Asia Society Members' Guided Tour: Bound Feet Women of China Exhibition
VIEW EVENT DETAILSRegistration 10:45am
Start of Tour 11:00am
End 12:15pm
Foot binding — the practice of applying tight binding to the feet of young girls to prevent further growth — was a Chinese custom historically associated with the wealthy. Beginning in the Song Dynasty and banned in 1911, the practice continued in rural areas until circa 1949, when women were forced to remove the bindings on their “lotus feet” by governmental decree.
In Living History: Bound Feet Women of China, photographer and cultural anthropologist Jo Farrell discovered that foot binding transcended different classes. During the past 13 years, she has interviewed more than 50 women with bound feet, documenting them with black and white film. Despite being considered somewhat barbaric, it was a tradition that enabled women to find a suitable partner and allowed the women a better future.
In the exhibition, Jo Farrell will bring you through the exhibition which documents and celebrates the lives of the last remaining women in China with bound feet. The exhibition will include X-rays of bound feet and the tiny shoes worn by women who underwent the practice — which involved breaking the bones in their feet when they were young girls and wrapping them tightly to inhibit growth.
Jo Farrell is an award-winning documentary photographer and cultural anthropologist capturing women’s traditions and cultures before they are completely eradicated. Her book, Living History: Bound Feet Women of China, documents and celebrates the lives of the last remaining women in China with bound feet. Ms. Farrell's project has been showcased on BBC, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, The Guardian, SCMP, Vanity Fair, and many more. She is the recipient of multiple awards, including a Jacob Riics, Center for Fine Art Photography, Women in Photography and Black & White Spider Awards.
Event Details
Meeting point: Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences, 2 Caine Lane, Mid-levels, Sheung Wan