it is one of the ugliest tradition of chinese culture, and we should all be so grateful that it's over. My grand mother's feet are about 4 inches long, and that is already salvaged by my grand father, otherwise it's going to be even shorter. The story was that my grand father went to see his bride-to-be, and after giving his approval of the marriage, he asked his future parents-in-law to stopped the torture-in-progress. For that, we still admire his wisdom at age of 14.