1. Xie became known as a "woman soldier" because she was first and foremost a writer. Discuss the significance of writing in constructing gender politics in Xie's case.
2. Xie's writing was highly promoted by male editors and translators both inside China and internationally. Discuss the implication of promoting a "woman solider of China" to the international audience.
3. Discuss the romanticism of Xie's piece. How is it different from/similar to the romanticism in the May Fourth women writers such as Ding Ling's Miss Sophia's Diary?
Feel free to address these questions and/or raise your own question. Due Wednesday March 26 by 8 pm. Comments to two responses due by 10 pm.
The utter devotion to serving the "revolutionary cause," as espoused in this piece, is another evolution in the image of the Chinese woman that we have begun to formulate throughout the semester. We have read about Qiu Jin, but in her case, she was an exceptional woman and, moreover, an exception to the rule. In this piece, we read about whole groups of female soldiers and a mentality unique to soldiers and fighters who also happen to be female. On page 67, we read about a female soldier whose femininity earns her the same kind of punishment that a man might receive for breaking a rule that might only apply to a man (this could be a gross generalization on my part, but I feel fairly confident in saying most men's punishments had nothing to do with wearing makeup and sneaking away to see lovers, although the latter could very well be true). Preceding this anecdote, the author writes about a 'failed' - that is, an incompatible - would-be romance between herself and someone who does not espouse her revolutionary ideals. This is interesting because of the issue of incompatibility, but mores because it implies the male and female parties are on the same intellectual ground. The woman can make a choice about her own political views and situate herself in the man's arena in order to choose the higher calling of her revolutionary ideals.
ReplyDeleteOne particularly startling and interesting quote (in my opinion) is on page 71 and may seem overly obvious, but it stood out to me as exceptional: "Ever since the March Eighth Woman's Day celebration, most of these women knew they were as human as men." First, she says "most," which hints at there being segments of the population who have yet to come to this realization. Second, this is one of the first blatant mentions of women's rights being equated with human rights: the rights of a woman, the rights of a man, the rights of a human being. These things are all equal, but not identical. I thought this was especially interesting to read in a piece about female soldiers, not only because of its context in our study of China, but because in our society, the idea of a soldier as a man is much more prevalent than that of a soldier as a woman. Women can enlist, but there are still many people who have difficulty with the moral (or personal) implications of sending women into combat. I wonder about the differences in these arguments from a Western/American perspective versus those of a Chinese perspective. Judging by this piece, they are highly different.
I find your second paragraph about the quote about women and mens equality. I never really read into this quote, but I agree with you that there are still differences between them. Many people do find it hard to accept a women enlisting into the army. This relates to my midterm paper about women's roles and whether they have changed. I think this also relates to Courtney's response and how everything becomes full circle and women go back to their norm roles, so it seems false that men and women share equality.
DeleteIn your first paragraph you talk about the punishments that the women received versus the punishments that men might not have received. I agree that there are still some boundaries between the men and women in the military during these times. Even during their training they would giggle at the commanding officer, yet I don't see them being disciplined there for giggling during their drills.
Delete“Women can enlist, but there are still many people who have difficulty with the moral (or personal) implications of sending women to into combat.” I agree with that. Women soldiers cannot serve at the front even if women join the army.
DeleteIt seems like the women in China played a huge role in the movement in China's revolution. Women in China seem very devoted to the revolution and freedom from the chains. To have women be willingly to die for this cause shows their devotion.
Delete"...who also happen to be female". I feel like this small line summarizes the progression of women in China. Perhaps the goal of the women's rights movement in China is for gender to not to come into consideration when considering merit. For Xie Bingying, consideration of her literary talent and intense nationalism came first, and then qualified by the fact that she also happened to be a woman.
DeleteI agree that women are still considered 'fragile' in the sense of going into combat, you really don't see many women in the military (at least not as compared to the numbers of men).
