Lotus Shoes for Lily Feet

Frailty was the mark of femininity.

For a thousand years it was a mother's duty to wrap her daughter's feet to keep them small, to fold four toes underneath, and change the bone structure which raised the instep. Initially, only women of means had their feet bound. However, towards the end of the Qing Dynasty (1911), the custom was practiced at all class levels. Beautifully bound feet were of utmost importance and made a girl more marriageable. Increased awareness of its shortcomings came from liberal Chinese critics and Western missionaries, and added to the decline of the custom. In 1928, the Ministry of Domestic Affairs announced regulations against footbinding and ordered enforcement. This was successful in large cities and towns, but difficult in outlying areas where women remained hidden and inaccessible in women's quarters. After enduring the pain of footbinding as children, women were expected to loosen their bindings and let out their feet, which was equally excruciating.

My paternal grandmother had tiny feet. By the time I knew her, she no longer wore her bindings but her feet remained bowed. Grandma's instep was high and her gait was swayed. Her black leather lace-up shoes were custom-made in the U.S. My interest in bound feet came from wanting to learn about the construction of lotus shoes, an essential part of the enhancing the beauty and keeping the mystique of the deformed foot. Grandma passed away long before I could ask about her history and the shoes she undoubtedly learned to make when she was a girl.

Further reading:
Cinderella's Sisters, by Dorothy Ko
Chinese Footbinding, The History of a Curious Erotic Custom, by Howard S. Levy

We traveled to Tonghai County where I met Mrs. Zhang, 95 years old and matriarch of five generations, many of whom crowded around when we visited her in Sanyi Village. She is the grandmother of the restaurant owner where we had lunch, and the eldest in her village with bound feet. The most recent pair of unworn shoes were made by her ten years ago. The soles were cleverly crafted from tire rubber. Aging and cataracts keep Mrs. Zhang from sewing now, but she smiled when I gave her colorful embroidery floss. Her feet bound when she was seven.

One of Mrs. Zhang's granddaughters

In Liuyi Village, we met Mrs. Wang who is 80 years old. Her two sisters had bound feet and they learned to make shoes from their mother. Mrs. Wang doesn't sew anymore, but her mind is still clear. Mrs. Wang's feet were also bound when she age seven. She holds her grandson in her arms.

Many of these old brick houses in Liuyi Village have been replaced by new structures.

Golden Temple and Walmart

The Golden Temple in Kunming isn't really gold, but it certainly is made of bronze, and so are the walls, columns, rafters, roof tiles, altars, Buddha statues, and wall decorations. The metal is dark with tarnish and I didn't believe it was other than wood until I saw areas where the hands of visitors polished it bright.

Walmart in China is astounding. We walked through the grocery department where I saw vast arrays of prepared food, dried fruit snacks and Chinese sausages.

ACS School Boys

When Tien left Singapore in 1986 for the U.S., he also left behind the boys he grew up with at Anglo-Chinese School. They went on to finish school, completed their National Service (military), followed their career paths, married, and had children. Still, the bonds are strong and, when they get together again, they become 12 year olds, laughing, telling stories and sharing gossip. There's a LOT of laughter. The bonus for me is their wives have become my friends.

Tat, Kwai-Onn and Tien

Yu-Meng, Tat and Kwai-Onn

Lauren, Yu-Meng, Tien
Ning, Tat with son T-Ray, Kwai-Onn

After a meal of Hainanese chicken rice at Wee Nam Kee, we went to Kwai-Onn's apartment to visit his wife Yu-Ming and see their recent renovations. Very chic! Yu-Ming has good taste.

Lauren, Yu-Ming, Ning

Virtual Friends No More

Some may find this silly, but it's relevant to me. We who are pictured are social gamers. After online introductions and months of playing together, family and friends gathered in Singapore for a wedding banquet. It was great to meet you!

From left to right: Jen, Alice, Lauren, Serene, Hiromi, Grace, Alexia

Shanghainese Tailor in Singapore

Auntie Letty has been telling me about her Shanghainese tailor since I became part of Tien's family. Auntie is a thoroughly meticulous seamstress and, if she says Mr. Lam is a genius, I believe it because of her own beautiful stitchwork -- Auntie knows what she's talking about. When a skilled seamstress goes to a tailor, to be sure, he'd better know what he's doing.

Mr. Lam turns out the best made-to-order cheungsam and has sewn several for Auntie Letty over the years. When she lost track of him, we were both disappointed. In 2005 Auntie and I even went to the mall where his shop was just to look for him -- no luck. Eventually, she found him working out of his home.

It's February 2011 and we're going to Singapore again. I have cloth, but my concern was, is the color red age-appropriate? Sure! So I pulled from my stash a length of wool crepe and premium Bemberg lining purchased specifically for a project like this, had it dry cleaned to prevent shrinkage, and packed it carefully in my suitcase. The Britex receipt read October 17, 1994 -- this crepe has waited patiently for its transformation.

When we got off the plane, Auntie Letty was at the arrival gate. Two hours later, I was in Mr. Lam's sewing/living room. It was furnished with a sofa, TV, cutting table and a treadle sewing machine. Impeccable, I thought, just like Auntie Letty described his sewing.

He took surprisingly few measurements, then Mrs. Lam showed me her husband's buttons and, oh my, they're artful and intricate. I chose one for the shoulder of my dress. With one gorgeous button, there's almost no need for a corsage or a brooch. Mrs. Lam proudly showed us a magazine article about her husband's work.

We went back the next day for a fitting. It's already gorgeous! I took pictures of the inside because it would be my only opportunity to see the inner workings before he lined it. Gosh, the dress fits perfectly and it's not even done. Despite this, Mr. Lam made a few adjustments. I feel beautiful wearing this dress. Auntie Letty and I have been talking about this for more than ten years and I'll wear it for a lifetime, providing my figure doesn't change.

Two days later, the dress was ready. Mr. Lam's skills are incredible and I was giddy with excitement. I wanted to wear it on Friday to the family dinner, but casual thong sandals were all I brought. That afternoon, I also wanted to shop on Orchard Road and buy off-the-rack without doing alterations for my petite frame. WAIT, what for? I just acquired the most perfect dress.

Thank you ever so much, Auntie Letty!