“Maidens, take up arms!”
Last Wednesday I followed Anne’s recommendation and attended a screening sponsored by the Penn East Asian Studies Department of a documentary called “Autumn Gem.” This film tells the story of China’s first female feminist, Qiu Jin (pronounced Choo Geen).
I tried to interview the filmmakers Rae Chang and Adam Tow after the screening; however, they were in a rush to get to dinner. So instead, I emailed them with some questions and they promptly responded!
How did you first discover the figure of Qiu Jin?
Rae: I first came across Qiu Jin in a book, Writing Women in Modern China, about ten years ago. It was an anthology that included English translations of her work, as well as a brief biographical sketch. What caught my attention was that she was described as a “radical feminist” from China, which came as a surprise to me because I didn’t even realize there WERE feminists in China, much less radical ones! That led to doing more research about her life, and after collecting more material I thought she’d make a great subject for a documentary.
What is most inspiring about Qiu Jin to you?
Rae: She was an extraordinary woman who was very much ahead of her time in demanding equality for women. While she certainly wasn’t the only women’s rights advocate at the time, she was inarguably the most prominent, as her martyrdom brought national attention to the early women’s movement.
As a student of foreign languages, I know that sometimes English translations do not give a completely accurate meaning of what the author communicates in their native language. Did you encounter any trouble with this as you translated Qiu Jin’s texts?
Most of the translations we used in the film were done by scholars, including Professors Amy Dooling and Lingzhen Wang, whom we interviewed. I unfortunately can’t read Chinese, so I did sometimes feel disconnected to the source material. Another aspect was that much of Qiu Jin’s writing is done in an archaic literary style, so even modern Chinese speakers would have difficulty understanding her poems.
You mentioned that people in China think of Qiu Jin as an admirable figure; however, China continues to face many issues with gender discrimination. Who are some notable modern-day Chinese women who are advocating for the women’s rights abuses of today?
Rae: Certainly, considering the current state of gender relations in China, Qiu Jin is still way ahead of her time, even now, over a hundred years later! I watched a documentary a while ago called “The Great Step Forward: China Women in the 20th Century” which includes interviews with current feminist activists, including women working in legal and social organizations in China.
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As you can see, Rae is very passionate about her work. Fortunately, her talent coincides with her passion. The composition of the documentary was phenomenal. The subtitles were very clear and well-timed, the image quality was fantastic and the use of various media (including reenactments, visits to historical sites, some great political cartoons and insightful interviews from academics) made the story come to life.
While I definitely applaud Rae and Adam for their great work on putting together the film, I must admit that I probably would have been enthralled by even an musty old encyclopedia article on the life of Qiu Jin. This woman grew up in the last two decades of the 19th Century, when China was in the midst of the Opium Wars. Thanks to the support of her family, she was permitted to sit in on the school lessons of her brothers, practiced martial arts with her cousin and read the works of female warriors like Hua Mulan (yes, she was not just a Disney invention…she actually existed).
Though Qiu obtained an education, she didn’t escape the painful practice of foot binding (read here for a great story about stories from women living with bound feet). The ultimate goal of foot binding was to make the feet 3 inches long with a pointy end, to acquire the look of a lotus flower.
As the documentary explained the tradition of footbinding, I could not help but compare the pointy bound feet with the pointy heels that women today still wear. When will we finally dispel the myth that “pain is beauty”?
I don’t want to tell you the whole story of Qiu Jin because I want to encourage you to see the documentary for yourself. If you’re in the California area, you can catch on of the remaining screenings. If you’re not in the California area, you can order a copy of the DVD here or wait for their next tour (to come in March 2010). Adam and Rae are also hoping to distribute this documentary to television. With Adam and Rae’s talent, I wouldn’t be surprised if one day this film shows up on the History Channel.
For more info, check out the Autumn Gem website.