DeleteXie was first “woman soldier”, as a soldier, she was very brave and strong-willed. Facing the tough training and cruel war, she performed very well and showed a sharply feminist posture of strong and independence. At the beginning of the reading, Xie’s second brother said: “Women are truly useless. The alarm bell for the era has rung, and yet here you are, still snoring in your dreams.” (Xie, p.51) I think this is an important description of women at that time, but many of them also wanted to liberate themselves and pursue new life, such as she said that the most possible reason for becoming women soldier was to escape the pressure of their feudal arranged marriage. There were different kinds of women’s ideological and action emancipation trends, like Qiu Jin, studying abroad and promoting female education; Miss Sophie, pursuing ideal love and enjoying western stuffs, etc. But I think becoming women soldier and joined the revolution directly was more inspiring to promote the gender politics. Song of Struggle: “Study quickly, quickly drill, Strive to lead the people. Feudal shackles- smash them all, Smash romantic dreams. Fulfill the people’s revolution, Wonderful, wonderful women.” (Xie, p.65)
ReplyDeleteShe was also a famous and great writer. Her War Diary was translated into English by Lin Yutang and published in the Central Daily News. And it was propagandized widely and internationally at that time. I think the War Diary had “positive energy” to the Chinese revolutionary and female awakening, but also could make people to understand more about the army life.
Different from Miss Sophie’s personal romanticism, Xie’s romanticism belongs to revolutionary romance, and the most urgent and primary desire for Xie was revolution. As Xie talked about the “smash romantic dreams”, she said “Discarding their selfish love, they replaced it with love of country and love of the people.” (Xie, p.66) It is worth mentioning that Xie received love letter twice, the first time was before she joined the army and the second time was when she just joined the army. She tore up all the pink love letters the first time, and rejected the second love letter because he was not a “comrade”. Miss Sophie would pursuit of her ideal love emotionally, but Xie was more rational.
You pointed out that Xie rejected the second love letter because the guy was not a “comrade”. I think she just felt like the guy does not espouse her revolution ideals. She longs to find someone like herself to take responsible for changing the old society.
DeleteUpon reading the story “A Woman Soldier’s story, the main character was such a brave girl who rejected traditional marriage and decided to become a soldier. She joined the military and took the responsibilities she has to take as a soldier. As a young girl, she hesitated to join the military but that would be the only way she can escape that fate (I think that should be the main resaon for the female to join the military in the old china), the pressure of their feudal families and to search for their own futures. Her second brother encouraged her and said: “This is the only way to free yourself.“only by joining the revolution will you solve your marriage problem and your future of finding a future”(A Woman Soldier’s Story, Pg52) In the early years of chinese revolution, the emancipation of minds has not been completely achieved. Women have been more constrained by their families and old society. They knew they have to build a rich and strong “ new ”china under the burden of the people’s revolution. “now we must work hard to carry out our responsibility , to change the society , to destory the power of feudalism”(A Woman Soldier’s Story, Pg64) Becoming a Soldier can be challenging, but it's also a rewarding life .Women chose to become a soldier that was not be accepted by all the people in old china .We can see it from the reading: “Female student went secretly to take test at the military school.”
ReplyDeleteThe main character is a young girl who loves the arts and freedom, those are her romantic nature. She knows her nature cannot be changed easily, and she refuse to change her childhood disposition even if she joined the military. “Perhaps I was proof of the old saying that rivers and mountains are easily moved but natural temperament cannot be altered .”(A Woman Soldier’s Story, Pg69) As we all know, Soldiers were able to control their emotions , and they had to train their charater like steel. Was she struggling inside of herself? The answer can be found in the story that is “she will never escape her childlish spirit, threw down the gun and climbed onto the back of water buffalo.” In the bright red May, “most of these women knew that they were as human as men .but they were pitiful-pairs of feet bound like a red pepper.(A Woman Soldier’s Story, Pg71) That was so satirical. They were reminded by Bound- feet all the time, they can’t even walk as fast as men.
It is interesting that you bring up her inner struggle revolving around her romantic nature versus her revolutionary nature. She doesn't speak much to it in this chapter but it is a curious thing.
