Lotus Shoes: A Short Story from Ancient China

Lotus Shoes is an historical short story for preteens and teens. At less than 5,000 words this story opens a portal to the past and drops the reader into Ancient China’s everyday life. For over 1,000 years, wearing Lotus Shoes defined a woman as feminine and elegant, and—most importantly—a good marriage partner. The price of such fashionable style was high: the girl would never walk on normal feet again and often needed assistance in standing and walking. This was because creating a foot tiny enough to wear Lotus Shoes meant a young girl’s toes had to be broken and tied firmly against the sole.

In the story Lotus Shoes, a family crisis occurs when Mei-hua’s aunt comes to bind her feet. At seven years of age, Mei-ha is already past the prime age for foot binding. Will her father agree and let Mei-hua’s aunt bind her feet, crippling her for life? Or will Mei-hua be able to convince her father to refuse to bind her feet, to let them grow naturally—too big for her to ever wear Lotus Shoes?

For those interested in the history behind the practice of foot binding in China, there is an added Author’s Note: Mei-hua’s World at the end.