But some women continued the practice in secret, particularly in remote areas like Xiaojie, a small town in the southwestern province Yunnan.
Several years ago, more than 100 women with bound feet still lived in the town, a testament to its once prosperous textile business and its residents' high aspirations for their daughters.
Many of the women have since died. Zhang, who is now 97, is one of a handful of survivors.
"I remember the pain very well," she told Reuters. "It hurt so much that I freed my feet at night in secret and rubbed them. When my parents found out, they spanked me and told me not to do it again. Afterwards, they stitched the bandage together so I could not unwind it any more."