DeleteI think it speaks volumes that Xie began as a writer. Not only because she was able to be valued as both but because it was her brother who encouraged her from being encompassed by the romanticism of literature and writing when in the past this was very much the ‘woman’s place’. “The alarm bell for the era has rung, and yet here you are, still snoring in your dreams” (51). This quote from Xie’s brother is interesting and made me think about what his motive behind exposing Xie to a new social aspect outside of the norm for Chinese women at that time. Was he just passionate about the revolution and wanting to increase support or did he think that his sister genuinely had a chance at a better life if she did not waste her time waiting for the love image to take flight in her life. There was obvious more motive to exposing her to the socialism since he invested time into helping her new skills grow but it’s an interesting concept that the brother would push his sister into this realm of knowledge. Also the fact that her older brother encouraged her to avoid arranged marriage by joining the cause is an important thing to remember. Although Xie adapted to the military way of life and tried to turn away from romanticism, it is clear that she did not succeed in this no matter what she tries to make us, or her, believe. When she received a letter during her second month in the academy her reaction is enough to show us that she most definitely has feelings and somewhat of a longing to have the love image she once read about, “The instant I saw the writing on the envelope my body turned numb. I felt as if I had been electrocuted. My mind whirled” (66). As I said in class I found that Xie was in a constant state of contradiction with herself. We see that she did have the love for her country, “I needed it to destroy the old and create a new society” (89), and was a steadfast and strong soldier. Yet in the end, she goes back into the society in which she was trying to change without so much of a fight. I was disappointed in this because she had so much feistiness and fight in her and at the end of the reading it seemed like she just succumbed to the norm again.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you mention about how Xie exposed herself to writing before, she was able to take on many roles and prove that a soldiers life was not just a man's place. I never really thought about her brothers motive behind sending her to the military. I also viewed him as a support system, but you made me question whether he did want her to escape arranged marriage or be a part of the revolution because he wasn't. I also like your point at the end where you mention she goes back to the norm again. I talked about this in my midterm paper and it relates to other readings we have done.
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DeleteThe idea that her brother pushed her to join the military was obviously about arranged marriage, but as you observe, it's more complex than just that. Brother #1 (younger) was trapped in an arranged marriage, and unable to fulfill his duty to his country, yet discouraged her from joining the army. Brother #2 was already part of the movements, and encouraged his sister to come join. What isn't mentioned is how this related to family honor. While the conclusion of the account presents a negative view of members of the military, maybe this move by Xie Bingying was seen as prestigious in the beginning, which would place her actions back within some Confucian terms, if she is taken as a replacement for Brother #1, almost as though she was working within a Mulanesque framework.
DeleteThis story represents another women who went outside the norm of a women’s role to become a soldier and represent her country. But was she actually wanting to represent her country or was she trying to escape the traditions of her country by becoming a soldier? This is a question that I think defines her story. I also think her story is founded upon her experience of becoming a soldier. The experiences that she had are something that not everyone experiences and I think this represents the importance of writing. It is mentioned that, “ … a soldiers life is about the most bitter and pathetic life that a human can lead” (pg.75). This quote shows the strenuous events that soldiers face. Her second brother mentions that she can begin and strengthen her writing by living this soldier life. Her “soldier life” represents her story through literature. Her role as a women soldier of China is also important. Many women and countries face the same issue during this time – women’s rights and national issues. Xie’s entrance into the life of a soldier shows other countries that China was facing the same issues – other countries were not alone. Women were able to be faced with new roles and witness new ways, “I could not sleep anymore. I thought how in only a few hours we would be carrying guns and sticks, marching to the cry of “one-two-three-four.” Soldier. What a powerful word! (pg. 64). This quote shows that she was aware of the new experiences and events she was facing.
ReplyDeleteThere are many similarities and differences to be made about this story and Miss Sophia’s Diary but I think the one idea that stand out most to me is women’s roles. In both stories, both women move away from tradition and the traditional ideals of women. Sophia takes on a more romantic life and explores new ways, which was unknown to women. In this story, she escapes arranged marriage with the help of her brother. On page 52, he explains that this new life can allow her to escape the feudal pressure and feudal family practices. I also think though that Sophia uses her illness as an excuse to get away with what she does, but in this story, she has a legitimate reason to save herself from arranged marriages and feudal happenings. Sophia advanced women’s thoughts of romanticism and Xie advanced feminism by changing women’s roles.
I believe your initial comment epitomizes the conundrum of this story. Is it patriotism or escapism that motivates the woman soldier? And furthermore, can it be both? This is what I found myself asking after our classroom discussion. I think you bring up a good point in mentioning this.
DeleteOne of the most apparent aspects of Xie Bingying's writing is her love for her country. For my response, I will compare Xie Bingying's revolutionary romanticism to the romanticism of the May Fourth Movement (Miss Sophia) and the romanticism/nationalism I noticed in Chai Ling, the topic of my midterm paper. When I compare Xie Bingying's romanticism to the romanticism of the May Fourth Movement, I notice one major similarity and one major difference. Both the fighting of the 1920s in which Xie participated in and the May Fourth Movement were motivated purely to advance the future of China (strong feelings of nationalism). There is unity between the Communists and the Nationalists during both of these time periods. However, the major difference pertains to the characteristics of this nationalism. Miss Sophia shows us how the discussion on romanticism/nationalism at that point in time was focused on free love and free choice. However, we witness something different with Xie Bingying. Xie disregards the importance of free love and focuses primarily on sacrifice for the country instead. Xie writes, "One's life ought to create happiness for all to enjoy. To those who believed strongly in offering their lives to their country and its people, romance seemed merely a toy for young ladies and young men of the idle class. Such, in those revolutionary days, was our view of romance" (p 66).
