Tang Qunying

Tang Qunying was born in Nanchang, Jiangxi, on 4 December 1871. She was the eldest daughter of Tang Xiangming, a wealthy merchant and scholar, and Chen Aizhu, a well-educated woman. She had two younger sisters, Tang Qunzhi and Tang Qunfang. She grew up in a progressive and open-minded family, and received a good education from her parents and private tutors. She learned to read and write Chinese, as well as English, French, and Japanese. She also developed an interest in literature, history, and philosophy, and read widely on Western and Eastern cultures. She was a talented and independent-minded woman, and a pioneer of feminism in China. She married Zhang Binglin, a famous scholar and reformer, in 1894, and moved to Shanghai with him. She supported her husband's political activities, and became involved in the anti-Qing and anti-imperialist movements herself. She joined the Tongmenghui, a revolutionary organization founded by Sun Yat-sen, in 1905, and became one of its first female members. She also founded the Women's Revolutionary Association, the first women's revolutionary group in China, and organized the first women's uprising in China in 1907, in Anqing, Anhui. She led a group of women to attack the Qing officials and soldiers, and raised the revolutionary flag over the city. She was captured and imprisoned by the Qing authorities, but was later released due to public pressure. She continued to participate in various revolutionary activities, such as the Wuchang Uprising in 1911, which led to the overthrow of the Qing dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China. She was hailed as a heroine and a role model by the revolutionaries and the public, and was given the honorary title of "Madame of the Republic". She was also a leader of the women's rights movement in China, and advocated for women's suffrage, education, and social equality. She founded the Women's Suffrage Alliance in 1912, and campaigned for women's right to vote and to hold public office. She also founded the Women's Education Association, and promoted women's access to modern and comprehensive education. She also supported the New Culture Movement and the May Fourth Movement, which advocated for democracy, science, and cultural reform in China. She wrote several books and articles on women's issues, such as The Women's Bell, The New Women, and The History of Women's Liberation. She was one of the most influential and respected feminists and intellectuals in China, and inspired many women to join the social and political movements. She died of pneumonia on 30 October 1937, in Nanchang, Jiangxi, at the age of 65. She was buried in the Martyrs' Cemetery, where a statue and a memorial hall were built for her. She was one of the most influential and innovative feminists and revolutionaries in Chinese history. She created a new and original field of feminism and revolution, and organized the first women's uprising in China. She also initiated and led the women's rights movement in China, and founded the Women's Suffrage Alliance. She contributed to the political and social progress of China, and the liberation and empowerment of its women. She was a pioneer in the feminist and revolutionary development of modern China, and a key figure in its cultural and historical transformation.