A brief history of modern Chinese feminism: From anti-foot-binding marches, to the viral sexual harassment cases, and the struggle for reproductive rights
In 1931, the whole of China was astounded when Wenxiu, the concubine of China’s last emperor Puyi, declared in major newspapers that she had filed a lawsuit to divorce the emperor. Just months earlier, in December 1930, the government of the Republic of China (1912 – 1949) had enacted a new marriage law which guaranteed freedom of choice in one’s marriage partner for both men and women for the first time in Chinese history. This “consort’s revolution” made a huge stir at the time, and inspired many Chinese women to make their own choices over marriage in the decades to come.
Hatty Liu is the former managing editor of The World of Chinese, and an award-winning communications researcher. Born in China, and raised in China, Canada, and the US, she leverages her cross-cultural identity to create more empathetic knowledge across national boundaries.
Anita is a researcher at The World of Chinese. She is interested in stories that involve gender inequality, social issues, as well as current affairs. She is also passionate about the development of subcultures in Chinese society.