ReplyDeleteFast forward to the 1980s, we can compare “those revolutionary days” to the June Fourth Movement in 1989. Whereas Xie Bingying was called the first woman soldier, Chai Ling (also a woman) was called the “commander-in-chief” of the student movement at Tiananmen Square. In my personal opinion, the views of Xie Bingying expressed in the above quote had taken its toll on the women of China. They were constantly being told to sacrifice themselves for Mao’s continuous revolution. In the days preceding the now infamous crackdown on the protesters, Chai Ling said during an interview, “All along I've kept it to myself, because being Chinese I felt I shouldn't bad-mouth the Chinese. But I can't help thinking sometimes -- and I might as well say it -- you, the Chinese, you are not worth my struggle! You are not worth my sacrifice!” (Gordon & Hinton, 1995). In her autobiography a few decades later, Chai Ling would reflect, “How about my right to be a woman?...To be a wife and a mother? To be loved and cared for? The pressure from the media and the tremendous responsibility I felt to speak for those left dead at Tiananmen Square had become a cross I would bear at the expense of my own needs” (Chai, 2011, pp232-233). Thus, after shifting from free love and free choice described in Miss Sophia during the May Fourth Movement (1919) to a revolutionary love based on sacrifice (described by Xie Bingying), we witness – at least in the case of Chai Ling- a return to a focus on free choice and self-determination.
When Xie speaks about sacrifice for her country, it would seem that she does not truly know what that means. As for Chai Ling, she saw it first hand. Many of her fellow students die and she the the Chinese people reject this sacrifice. What was Xie really fighting for?
DeleteThis response reads as a very well-informed and thoughtful examination of the female soldier (whether officially or unofficially) throughout 20th century Chinese history. I feel like the comparison between the eras of revolution is especially effective when you are contrasting the woman soldier in Xie's writing and the experiences of Chai Ling in the eighties.
DeleteI also think that Xie Bingying's romanticism was revolutionary and nationalism romanticism to promote the country's progress and revolution while Miss Sophia romanticism was focused on free love.
DeleteWhen looking at Xie we see her as a soldier, revolutionary, woman, but I want to look at her in her identity as a daughter. During traditional times, how a woman was perceived as a daughter and how she took on that role was also her identity as a woman. Xie herself broke from tradition; she did not ask her parents for permission for things. “Without letting our families or schools know, we female students went secretly to take the test at the military school.” (Xie, pg. 53) She was unlike Chang Yu-I whose idea of filial piety seems almost extreme. “This is how I was brought up, to honor and respect my family and elders. So I never entered Baba’s presence unless asked, and I never left it without his telling me I could.” (Bound Feet and Western Dress, pg. 10) These women are both from around the same time period, yet there roles of a daughter seem to be on the opposite spectrum of things.
ReplyDeleteNow this shows how they were raised shaped their ideals. Xie was brought up by her scholarly father, who seemed to care about her education while Chang’s education was not her family’s priority but finding her a husband. Did Xie serve her family with her role as a daughter according to Confucius’ idea of roles in the family?
I think that Xie does fulfill her role as a daughter because filial piety in confucianism does not just define the relationship between children and parents. There are also defined roles between country/ruler and individual which I think she fulfills filial piety by fighting for her country which is higher in the hierarchy than being a filial daughter to her parents.
DeleteThat is a great question and the correct answers can be muddled in times of great change and revolution. In a very practical as well as iconic sense, XIE served her entire family by honoring the well-being of the nation.
DeleteI thought this was a another way to look at Xie, even though she confided into her brother, it seems like she did not ask for her parents permission. While her father was a scholar, it was like the father was training her only to be smart enough to be a devoted wife. But, Xie did not want that for herself, so she left to support the revolution.
