Zeng Baosun

Zeng Baosun was born in Xiangxiang, Hunan, on 9 March 1893. She was the great-granddaughter of Zeng Guofan, a Qing dynasty Chinese official who commanded the Xiang Army during the Taiping Rebellion. Her feet were not bound and there was no early, arranged marriage. She attended the Mary Vaughan High School, an Anglican church school in Hangzhou, where she converted to Christianity in 1910². She then went to London to study at Blackheath High School and Westfield College, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1916. She was the first Chinese woman to receive the "Bachelor of Science degree with honors" from this college. She also received teacher's training at Oxford University and Cambridge University². She returned to China in 1917, and became involved in the anti-Qing and anti-imperialist movements. 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"⁴. 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 movements⁴. She left China in 1949 to settle in Taiwan. In 1953, she represented the Republic of China in the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. She also served on the Board of Directors of Donghai University in Taichung. She died of natural causes on 27 July 1978, in Taiwan, at the age of 85. She was buried at No. 1 Public Cemetery in Taipei, where a memorial hall was built for her. She was one of the most influential and innovative feminists and historians in Chinese history. She created a new and original field of feminism and history, and published several books and articles on women's issues and history. 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 historical development of modern China, and a key figure in its cultural and historical transformation.