During my first visit to China, in 1985, I had the good fortune of seeing women who still had bound feet. At first I thought I had just been lucky to see one of the last such women, but as time went by I quickly realized they were everywhere! Then one day a woman with four-inch long shoes approached my travelling companion, pointed at her large, normal shoes and laughed. We attempted a conversation but soon found out the woman with tiny feet did not speak Mandarin. Thus began a fascination that has continued to this day, and after many trips to China I have collected a group of interviews and portraits of women who went through the unimaginable pain of having their feet broken and bound.

Most research concerning the practice of footbinding has been conducted by men, and most of the published results are in Chinese or Japanese. My intention was just to let the women speak for themselves. While most of the women we spoke with were in their 70s and 80s, we found one who was just 56 in 1989. She said there were other women with bound feet in her village that were even younger! The oldest, at 101 years, was totally deaf and couldn't be interviewed. Her portrait is here. It may seem odd to most people, but she had to walk a distance of almost three blocks each time she needed to use the toilet. Most homes in rural China lack plumbing, and for women like this it is even more of a challenge to go outside the home.

None of the 27 women we interviewed spoke Mandarin Chinese. Since they never went to school (because their feet were bound) they were also illiterate. We always found a willing interpreter to help us communicate, and to them I am grateful. Many of these women were essentially house-bound for most of their lives; others enjoy getting out and leading a more normal life. Several women broke down and cried when we expressed interest in their lives, and the emotions locked up for so long came pouring out. We were shown the most amazing hospitality we'd ever seen - total strangers knocking on doors and asking to come in and talk. Living for the most part in poverty, these women and their families gave freely of what they could, be it a glass of fizzy pop, sweet rice, or local delicacies. One of the women we went to interview disappeared as soon as she sat us down in her kitchen; about ten minutes later she reappeared with soda pop and snacks - she had gone down to a corner store to purchase those items without saying a word.

Travelling in China presents special challenges, but the thing that always takes me back is the spirit of its people. I am constantly amazed at how they welcome total strangers into their homes, answer any and all questions, and expect nothing in return. Having the ability to speak a bit of Mandarin opens up a world of learning in China, but even if you cannot pronounce "Ni hao ma?" you should jump at a chance to visit that country. To all the women who gave so freely of themselves, I offer my utmost respect and thanks.

The portraits were all shot in natural light in some unusual settings, including cramped kitchens with dirt floors and open courtyards with chickens and pigs running around. There were always crowds of onlookers - friends and relatives of the women - amazed that they were having their portrait done by a foreigner. Several of the women told us they had never been photographed before and were truly thrilled at our interest in talking to them and shooting their portraits. I mailed each of them prints of themselves. Cameras used for the project included a Fuji 645 folding camera and a Mamiya RB67. All portraits were shot on Kodak TMax film, and images were scanned for the web using a Canon D660U scanner.

-Joseph Rupp