The Real Cinderella Story

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Something's missing from your history books.

Cinderella is far from a fabel,

And Disney's a money-hungry liar.

Her name was actually Daji Mei Fang.

The clock struck twelve, she lost her left slipper.

But it was the king who searched for his queen.

He found his match and they lived happily 

-Daji Mei became Shang Dynasty's queen.

Yet, no one once mentioned her deformed feet,

Or how ashamed she was of how they looked.

The King passed law to make his queen happy.

Her deformity, China's new beauty.

At four my feet were soaked in warm water,

Massaged with red oils of the Lan Su garden,

Then all but the bones of the big toes snapped,

Pulled back and bound into tiny lotus.

They had to be small to attract good men.

They had to be small to step up a socail class.

If you couldn't walk, you were really rich.

Soon, every woman could fit Daji's slipper. 

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