DeleteIn her early life, Xie was intrigued by various forms of literature and was a writer herself. She read numerous books and articles that her family gave her, most being revolutionary books. She wrote an essay about farmer’s life and sufferings, which was published in the “Popular Daily News”. Xie joined the military so that she could escape the traditional way of life and escape the practice of arranged marriage. “Only by joining the revolution will you solve your marriage problem and your problem of finding a future” (52). The military was her way of being able to establish her future of how she wanted it to be instead of how her family wanted it to be. As she joins the military, her writing becomes a basis of her life story and the story of a “woman soldier”. Through her writing we can see the hardships of being a soldier through the account of a woman. She is able to describe her feelings as she goes through the life of a soldier. Her feelings change as the duration of her time as being a soldier lengthens. At first she is excited to join the military. “We wanted to celebrate the beginning of a new life, a bright and splendid future” (53). Then as her experiences as a soldier are put into battle, she realizes “a soldiers life is about the most bitter and pathetic life that a human being can lead” (75). She has come to realize that life of a soldier is probably not the best way to escape the old traditional views of China.
ReplyDeleteThere are some similarities between “Miss Sophia’ Diary” and “War”. The most obvious similarity between the two is the fact that they are both diaries. Two different people tell about their life and experiences as they seek to become a “modern woman”. “Miss Sophia’s Diary” does it through her experiences of studying abroad and “War” does it through her experiences of becoming a woman soldier. Both of the main characters are trying to escape the traditional views of China and become a modern woman. They both want to experience free love and not be put into an arrange marriages. They want to escape the traditional views and become their own self and create their own lives for them selves.
I enjoy reading Diary accounts because, as you said, you get an inside look at their life experiences instead of a generalization of society. I liked how you point out the similarities between the two diaries.
DeleteI think the similarities between these two diaries are very interesting. I also think that we have to keep in mind that these are translated pieces and that word usage could be a form a propaganda and a way to make things seem better than they actually were.
DeleteThe excerpt “War” from A Woman Soldier’s Own Story is about Xie Bingying, a female whose brother urged her to join the Chinese military to aid in the revolution. After a rough start at the military school, Xie shoots to the front of her class. When first reading this piece I assumed she had joined the Communist revolution, however, I found out that in reality she joined the collective Nationalist revolution which included both parties fighting for the same ideals. The most profound statement in this excerpt to me was. “I would not have believed that we Chinese women, repressed by ancient custom for thousands of years, would see the day when we would become soldiers. Now we must work hard to carry out our responsibility, to change society, to destroy the powers of feudalism,” (pg. 64). Prior to reading this excerpt, our readings had defined women as compliant to males and social norms. In this story women start to become equal to the status of men.
ReplyDeleteSince many Western countries had advanced ideas about women and men equality during this time period, allowing women to become soldiers seems like a major step toward equality in China. However, throughout the story Xie mentions that the commander should go easier on them because they are females. For example, when Rongzhen snuck out to visit her love Xie said, “We felt that he should be more lenient toward a female soldier,” (pg. 68). As a female entering the military I disagree with her complaints. Although I do not think men and women should be held to the same physical fitness standards, I do believe that men and women should be held to the same expectations in all other capabilities. I think that the title of “soldier” takes on many different meanings depending on the country and circumstances. Soldiers, as viewed by the American people, protect our country against external threats in foreign countries, but in Xie Bingying’s situation the women soldiers were fighting for a revolution within the country. Soldiers during this time could also be writers who wrote literary pieces fighting for the revolution.
I like how you point out that the title of "soldier" takes on different meanings in the US and Chinese contexts. The fact that Xie Bingying is fighting domestically, I think, influences the intense passion that we read. There's also a tradition of literary revolutionaries in China that we don't have in America.
DeleteI agree with your comment on that men and women should be held to the same expectations for everything except the phyicality part. They should both be disciplined the same.
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ReplyDeleteTowards the beginning of the chapter, Xie’s youngest brother remarks that he “opposed her going into the military… soldering is hardly suitable for a person with literary talent” (pg. 52). Some of her brothers recognized her literary talent and in a way encouraged her to pursue it. Xie knew that she had to do something in order to avoid an arranged marriage. Her second brother commented that this was the only way to free herself (pg. 52). She remarks that by becoming soldiers, many women avoided their “feudal families”. They would use education as a means to escape an arranged marriage. I think it is also interesting how Xie’s second brother fought for her to get into the military school. After being accepted and then rejected through a strange turn of event, Xie’s second brother tried to reason with the dean to her back into the academy. Arguably, this could represent the idea that a woman’s place in society was growing.
