Quick Answer: Who Was Qiu Jin?
Qiu Jin (秋瑾, Qiū Jǐn) was a writer, editor and revolutionary in the final years of the Qing dynasty. She advocated women’s education and rights and took part in efforts to overthrow the Qing. The authorities executed her in 1907.[3]
- Study: She went to Japan in 1904 and became active in Chinese revolutionary circles there.[1]
- Publishing: She edited and published China Women’s Journal (中国女报, Zhōngguó Nǚbào) in Shanghai.[2]
- Writing: Her poems, songs and essays addressed gender, education and political change.[3][4]
Her periodical offers a direct record of her place in women’s history in China.
Qiu Jin is often remembered for her arrest and death. The pages she edited give a reader a way to see what she was doing before her final months. Her journal made room for practical education alongside arguments about women’s place in society.
How Study in Japan Changed Qiu Jin’s Work
Qiu went to Japan in 1904. There she participated in Chinese student publications and groups. She joined the Restoration Society (光复会, Guāngfùhuì) and the Revolutionary Alliance (同盟会, Tóngménghuì) in 1905. When she returned to China, women’s education and political change remained central to her work.[1][3]
The connections made during study abroad also mattered to the emerging women’s press. Several prominent women editors of the period had lived or studied in Japan, and their journals argued for different forms of social and political change.[6]
What Qiu Jin Published in China Women’s Journal
The Shanghai Museum holds the two issues that appeared in 1907. The first includes Qiu’s opening editorial, an address to women and the start of her translation of a nursing course. The second carries her Song Encouraging Women’s Rights (勉女权歌, Miǎn Nǚquán Gē), for which the catalog credits her with both words and music.[2]
The song connects equality with learning and practical experience. Its collective voice encourages women to seek independence and take responsibility for public life.[4]
How Qiu Jin’s Revolutionary Work Ended
Qiu directed the Datong School (大通学堂, Dàtōng Xuétáng) in Shaoxing in 1907. She worked with Xu Xilin (徐锡麟, Xú Xīlín) on plans for uprisings in Zhejiang and Anhui. After Xu’s effort in Anhui failed, Qing authorities arrested Qiu in Shaoxing and executed her.[1]
Her poetry preserves a different register of her voice. In a lyric to the tune Man Jiang Hong (满江红, Mǎn Jiāng Hóng), a Mid-Autumn scene with chrysanthemums leads into frustration with the role society assigns her and a search for someone who understands her ambitions.[5]
FAQs About Qiu Jin
When Did Qiu Jin Die?
She was executed in Shaoxing on July 15, 1907.[1]
How Many Issues of China Women’s Journal Appeared?
Two issues appeared. They included editorial writing, translations, literary work and material on women’s education.[2]
Was Qiu Jin Also a Poet?
Yes. Her collected works include classical-style poems and lyrics alongside prose on women’s rights and national affairs.[3]
Sources
[1] National Museum of China. Portrait of Qiu Jin in Men’s Clothing
[2] Shanghai Museum. China Women’s Journal, First and Second Issues
[3] Research Centre for Translation, Chinese University of Hong Kong. Qiu Jin
[4] Qiu Jin. Song Encouraging Women’s Rights
[5] Qiu Jin. Man Jiang Hong, Opening With a Stay in the Capital
[6] Xia Xiaohong. National Discourse and Women’s Consciousness in the Late Qing Women’s Press