Chinese heroine Qiu Jin featured in a new documentary
With all my heart I beseech and beg
my two hundred million female compatriots
to assume their responsibility as citizens.
Arise! Arise! Chinese women, arise!
- Qiu Jin
Meet the “Chinese Joan of Arc,” Qiu Jin (1875-1907), a radical women’s rights activist who defied tradition to become the leader of a revolutionary army. Qiu Jin boldly challenged traditional gender roles and demanded equal rights and opportunities for women. She was the first woman to lead an armed uprising against the corrupt Qing Dynasty, for which she was arrested and executed. She became the first female martyr for China’s 1911 Revolution and is celebrated as a national heroine today.
While Qiu Jin is a familiar figure in China, she is largely unknown outside of the country. AUTUMN GEM is the first documentary feature on Qiu Jin in the U.S. Using scholar interviews, archival materials, and dramatic recreation scenes based on her original writings, AUTUMN GEM brings the story of Qiu Jin to life. The hour-long film is narrated in English and contains dialogue in Mandarin with both English and Chinese subtitles.
AUTUMN GEM was produced and directed by two San Francisco Bay Area Chinese American filmmakers, Rae Chang and Adam Tow, and stars former China National Wushu Champion and Hollywood stunt actress Li Jing.
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I just got back from seeing this screened at my university and found it very enjoyable. The documentary addresses Qiu Jin's story in the context of China's political climate at the time as well as how she relates to other Chinese heroines. What I found most interesting was Qiu's views of the female body-namely that she felt that it was intrinsically tied to politics and yet still felt isolated from her own physical being.
The documentary is currently being screened at various schools across the US, and you can also buy it online for $20.
EDIT: by the way, you want to talk about badassery? Qiu Jin and a number of her friends unbound their feet after probably two decades of having them bound. their strength, ide