Lotus Shoes

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.


Genre: Children's Fiction