Breaking the Mold: A Woman's Path to Freedom

Xie Bingying broke the rules of feudal life in China and forged her own path. She did this

in virtually every aspect of her life, whether it be her schooling, military service, or even her

sexuality. Through her actions of defiance, strength, determination, and courage she defined

what it was to be a modern Chinese woman.

First and perhaps the most obvious way Xie Bingying defined being a modern Chinese

woman was through her military service. Her youngest brother insisted she not go because,

"Military life is dry and mechanical, all absolute obedience, day after day."1 However her sister

and second brother insisted that she must go. Bingying's first goal for joining the Northern

Expedition was as an escape route of her arranged marriage. However, after receiving input from

her second brother she also realized that it would have a significant impact on her writing. She

would have to lead an uncommon life if she wanted to create uncommon and riveting stories. 2

Her military service reinvented the woman's role in revolution. Historically, if women

were to be involved in the grit of war they were used only in secondary roles. They acted as

nurses generally. However, Bingying would have no part of this, she longed for the front lines of

war. Even when she encountered setbacks such as being expelled before even entering the

academy, she did whatever was necessary to ensure she would become a soldier. She received

the same training as men, and although she was small in stature and had wounded feet from

binding she surged on, always determined. She fought through the rain, mud, and darkness to

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achieve her goals and never once uttered a complaint of it being too manly or hard of a job for

her.

Xie Bingying was even revolutionary in her sexuality. She went to great lengths to plan

an escape from her feudal destiny. In a time where it was still inconceivable to go against your

parents wishes, Bingying refused to bow. She wanted simply to love whoever she was marrying,

but her parents instead kept her captive so as to force her hand. Bingying's mother said, "Now

that you are here, do you still imagine you can break free? Even if you had powers greater than

heaven's you could not escape the grip of my hand."3 However, breaking free is exactly what she

planned to do. Even while being held captive she refused to give up hope of escape. She plotted

constantly, and even managed to escape several time, but her success was thwarted quickly.

After her failed escapes she sought another way of escape. She used reason to try to

persuade her husband to be that it was useless to marry her, she argued that he would be unhappy

with someone who did not love or care for him back. 4 Bingying wrote, "I felt terrible, but his

tears could not deflect my iron resolve, even slightly. Love cannot be given as charity. And

surely it cannot be given falsely."5 Even though she was forced to continue with the marriage,

she absolutely refused to consummate it. Afterwards, she went off to school once again, and

through great persuasion she managed to convince her husband to dissolve the marriage.

Lastly, defining her success in sexuality as a revolutionary woman was her romance with

Qi. Even though he was from a poor upbringing she still loved him wholly. She even took a route

that even in today's times is seen as unreputable. She lived with Qi and had a child with him out

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of wedlock. She sought nobody's permission for this but her own. Also, when she decided Qi

was no longer a good match she left him, which was incredibly brave in a time that women were

defined by their marriage and children. She was now a single young mother, but this never

stopped her from achieving her ultimate goals.

Xie Bingying was an extremely modern woman in her schooling and education. Even at a

young age Bingying was constantly reading and absorbing everything she could. After

requesting to attend school and insisting that her brothers had been able to attend she was met

with harsh words. Bingying's mother said, "What a joke! A person like them? After they study,

they can become officials and earn money. You are a girl."6 This represented the attitude of

much of China, but this young revolutionary girl would manage to forge her own path. She

refused to eat and would rather have died than be treated as less than. This hunger strike

eventually convinced her mother to allow her to attend school. Throughout her educational

career she attended several girl's academies, teacher's academies, and even university. She was

actually asked to teach at many schools, because she was such an impressive student. She broke

the mold of the uneducated, married woman into a million pieces.

In conclusion, Xie Bingying was the very definition of a modern Chinese woman. She

was not afraid to fight for what she wanted, and did not let anyone dictate her future other than

herself. She forged paths that future generations of women could follow, and for that she will

always be remembered.

Citation: Xie, Bingying. A Woman Soldier's Own Story. (New York: Berkley Publishing,

2001), page number

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