Qiu Jin

Lore & Background

Born into a wealthy family in Fuzhou, Qiu Jin spent her childhood in her ancestral home, Shaoxing, Zhejiang, where she received an education, uncommon for women at the time. In the early 1900s, she left her husband and children to study in Japan. After returning to China, Qiu Jin became actively involved in revolutionary activities.

She called herself 'Female Knight-Errant of Jian Lake' and 'Vying for Heroism'. She helped establish the Encompassing Love Society, a women's group that promoted women's education and protested the Russian presence in northeast China. She joined the anti-Qing society Guangfuhui, which merged to form the Tongmenghui. She edited the journal Vernacular Journal and wrote A Respectful Proclamation to China's 200 Million Women Comrades.

She founded China Women's News with Xu Zihua. She became head of the Datong School. She was executed by beheading in 1907 after a failed uprising.

Reader's Guide

Qiu Jin is a key figure in Chinese revolutionary history. Her life illustrates the intersection of feminism and republicanism in early 20th-century China. She is remembered for her poetry, activism, and martyrdom.

Did You Know?

• Qiu Jin had her feet bound and began writing poetry at an early age.
• She learned to ride a horse and use a sword, activities usually only permitted for men.
• Her last written words were: 'Autumn wind, autumn rain — they make one die of sorrow.'
• She thrust a dagger into a podium during a student meeting, declaring she would not surrender to the Manchu barbarians.