.