Very rare antique Chinese silk shoes for women or girls - early 19th century - from China. (approx. 11x8x3cm). Overall, however, they are in good condition for their age. Foot binding was a custom widespread in China until the 20th century, in which the feet of young girls were irreparably deformed by breaking the bones and then binding them extremely tightly. These shoes were used to cover the so-called lotus feet - women's feet were painfully bound and crippled until the end of the imperial era. The background to this was a beauty standard for women's feet that had probably existed since the 10th century, euphemistically called lotus feet or lily feet. The aim was to achieve small feet about 10 centimeters long. This was the ideal of beauty at the time. The small size of the shoes (sole length 16 cm) is evidence of this practice. The shoes show signs of age. Overall, however, they are in good condition for their age.