Taylor Karr

October 8, 2016
2nd paper assignment, question 2
Dr. Howard

Fighting for Change in China

Xie Bingyings autobiography is a story about the struggle for

change as a woman in Chinese society. To be a woman in traditional

Chinese culture was to serve the husband, serve the family as a whole,

and live a limited life. That life did not include freedom to marry, the

right to education, and the right to serve the military. Xie Bingying did

not believe this life was fulfilling, or even fair, to a woman. She

became a part of the larger, broader womens movement in Chinese

society that lead to a better life for Chinese women in future

generations. She believed that a woman should be free in all aspects

in China, whether it involved education, marriage, or service. Xie

defined the modern Chinese woman as one who could properly make

decisions and think for themselves in a way that could better

themselves, the people surrounding them, and ultimately, the country.

Xie firmly believed in a modern structure of marriage that would

redefine womanhood in Chinese culture. For centuries, women were

thrown into arranged marriages with men they did not know or love.

The old philosophy was that love came after the marriage1 The

women were supposed to marry without argument, and then they

1 Xie Bingling, A Woman Soldiers Own Story. Berkley Publishing Group,

2001, New York, New York (pg. 95)
would build the family with the man they did not know. Xie, however,

wanted better for herself. In a conversation between herself and her

father, Xie openly refuses her marriage between her and Mr. Xiao Ming.

According to Xie, marriage, is directly related to reorganizing of

society they work together to serve the society and work hard to

create a new society.2 Xie believed in the broader movement

surrounding marriage in Chinese culture. She defined a modern

Chinese woman as one who had the freedom of choice, and that

included the choice of marrying who one desired to. Marriage is of

the greatest importance one must choose for oneself, in order to get

a good partner.3

Xie Bingling also believed the modern woman should serve the greater

society, but not in the role of traditional Confucian beliefs. Xie served

her country on two different occasions, one as a soldier fighting against

the Warlords, and one as a medical assistant on the frontlines during

the war against Japan . In traditional Chinese culture, women were not

to serve in this manner. Spinning yarn and bearing children were the

duties of Chinese women in traditional culture, but the modern woman

encompassed more than that. To Xie, serving her country brought her

the most satisfaction, and a woman should be allowed to make that

choice if she desires so. This ideal of choice and service revolves

2 Xie Bingling, A Woman Soldiers Own Story. Berkley Publishing Group,

2001, New York, New York (pg. 96).
3 Xie Bingling, A Woman Soldiers Own Story. Berkley Publishing Group,
2001, New York, New York (pg. 97).
around Nationalism, and the service to her country through the military

expresses her Nationalism. As Xie and her group of women storm the

front lines, she states, we received no official support for this project

because some people said women should work only behind the lines,

at home.4 Once again, the broader battle between traditional Chinese

culture and the new, modern idea of Nationalism is shown in the text.

The roles of women were redefined, however, and much can be

credited to the work of Xie.

A woman in modern Chinese society was defined by freedom, and

receiving an education was a vital part of that freedom. Women were

never allowed to be educated, and even if they were, they could not

receive the same educational experience as a male could. In Xies

case, begging for an education ultimately changed her life forever. If

her mother would not have allowed her to attend the girls school, her

arranged marriage would have continued on. Xie stated, by this ray

of hope my fragile little life was saved.5 For Xie, education literally

saved her life, and the choice to be educated was one many women

did not get to make. Education was the gateway for Xie to get out of

the traditional life, and it would also serve as the one that allowed

women throughout China to receive the freedom they desired.

4 Xie Bingling, A Woman Soldiers Own Story. Berkely Publishing Group,

2001, New York, New York (pg. 270).
5 Xie Bingling, Xie Bingling, A Woman Soldiers Own Story. Berkely
Publishing Group, 2001, New York, New York (pg. 24)
Throughout Chinese culture, the change from the traditional woman to

the modern woman was one that took time and effort from many

women throughout China. Women like Xie Bingling sacrificed their own

life to make a way for future generations to receive the freedoms she

did. Xies life is an expression of freedom to marry whoever one wants,

to pursue education as one desires, and to serve the country as one

wishes to. Through a courageous woman like Xie, China has now

moved forward in defining what it means to be a woman. A modern

Chinese woman is defined by the word free, and that is a step forward

in Chinese society.