Qiu Jin

Qiu Jin (born in 1875), was a Chinese revolutionary. She was a feminist, heroine, and martyr. Qiu fought for women's rights and fought against the ruling Qing Dynasty. She was beheaded by the Qing Dynasty's army in 1907 when she was 32 years old.

When she was a child, Jin did not like the stereotypes of women. Qiu read books about Chinese women warriors. For example, she read about Hua Mulan.

Qiu did not agree with the Confucian values saying men were more important than women. Many of her activities only acceptable for men. For example, Qiu learned to use swords and martial arts. She wrote poetry. She liked wine. Qiu also learned to make bombs.

Qiu's parents picked a man for her to marry. They moved to Beijing. Qiu was 28 when she left her kids and husband to study abroad. She started a magazine called the "Chinese Women’s Journal" (Zhongguo Nübao). Qiu also joined a secret criminal Chinese gang, known as the Triads. She started a school, but it really was a way to get students to fight in the revolution against the Qing Dynasty.

Another person who helped start the school was arrested and executed. Qiu knew she would be arrested. She did not run away to another country. Qiu also got arrested because she hid weapons and saved students from getting in trouble. Qiu was asked to write something before she died. She chose to write about the meaning of her name: Autumn. She was executed by the army.