Kaixin
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Kaixin has added a new section - Xiaosui - jiang gu shi (storyteller)
When I was young, my father told me about my grandmother’s big feet story. It was very interesting and amusing.
My grandmother was born at the end of the Qing dynasty. In that time women must bind their feet. This was called “san cun jin lian” (three inch gold lotus). ‘San cun’ is three (san) cun (a measure equivalent to an inch). ‘Jin’ means gold, which is expensive and difficult to find. ‘Lian’ means lotus, the woman walks just like a beautiful opened lotus flower swaying in the breeze. The lotus flower grows out from the mud; this signifies that a woman is pure and virtuous.
My grandmother ‘s family was so rich. Her father was a high government officer in the Qing dynasty. So in his family all the women must have their feet bound. However, my grandmother was born with big feet. When it came time to bind them, at the age of 6, it was too painful and she would take the bindings off at night. Her mother was angry at first but my grandmother persisted and eventually won. Her feet were allowed to grow naturally. This posed a big problem for her mother and father. The true test of beauty was the size of the woman’s feet. Big feet were considered ‘nan kan’, ugly. No male of high rank would consider a woman with large feet; he would lose too much face.
My two great grandfathers were both high government officials working in the adjoining provinces of Jiang Su and Ze Jiang. They were good friends and wanted to join their families through marriage. As high families it would have been assumed that the women’s feet would be bound. It was inconceivable that they would not be. The subject of feet obviously never came up while the marriage of my grandmother to my grandfather was arranged.
A bride wore a red veil on her wedding day. At the appointed time, she did not show her face, she lifted her dress a little to show her feet. This was considered the height of eroticism.
My grandfather walked into the bridal chamber and up to his wife who was sitting on the ornate bridal bed. She lifted her skirt and he ran from the chamber in fright.
After a lot of heated discussion, the two families decided that the marriage had indeed taken place and there was no way out without too much loss of face. The bridegroom was told to go back into the bridal chamber and do his duty.
With what must have been a heavy heart he went back into the bridal chamber and approached my grandmother again. My grandmother was an intelligent and astute woman. She was also extremely beautiful. She lifted the red veil. All thought of small feet were forgotten and a long and rich marriage began, with eight children.
My father was one of those children.
When I was young, my father told me about my grandmother’s big feet story. It was very interesting and amusing.
My grandmother was born at the end of the Qing dynasty. In that time women must bind their feet. This was called “san cun jin lian” (three inch gold lotus). ‘San cun’ is three (san) cun (a measure equivalent to an inch). ‘Jin’ means gold, which is expensive and difficult to find. ‘Lian’ means lotus, the woman walks just like a beautiful opened lotus flower swaying in the breeze. The lotus flower grows out from the mud; this signifies that a woman is pure and virtuous.
My grandmother ‘s family was so rich. Her father was a high government officer in the Qing dynasty. So in his family all the women must have their feet bound. However, my grandmother was born with big feet. When it came time to bind them, at the age of 6, it was too painful and she would take the bindings off at night. Her mother was angry at first but my grandmother persisted and eventually won. Her feet were allowed to grow naturally. This posed a big problem for her mother and father. The true test of beauty was the size of the woman’s feet. Big feet were considered ‘nan kan’, ugly. No male of high rank would consider a woman with large feet; he would lose too much face.
My two great grandfathers were both high government officials working in the adjoining provinces of Jiang Su and Ze Jiang. They were good friends and wanted to join their families through marriage. As high families it would have been assumed that the women’s feet would be bound. It was inconceivable that they would not be. The subject of feet obviously never came up while the marriage of my grandmother to my grandfather was arranged.
A bride wore a red veil on her wedding day. At the appointed time, she did not show her face, she lifted her dress a little to show her feet. This was considered the height of eroticism.
My grandfather walked into the bridal chamber and up to his wife who was sitting on the ornate bridal bed. She lifted her skirt and he ran from the chamber in fright.
After a lot of heated discussion, the two families decided that the marriage had indeed taken place and there was no way out without too much loss of face. The bridegroom was told to go back into the bridal chamber and do his duty.
With what must have been a heavy heart he went back into the bridal chamber and approached my grandmother again. My grandmother was an intelligent and astute woman. She was also extremely beautiful. She lifted the red veil. All thought of small feet were forgotten and a long and rich marriage began, with eight children.
My father was one of those children.