ReplyDeleteDuring this particular time period, many countries in the western world were experiencing a call for women’s rights. Arguably, many male editors promoted Xie’s work because of her background, experiences and her gender. They likely wanted to elevate her and her work to represent a changing China. The international audience would be more interested in her literature because of her background as a soldier. Furthermore, she was running away from an arranged marriage which is something that might interest female revolutionaries around the world.
Miss Sophia’s Diary focuses on a more intimate romanticism, not anything like Xie’s. In XIe’s perception one should discard selfish love and focus on one’s country (pg. 66). Sophia would be more interested in almost a private romance. Even though Xie peruses an intimate type of romance for a while, she quickly remembers her ideology and discards it. She sent a letter to a man hoping he would join her cause, almost as if she wanted a relationship with him. However, she tore up his love letters as he was not part of her cause. It almost seems more rational as Xie is focused on her goals rather than a fleeting love. However, both of them try to fight against oppressive traditional practices to achieve their goals.
Cao Pi once said that literature was no less a noble activity than governing a state was. I think this can be said for being a soldier as well. While there is nobility in putting your life on the line for a cause you believe in, having literary ability is an important characteristic as well. Xie was valued as both, a soldier and a writer.
In support of the idea that women's place in society was growing, I want to think about whether her brother helping her and encouraging her was just because he cared for her personally, or because it was part of the family's honor. As we saw in Bound Feet and Western Dress, families often were entirely on one side, and if one member was prestigious, the others were encouraged to be as well. So if her brother's attempted assistance is taken as protection of family honor, what does it mean for women?
DeleteIt means they're not recognized as capable of bringing honor to the family, which is very different from earlier, where they were viewed as departing from the family.
Whether this theory of mine is true or not, it's interesting to think about Xie Bingying's story in that context.
It is interesting to note what XIE was doing at the beginning of this piece; reading books for leisure to the point her older brother would say "women are truly useless". This tells us a small amount about her class background and family's education. Her description depicts the soldier's life to be mundane, laboring, and difficult however it was not physicality that brought her to the forefront of the revolution, it was here literary talent. It seems, in those days, easier to write with righteous passion and powerful statements. It is the nature of revolution and mass change to give a person cause to imbue his/her literary works with uncompromising emotion leaving written words to ring out in euphoric images. XIE repeatedly describes the harshness of her reality as a woman soldier but always touches up her depictions with "A thousand beautiful and inexhaustible hopes rushed through my brain like shooting stars" or "[but] these stinking beans tasted better than chicken..." or "a few wof our comrades did fall in love, but their first condition was that their mates must share their ideals, must be willing to sacrifice all for the revolution." Ben made a great point in class that XIE is probably extraordinarily cautious when briefly mentioning her own love affair in those days. These constant, positive reinforcements of her revolutionary spirit keep the chapter completely focused on the cause and the people's fervor. Strong will, passion, and literary talent must've given XIE a strong platform from which to be nationally and internationally acclaimed.
ReplyDeleteXIE's writing, unlike that of May 4th writing, focuses much more on nationalism over individuality. The rhetoric shifted from "improve yourselves in order to better the nation" to "we must improve and empower the nation so that we might be improved and worthwhile". Miss Sophia was reaching for self-actualization in a free lover who hoped to achieve the same in her. XIE was self--realized in her love for the revolution.
I think it is a pretty strange thing that a writer joins the army force. even for a man
DeleteI enjoyed your points that shed light on Xie's negative views of the military. From the article I received the sense of passion but like I said in class I also felt the since of contradiction since it always seemed her heart fell back to the romantic side.
DeleteThroughout this course we have read many stories about women “fighting” in a way for their rights. However, this piece gave the word fighting a whole new meaning. Xie Bingying was a female soldier who didn’t necessarily need to fight in order to become equal with the men, as many of the other writers had portrayed, but rather she had to fight for her own freedom from tradition. Times had changed and fortunately she had the ability to escape an arranged marriage, but that didn’t mean that things would be easy for her. Women in China had always been a solider in one way or another. When it came to Xie Bingying, she had to fight against tradition as well as physically fight against the enemy. The image of what a woman could do had completely changed and in this story, women were doing what was generally seen as a man’s job. It seemed that everything world because the men and women were fighting for their nation against a common enemy. The bond in which they formed with one another was due to the fact that they put aside the traditional views and were fighting for a greater cause. In this story, the nation trumped gender politics.
