Download Sung Dynasty.cwk - Wyoming City Schools

The Sung Dynasty
I. The decline of the Tang Dynasty - The Tang Dynasty declined
under weak rulers and pressure from outside invaders. In 907 C.E. a warlord
assassinated the Tang emperor and seized the Mandate of Heaven for himself.
II. Sung Rule
A. The Sung never succeeded in controlling all of China. Rulers from Tibet
held territory in the west. Powerful foreign warriors controlled the north.
The Sung were forced to pay them a large tribute in order to avoid war.
B. Sung rule was a time of continued cultural growth.
1. Foreign trade increased, civil service examinations continued and
Chinese technology expanded.
2. The practice of foot binding began in China during the Sung Dynasty.
Foot Binding
Throughout history, people in every culture have
wanted to appear beautiful. Just as all people look
different, all people have a different outlook on what
is beautiful. Some people have even been willing to
go to great pains to achieve beauty. For example
In the nineteenth century, American women wore
corsets in an attempt to make their waist appear
as small as possible. Often, this resulted in broken
ribs or even organ damage. Today, we often see
body piercing and tattoos in this country. In China,
during the Sung Dynasty, women practiced foot
binding. Foot binding reflected not only fashion but
also the role of women in Chinese society.
In Sung China, it was desirable for women to have very small feet. To achieve this goal,
foot binding was practiced on young girls. Foot binding was the act of wrapping the feet
in cloth to prevent them from growing normally. This process was both a painful and
debilitating practice that often lead to severe medical problems.
The process of foot binding often began when the young girl
was between four and six years old. Her mother would soak
her feet in warm water. She would then wrap strips of cloth
around the smallest toes and pull them tightly to the heel.
Every two days the binding was removed and replaced. This
process was extremely painful and often lead to medical
complications. Often the foot became infected. As women
grew older they had great difficulty standing and walking.
Such a painful and crippling custom was not entirely due to
fashion and feminine beauty. Often a man would not marry
a women if she did not have bound feet. This custom was meant to show that a man was
successful. His wife did not have to do housework because he was able to afford servants.
Because foot binding was practiced so early, a young girl had no choice but to follow the
wishes of her family.
Foot binding continued after the Sung Dynasty during the Yuan Dynasty. The Qing Dynasty
strongly opposed foot binding and levied a tax on it. The practice declined but did not die
out entirely until the end of the last Chinese dynasty in 1911.
1. Why was foot binding so popular in Sung China?
2. If foot binding was so painful, why did so many women have their feet bound?
3. Explain why foot binding hurt the equality of men and women in China.