Dear loyal readers,
While it is a beautiful day here in Beijing, the whispers, or rather screams of unrest, have been haunting my thoughts as of late. I left Xinxiang to pursue my studies and leave behind the decided fate that has been forever imposed upon my gender, and yet it seems all of China is suffering in one way or another. Everywhere I look, there are new issues, whether it is the persecution of communist party members, the child labor in the cities, or the stagnant move towards gender equality; China is suffering [Dietrich 22-23]. Things need to change.Â
Writing this piece is already putting a target on my back, but I must do what I have to do as a journalist. Last week, I traveled to Shanghai, a staple of the Nationalist Party, to see what was going on. I owe a lot to the efforts of both the CCP and the Nationalist Party during their United Front, as their visit to my province in 1919 showed me I could forge a different path for myself as a young girl [China: A Century of Revolution – China In Revolution 7:00]. I am not the only one who has experienced the influence of these new parties. In Beijing, I met a former child laborer, Qiu Hui-Ying, who worked seventeen hours a day in silk factories since she was twelve [China: A Century of Revolution – China In Revolution 24:00]. Hui-Ying was exposed to Marxist teachings by a fellow worker at her factory job. Marxism is an enticing ideology for the working class in these trying times, but the consequences of following the ideals ever since the unfortunate massacre of 1927 are a huge risk [Dietrich 24]. I hear rumors in Shanghai of Nationalists hunting down innocent people in the street to rid China of the CCP [China: A Century of Revolution – China In Revolution 23:00]. The more I hear about Chiang Kai-Shek policies, the more resemblance I see to the traditional system I left behind in Xinxiang.Â
Fortunately, Beijing is a bit more forgiving than the deeply entrenched Nationalist cities like Shanghai or Nanjing. Although I am partial to the efforts of achieving gender equality in China, I recognize the need for ground-breaking change. Some could argue the Nationalist Party is achieving that change; however, simply examining the warlords in the East or the patriarchal qualities of the Party would eradicate that idea [China: A Century of Revolution – China In Revolution]. Visiting Shanghai made me realize the Party is simply putting a Western spin on traditional Confucianist ideals, products, and infrastructure that have brought our country to its sad state [China: A Century of Revolution – China In Revolution].Â
Apologies for the forlorn tone of this report. It seems as if the life I am leading in our Chinese state is forever stained by the constant unrest of our nation. Being born mere months after the 1911 revolution, my early years spent groomed for marriage, the protests of 1919, and now the constant push and pull of the CCP and Nationalist Party, I fear the change that is to come [China: A Century of Revolution – China In Revolution]. It is becoming increasingly obvious people can not go on living in this unorganized and inequitable society.Â
Hoping for the Best,
Cui Shuli
I too have heard some scary stories about the capabilities of the Nationalist Party. It seems like they don’t even bother confirming if the people they kill are Communists as they see the risk of leaving one behind too great; they kill almost indiscriminately. With the Japanese encroaching more and more on our land, I’m wondering why Chiang Kai-Shek isn’t more worried about them instead! I’m more afraid of the Japanese taking over China, as the 1911 Revolution didn’t really replenish our strength, than I am about the Communists trying to do the same. At least, then, women like us would have more opportunities.
I like how you acknowledge the risk you have taken as an intellectual. It makes me think of what it would be like to be an educated person during this period, and how traumatic the events must have been. I also wonder how the pragmatic approach was received vis a vis the women’s rights issue and push for equality. I can see sacrificing the main issue for women (that is their rights) just to get away from the right-wing GMD.
I speak for everyone when I say we appreciate you going out on a limb to bring us your report, danger is merely an obstacle one must sometimes overcome to achieve public awareness, and therefore change. With societal upheaval the only certainty I agree that the present seems ever more unstable, where will we end? No one knows. With foreign encroachment, most notably by the Japanese, a unifying cause may be what unites China in these dark times, although Chiang Kai-shek himself seems to be the largest barrier in that cause, unwilling to compromise in any form. I worry that when the dust settles we will either be left with foreign rule of China or an authoritarian regime forcing us into an inequitable situation where we are forced to relive the mistakes of the past.
Inequitable society! you put it best. Great writing, and although yes a grim message it is factual, and we need some change! We need more advocates like yourself! Brave reporting, bravo.