ReplyDeleteAfter this story was written, it was shown to an international audience rather than just strictly in China which proved to be an important aspect. China had the ability to let the rest of the world see that they were catching up when it came to the role of men and women. Gender was not the main factor in this story and in some ways I think it allowed China to connect with others. In my opinion, it was the first story that may not have necessarily needed to be altered by the government because it portrayed China in a different light which the rest of the world has never seen before. This piece showed that China as a whole was finally accepting women as equals or at least near to being equals to men. However, one thing that stuck out to me was that regardless of being able to fight alongside men, the women were still stripped of their femininity when they had to cut their hair short. The whole part of the story in which the women had to change into uniform, remove their make-up and cut their hair short made them look like men. There is also one part that says, “they knew I was a female soldier, and they persisted begging, for they thought a woman’s heart would be soft (79).” Those they had taken captive still had this general opinion that women would be more forgiving and understanding than men. Xie Bingying had to prove to them that she wasn’t any different from a man and she wasn’t going to feel pity for them. But the fact that she needed to convince them otherwise shows that the identity of a soldier still didn’t completely mask the fact that she was a woman.
I agree with your point that the nation trumped gender politics. Men and women are viewed more equally n the military than anywhere else.
DeleteI think a lot of people would argue that the military is often one of the most susceptible (to change) parts of society. I agree that achieving their goal was more important to them than gender politics.
Delete“Strange. After growing used to the chaotic and free like of students, we had suddenly come to live this mechanical and rigorous military life marked by order and obedience. Yet non of us felt pain or discomfort; none of us considered deserting.” (page 65) In A Woman Soldier’s Own Story, Xie and other women thought that to live a life of freedom means to support the revolution. Xie’s second brother wanted her sister to live a life that she could make her own decision and to write liberated literature. To write these type of pieces, she should live a rigorous life as a soldier, because to completely understand the purpose of a, “ real,” is to live thoroughly. Through Xie’s training as a solider for the revolution, she elaborates about the strict and rigorous lifestyle its was. In my opinion, other than the ultimate goal , the life of revolutionary solider is the life of an traditional Chinese woman. Although, the women were fighting for a cause that would ultimately give them the freedom to live a life of choice, but being a soldier there wasn’t any choice and if someone dared falter from the goal, they were gravely punished.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I love the spirit and passion that Xie exuberated toward the revolution, I thought that the her views on, “ revolutionary love,” was peculiar. She stated that, “ they staked their future and their happiness on their revolutionary work. Romantic love, they believed, is mere selfishness…To those who believed strongly in offering their lives to their country and its people, romance seemed merely a toy for young ladies and young men in the idle class.” (page 66) Their love for the revolution is enough for the soldiers or they find someone that shares the same passion for the revolution, is their definition for, “ revolutionary love.” In my opinion, it is important to be focus on ones goal for it to be achieved, but one cannot just cease to love or to like someone. For example, Xie still wrote to her admirer to ask that he should join her in the revolution
Xie does have a great spirit and passion. she shows that females can do whatever males can do, even they need to go to the combat zone.
DeleteI really like your opinion about Xie's "revolutionary love", I also think she was necessary to relate her revolutionary goals and works to her affection.
DeleteI agree that the way Xie felt about love was very strange and rather different from the other readings we have had in class previously. It seemed that she was still longing for love, but due to the restrictions and expectations of those she was fighting with, she wasn't able to pursue her admirer unless he joined the revolution as well.
DeleteWriting talent and ability proved its importance in this piece no matter what gender."Her brains will become slow and simple. Soldering is hardly suitable for a person with literary talent--not to mention that she may not be strong enough to stand that sort of physical hardship" (52). This quote is very interesting to me and seems that throughout this piece it is a different mindset than we have seen before. In this quote, Xiu's brother is talking with her telling her that he is against her going into the military, but what is interesting here is that he mentions her literary talent before he mentions the simple fact that she is a woman. The simple fact of her writing ability overshadowed everything we have talked about up until this point about the gender roles and how women are almost always treated firstly for their gender then possibly regarded for whatever talent remains.
ReplyDeleteA key word that was very apparent to me throughout this reading is authority. The power and authority that Xie and other females showed was very interesting. "I became more fierce and violent. With every phrase I hit the ground with the butt of my gun: 'Save you? Hah! Don't daydream...'" (79). This kind of authority sounds very masculine and strong, much different that anything a female would be allowed to say before this. I think the brothers inferior roles are interesting too. They should have been the ones in charge, but Xie showed us otherwise. I think that their role is something that can be looked into further as in how authority is observed throughout the story.
