Being born in the United States I am fortunate to have all the rights that I have, especially since I am female. I cannot imagine what life would be like without all of the changes that have come about because of our nations early feminists.
Autumn Gem is a documentary about the life of China’s first feminist and how it sparked the women’s movement in China. Qiu Jin challenged the traditional gender roles and demanded equal rights and opportunities for women in China. She became interested in defining women’s rights at an early age. As a child she looked up to other influential women in China’s history. Qiu Jin studied martial arts as a young child and began schooling after watching her brother and his tutor. Qiu Jin became an accomplished writer, talented martial artist, and a leader of a revolutionary army. In the 20th century she was recognized as a national heroine who redefined what it meant to be a woman in China.
At the beginning of the movie we see Qiu Jin trying to take the role as a traditional woman in China. You see her going through an arranged marriage, to a wealthy man and came from a religious family, and practiced foot binding. As her marriage progressed Qiu Jin became very unhappy with being a submissive house wife. So she began to read and write for a women’s activist newspaper. She had two children and soon was divorced. Her and her fellow activists’ supporters built a school where they would recruit and train new members of the cause. They hoped the school would be some sort of cover up for the army that they were creating. She went along to start a woman’s army to revolt against the corrupt Qing Dynasty. She was captured and executed for treason, and became China’s first female martyr. After her execution monuments and statues were put in place to honor her and celebrate her contribute to China’s revolutionary cause.
After watching Autumn