Chi’iu Chin was a feminist that lived in the late nineteenth century and was executed in the early twentieth century. She lived a very liberal life and strongly protested the natural Chinese traditions and Confucian way of life. She travelled to Japan and began studying there and grew in prominence for her views on Feminism and reform. However, it is not her unique form of Feminism that she is most remembered for but instead her death. An exploration of her background and martial ideology will be evaluated in order to show the spectrum of Feminism.
Ch’iu Chin’s independence and strong personality were fostered at a young age, her father encouraged her to learn and treated her as if she was a son. The treatment as an equal meant that Chin very much struggled in the martial sense, while she was a good wife by cultural standards, her independence never vanished, and she decided to leave her husband. At this time, leaving one’s husband was a very controversial decision as Chin had all but in name announced to society that she would not follow social norms. When comparing Chin’s early life to that of other women such as Kanno, the drive behind their aspirations are very much different. Kanno [1]had a difficult childhood and was not appreciated nor given the luxuries that Chin had. It can be argued that the inspirations behind both women were vastly different. For Kanko, it can be argued that it was her coping mechanism and her suffering that shaped her view. While for Chin, her aspiration came from a more naive background, therefore, her interpretation of Feminism was based on fair treatment, and she decided to rebel because she didn’t want the life she had. The stark contrasts in the background of the women very much accounts for Chin’s difference in interpretation of Feminism as hers was driven by more of an educated sense.
In contrast, Kanno was driven into archaism and Feminism in Japan due to reform. The drive behind the two is interesting as it lays a basis for the different approaches the women took but also shows how Chin’s particular view came about and what set her apart. While Kanno is only one woman out of many and she was Japanese, it is interesting to note that regardless of the country, the basis that set both women on their respective course is due to their background. The differences in the background also reflect a spectrum of Feminism. When looking at the overall comparison of the two women, Kanno and Chin sit on opposite ends of the spectrum. Kanno is looking for a way reform, while Chin was very active in politics and her main aim was to modernise and turn the old Confucian system over.
Broadly speaking, the aims are the same. However, there is a difference between reform and modernisation with the purpose of overturning the old traditions. Thus, the spectrum of Feminism is made clear by the active aims of both women, Kanno is looking for reform and acceptance while Chin is actively looking for modernisation.
Chin’s unrelenting pursuit of independence and equality enabled her to look at influential figures in the past, and she developed a very martial sense of Feminism. It is this sense that sets her apart from others. This martial sense of Feminism set her apart from others and is what she is most famous for apart from her death. It here that I will draw your attention to, according to Mary Backus Rankin, “The martial, self-sacrificing, sometimes superhuman and often tragic hero was well-defined in Chinese Culture.”[2] Chin lived by these ideals, and her death reflected them. However, in terms of implementing them, her dressing in male clothing, riding astride, and carrying a weapon, endeared her to the public but also sometimes caused her to be scorned. This is where the spectrum of Feminism comes into play. Using the example just stated, Chin’s use of history gave her historical backing and furthered her cause and added legitimacy, and was accepted.
On the other hand, her controversial dress caused her to be alienated from the higher classes of society and by the more educated women. While the main problem was her controversial dress, an underlying thread is that most women her Chin’s background found it hard to relate to her, because they did not have the unconventional background she had. While the women were accepting of furthering Feminism and stopping foot binding, they were not able to leave their families or their fathers due to the Confucian system. Here we can see the broad spectrum.
Overall, while only two main topics were covered, it is clear that there is a spectrum of Feminism and that it can be seen in many different ways. Significantly, throughout the lives of Chin and Kanno, it is clear that the background of these women is the most important as it forms the basis of the way they choose to interpret and further the aims of Feminism. While these are only two of many women, they are examples of women who lived roughly around the same time. Still, their approaches were vastly different, this is a point that should be kept in mind when evaluating women in Feminism.
[1] Mikiso Hane, Reflection on the way to the gallow: rebel women in pre-war Japan, (London:1993),
[2] Mary Backus Rankin, The Emergence of Women at the end of the Ch’ing: The case of Ch’iu Chin, Margery Wolf and Roxane Witike, “Women in Chinese Society,’ (California: 1975), p. 52.