Ep 16. China's Bound Feet, Brides, and Widows

China's Bound Feet, Brides, and Widows is the sixteenth episode of the first season of Understanding Imperial China: Dynasties, Life, and Culture. The episode sheds light on the excruciating and lifelong practice of foot-binding that was prevalent across Chinese society for centuries. It analyses how foot-binding became a longtime tradition and its implications for the lives of women in Imperial China.

The episode also delves into the issues pertinent to the arranged marriages in Imperial China. It explores how traditional beliefs about male and female roles stimulated the arranged marriage system. The show unfolds the intricate procedures involved in arranging a marriage, such as the matchmaking, betrothal gifts, and ceremonies that accompanied the process.

The episode further discusses the challenges that widows in Imperial China faced. The show expounds on how the absence of their husbands affected the lives of women and how the society perceived these women, especially in the upper echelons of Imperial China's social structure.

The opening footage in the episode showcases a young girl getting her feet bound. This practice of foot-binding was prevalent in Imperial China between the 10th and 20th centuries, and it involved tightly wrapping a young girl's feet to stunt their growth. The practice was performed to appear more attractive to the male counterpart. The episode unveils photographs, artifacts, and paintings that depict how this heinous practice was widely accepted across the country. It depicts foot-binding as a tradition that affected almost all Chinese women with few exceptions.

The episode goes on to discuss the challenges related to foot-binding that women faced in their everyday lives. Foot-binding was often a source of pride for women who had undergone the process, but it was also a cause of pain, discomfort and medical issues. The episode reveals how foot-binding became a social status symbol for women in Imperial China with the smallest feet being the most desirable. The show depicts how practices like foot-binding further perpetuated the worldview that women are inferior to men, and that it was essential for young girls to comply with traditional gender roles.

The show delves into the tradition of arranged marriages in Imperial China, which were designed to uphold and maintain familial and social hierarchies. The episode explains that the woman's role was to obey and serve her husband's family and bear children. The episode reveals how families looked for a match for their daughters based on various factors like social status, fortune, and education. The show expounds on how parents hired matchmakers who would help them find suitable partners for their daughters. It depicts how the betrothal ceremony was one of the most important in the marriage and how it was accompanied by various rituals and ceremonies.

The episode concludes by delving into the tough issues widows in Imperial China faced. Once a woman's husband died, she no longer had the status of a married woman and was viewed differently in society. The show depicts how the transition from a marital status to a widow's status affected the lives of women. The episode reveals how society expected widows to behave differently, mandating more reserved and modest conduct. The episode also discusses how widows' been required to undergo self-discipline, limiting what they could and could not engage in.

Overall, China's Bound Feet, Brides, and Widows is an insightful documentary that unveils the social, cultural, and traditional intricacies surrounding foot-binding, arranged marriages, and widowhood in Imperial China. The episode reflects on how these age-old practices have contributed to and reflected a patriarchal society that viewed women as inferior to men. The show concludes that through the elimination of these practices, the empowerment of women became possible, encouraging societal equality.