I like your point about how XIe's literary talent overshadowed her gender when her brother was talking about her in the story. Also, I found it very interesting of her taking on the role of a male more than we have seen before in any of the pieces from class. However, I think there was a great emphasis on looking like a male such as when her hair was chopped off and acting like a male when she had to be harsher with the prisoners. This sort of stripped her femininity and made me question how woman were perceived at this point in time.
DeleteI thought it was really strange yet interesting how the commanders refused to believe someone could be both a literary and a soldier. On page 69, "Those who study literature are romantics-- They cannot be revolutionaries." -- I find this to almost be contradicting. It is said that those who are well versed in literature are some of the smartest people you will come across, so would it not make sense for these individuals to make fantastic soldiers? They may be lacking in physique but this is something that can be improved and even perfected. But I do think it's remarkable that Xie didn't let any of the hardships drag her down, her head stayed high and she pushed through all of it with a quite positive mindset. I like how the piece is written as well, less serious and not as 'sophisticated' as some of the past pieces we've read but seems to have a very casual nuance to it, as though writing to a friend.
ReplyDeleteI think that this would be a good paper, in what other people of this time thought of women as soldiers, and as literary scholars and both. This is an interesting point and I agree it does seem quite contradictory.
DeleteI think you can also add this to your argument: revolutions are not just through swords and shields. A revolution is often an idea that is spread through pen and paper.
DeleteXie became known as a "woman soldier" because she was first and foremost a writer. since the title of the topic is the women soldier, I would like to talk about being a female soldier.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in my freshmen year, and I was really interested in the ROTC program in our school, after talking to the commander in ROTC, I decided to sign up for their classes and decided to give it a try. I had a lot of fun, however, the thing which attracted me the most is that I saw a lot of female soldiers, it is a cultural bury, do not get me wrong, I am saying that I couldnt believe that the female soldiers here train the same way as male, and they train together with males, even though we have different passing line for situps and pushups. We have female soldiers in China, but they will be trained seperately from males. And I would say, if there ARE millitary programs in Chinese universities, almost no female student would sign up for it.
One of my friends in China goes to a millitary school in Nanjing. And I met his commander two years ago, he told me that West Point have been to their school for a competition once, and he just couldnt believe the girls from that school, he said they are a lot more passionate and stronger than the girls in China, even the girls in the Chinese millitary.
Xie joined the millitary to fight, not just in the combat zone, but she also tries to show that women can do just what men can do. there was a sentence saying that “Women can enlist, but there are still many people who have difficulty with the moral (or personal) implications of sending women to into combat.” I agreed with this but not anymore, after I have seen the soldiers in ROTC>
I think your observation of Xie's intentions within the military are very interesting. I do believe she was passionate about the revolutionary cause. I think there are plenty of current soldiers both men and woman with the same passion.
DeleteHer renown came from men selecting her work to translate it, not upon her work being recognized out of purely talent. Which isn't to say that any work is recognized purely because of talent, but her pursuit of writing was encouraged by men and also promoted by men. That she was encouraged to write seems to be a remarkable change from before, where writers like Gu Ruopu had to defend their actions. Her selection was influenced by the desire to promote a certain kind of image to an international audience that would read her work in English, which posits an interesting question about her reception compared to other works written in Chinese. What was different about her writing that led to it being chosen as the preferred representative image?
ReplyDeletePart of this was surely the subject matter of soldiering as a woman, but also because of the thematic elements throughout of the revolutionary ecstasy that was expected to be experienced by all dedicated, intelligent youths. One thing that stands out in particular is her subordination of interpersonal romance for love of the country. If an individual pursued romance, it was always with someone who had the right view of the country, in essence, the approval of the country. It seems like this was a much freer situation than in the past, in that individuals made the choices, but it also creates a much larger amount of pressure on individuals to conform to societal norms, as not only did their lives depend on it, so did their romance. Those who acted right, but harbored unhealthy thoughts would be ousted, and alienated, regardless of whether there was romance or not. Intellectual questions trumped romantic ones, in short. When compared with Miss Sophia, what is distinguishing is that Miss Sophia was just as vocal about her desire, but the subject was a person, not a country. This can be taken further however to say that her subject of ardor was the ideal of a subject, similar to the idealized country.