중국 근대의 전족폐지론과 국가주의 – 신체담론과 관련한 여성 교육을 중심으로 –

Abstract

The most serious thing as body restriction is foot-binding to make feet of women small from binding the feet. Foot-binding was executed when girls were usually 6 years old, and it was said that the pain was really indescribable. After passing this pain, feet of women became the size less than 10 cm. It was started from some of the ruling class at first. But, it had expanded widely as time goes by. In later generations, it had spread into the general peasantry class. However, as foot-binding became popular, at the end of the Qing Dynasty period when problems appeared more, foot-binding abolition movement aroused its force gradually. The reason why the abolition movement at the end of Qing acquired the power was closely related with Western shocks. It was because foot-binding to the eyes of westerners who came in China became a target of criticism as a barbarous custom and was appointed as a bad convention to break through even in China in the course of pursuing reform. The analysis and criticism against foot-binding which were spread out from the late 19th to the early 20th century made awareness and understanding deepened about the liberation of Chinese women and contributed to achieving gender equality. Western missionaries formed public opinions in order to improve the social status of Chinese women and developed the ant-foot-binding movement by establishing the natural feet society through "Wanguogongbao". Plus, by the combination of the effort of waken people of the reform group to these actions, it can be stated that they all influenced psychological and physical liberation of Chinese women. Therefore, foot-binding was considered as signs of ethnic essence and identity of Han Chinese before; on the other hand, it has changed into a symbol of “savagism” and a mark of ethnic disgrace. Like these, the anti-foot-binding movement started as Occidental new trends had flown into China and was slowly over in the early 20th century.