There is a direct link between the practice of foot-binding and the level of prosperity that China's upper classes in the Tang-Song eras achieved. Footbinding was an extremely painful, debilitating and incapacitating tradition. Women with bound feet were unable to walk very far, stand for long periods of time, or perform any task that required a lot of movement. This restrictions were only manageable due to the high class of women with bound feet. The fact that women were unable to do much showed that they did not have to work, and that they had enough money to pay others to work for them. Therefore, bound feet were a sign of status and wealth.