Source:

https://trc-leiden.nl/trc-digital-exhibition/index.php/chinese-lotus-shoes TRC Leiden Chinese Lotus Shoes
This exhibition is about Lotus shoes which were designed to fit the feet of young girls whose feet had been bound. Chan Zu is the practice of binding feet to prevent normal growth, traditionally as a fashion statement.
They used to be a symbol of wealth for the elite but gradually became more widely an essential part of a society. Because of this there was an infinite range of designs, there was never one type. The designs came in different forms based on local and regional styles, but they all have in common the aim to make the foot look smaller.
The size of women’s feet had an impact on who they could marry and It often made women dependant on their partners because of the pain that the shoes caused. Families with women without bound feet are criticised and looked down on, because the lotus shoes were a source of pride.
 
By the 19th century more than 40% of women had their feet bound. Since then there have been various active anti-foot binding campaigns and in the 20th century the practice started to die out.
However in 1644 after Manchu women were forbidden to bind their feet, an alternative form shoe was invented which had a platform and created a similar swaying walk as the lotus shoes. These were called Flower Bowl shoes.
 
The process of feet binding starts between the ages of 5 – 8 and lasts around 2-5 years. It is extremely painful and involves break the bones and cut or remove the toe nails in the child’s foot and then ongoing binding.
In more remote areas there is looser symbolic foot binding which is suited to women in working conditions, this doesn’t involve breaking bones and is only meant to narrow the feet.
 
The lotus shoe itself is can be made at home or by professionals, some girls would make the shoe and the embroidery as a demonstration of their skills to their husbands.
Some of the wealthier women would have a mould made of their foot out of wood. Others make a less accurate sewn version stuffed with grains.
 
There are various different types of lotus shoe, including daytime shoe night time shoe, wedding, funeral and mourning shoes. All including different characteristics.  
There are also 4 regional variations of the shoes, northern, western, southern and eastern. These styles were an amalgamation of the local designs and had discernible characteristics.