Qiu Jin
(1875–1907), Chinese revolutionary and advocate of women's rights. Qiu Jin (Ch'iu Chin) was born into a well-to-do family in China's Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province. She received a good education, but at the age of twenty-one she was forced into a marriage arranged by her parents. Qiu Jin had two children before she left her family behind in 1904 and went to Japan, where she studied and was influenced by Western ideas. Having returned to Zhejiang in 1906, she founded Zhongguo Nubao (Chinese Women's Journal) in Shanghai. In the articles she wrote for the magazine, she condemned such practices as arranged marriages and foot binding and called for equal rights and modern education for women. In her outward appearance and activities, such as martial arts and horse riding, she was often at odds with her community. She joined Sun Yat-sen's (1866–1925) revolutionary organization and supported anti-Manchu movements, and together with a male cousin, Xu Xilin, she coordinated several secret societies and planned a rebellion. In July 1907 both Xu and Qiu Jin were arrested and executed before the plans were carried out. Qiu Jin became a martyr and a symbol of a true heroine in the fight against the Manchu government.
Further Reading
Gipoulon, Catherine. (1976) Qiu Jin: Pierres de l'oiseau Jingwei. Femme et révolutionnaire en Chine au XIXe siècle. Paris: Éditions des femmes.
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