Qiu Jin - Infinite Women

Born: 8 November 1875, China
Died: 15 July 1907
Country most active: China
Also known as: 秋瑾, Qiū Jǐn, Ch’iu Chin

The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.

Qiu Jin (秋瑾) was a Chinese revolutionary, feminist, and author. Qiu Jin joined a failed uprising against the Qing dynasty and is celebrated as a national heroine, a martyr for republicanism and feminism.
Qiu Jin attended the Girls’ Practical School in Kōjimachi, Japan, overseen by Shimoda Utako, later known as Jissen Women’s University. This education equipped her for future revolutionary activities. While in Tokyo, she co-founded the Encompassing Love Society, advocating women’s education and opposing Russian involvement in northeast China. Qiu Jin was known for her fondness for martial arts, Western male attire, and anti-Manchu nationalism. She joined the anti-Qing Guangfuhui society, led by Cai Yuanpei, which later merged with various overseas Chinese revolutionary groups to establish the Tongmenghui under Sun Yat-sen’s leadership in 1905. Qiu Jin, already renowned as a calligrapher and poet, encouraged educated women to prioritize direct action over poetry, dubbing it “tossing aside the brush to join the military ranks.”
Qiu Jin led the Zhejiang Province for the Revolutionary Alliance, advocating an immediate return of Chinese overseas students to support the ongoing revolution. In 1906, she returned to China with around 2,000 students.
Between 1905 and 1907, she authored “Stones of the Jingwei Bird,” a novel in traditional ballad form. It focused on five women fleeing their families and arranged marriages to engage in revolutionary activities in Tokyo to overthrow the Qing dynasty and establish a republic.
Qiu Jin was a vocal advocate for women’s rights, addressing issues like marriage freedom, education access, and ending foot binding. In 1906, she co-founded the radical women’s journal, China Women’s News, in Shanghai, but was shut down after two issues. She later led the Datong school in Shaoxing, intended for revolutionary military training. In 1907, Qiu was arrested and publicly executed at the age of 31.