The Princess's Stories
Yeh - Shen Story
This story takes place during the Ch'in and Han dynasties.
A cave chief has two wives who both give birth to baby girls, only to shortly die later with Yeh-Shen's mom. Her stepmother doesn't like Yeh-Shen and proceeds to give her terrible jobs. The only friend that Yeh-Shen has is a fish that is later killed by the stepmom.
Later on a wise old man came to tell her the fish bones were filled with a powerful spirit, and she needed to tell the bones her hearts desires. Yeh- Shen wished to go to the Spring Festival to find a husband, but her stepmother wouldn't allow her.
Therefore, Yeh-Shen asked the bones for clothes to wear for the festival. She ended up wearing a beautiful blue gown and gold slippers. At the festival she began to think that the stepmother had figured who she was, so she ran away, dressing once again in her rags.
Her lost slipper was sold to a merchant who gave it to the kind of T'o Han. The king wanted to find the owner of the tiny slipper. Yeh-Shen tried the slipper on, attempting to steal the slipper, only to be arrested by the king's men. Being taken to the king, he couldn't believe that a girl in rags could own a golden slipper.
Only to be struck by her beauty and her tiniest feet. The king realized she was the one for him when she placed both slippers on, to become a girl in a beautiful gown. They lived happily ever after. The stepmother was forced to live in their cave until they were crushed to death in a shower of flying stones.
Ch'in Dynasty
The Ch'in or Qin dynasty lasted from 221 BC to 206 BC. China name is derived from this dynasty. In this dynasty, 2,000 miles of the great wall and the Terracotta Army in Xi'an were created. The Terracotta Army in Xi'an was created because of the emperor was obsessed over the fact of immoral life.
Han Dynasty
The first golden age of China began in 206 BC with the Han dynasty. The Han dynasty started with a peasant named Liu Bang, who led a group of generals to overthrow the Qin dynasty.
During this age, the capital was Chang'an one of the biggest cities of the world at the time. In fact during the Han dynasty the territory that belonged to China had nearly doubled in size.
Many new things came to China during the Han dynasty. These things include three new main religions for China; Buddism, Confucianism and Taoism. The silk road, a trade route that had connected China with other areas, specifically the Roman empire, making the travel safer for traders.
In 9 AD, the Han dynasty was interrupted by a nephew of the empress, Wang Mang who seized the throne; though the Han dynasty began again when fourteen years later a descendant of Liu Bang took control of the throne which led to the rule of the Han dynasty for another two hundred years before the downfall of the dynasty. The downfall of the Han dynasty was trouble in the court and uprisings. It officially ended in 220 AD and led to the next ruling of the three kingdoms.
T'ang Dynasty
The T'ang dynasty ruled from 618 to 907 CE. During this period, the capital city was Chang'an. In this dynasty, the leaders didn't accept Buddhism, which means that this religion was kept to different standards and regulations than others.
Only to be struck by......her tiniest feet.
Foot binding was popular during the T'ang dynasty. This is why I believe this is very important part of the Cinderella stories, is that she always had dainty feet. With this being one of the first Cinderella stories, it seems that her signature small shoe came from a mutilation that women performed to become more appealing for marriage.
Foot binding apparently began in the Shang dynasty. People bind their feet as a sign of wealth and that they were marriage eligible. It was done to young girls because it was easier to break younger bones because they were more fragile. The bandaging and breaking of the toes and heels brought the feet closer together to create a steep arch and smaller feet. Though it also managed to leave the women unable to do simple movements. Foot binding was banned in 1912 though it didn't completely stop it.
Other Symbols
Fish - Symbol of wishing for more.
Gold- Symbol for royalty and wealth.
Spring Festival- New Year celebration, a time for girls to look for husband.