MCLC: late Qing dreams of modernity (1,2)

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
From: amy lee <amyklee at berkeley.edu>
Subject: late Qing dreams of modernity (1)
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For anyone in the Bay area interested in viewing this film, there will be
a free screening at UC Berkeley on Tues, Dec 13th 3-6PM.  Evans Chan will
also be present for a post-screening discussion.  Details are below:

Film Screening of "Datong: The Great Society"
Location: 2223 Fulton Street, Berkeley
          IEAS Conference Room, 6th Floor
Date: Tuesday, 12/13/2011
Time: 3-6PM (Running time 116 min)

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From: Lily Lee (l.lee at sydney.edu.au)
Subject: late Qing dreams of modernity (2)

It is with great interest that I read Peter Zarrow's piece on Kang Youwei
and more specifically Kang Tongbi. Kang Youwei's stance against
foot-binding, making an example of his daughters is well known. However,
with the perception of his support for women's rights, it didn't stop him
from taking a few concubines.

Kang Tongbi was an active advocate of reform and women's rights in China,
and great things were expected of her, but after she was married she
seemed to have faded away from the public eye. She was on the committee
discussing peaceful transition of power to the PLA when it entered Beiping
and was known to be on the committee of several window dressing
organizations afterwards such as the CPPCC.

Kang Youwei's eldest daughter (he had nine) Kang Tongwei was a prolific
scholar and translator. She helped her father in translating many of the
references in Japanese which he based his reformist ideas on. She was also
one of the earliest Chinese women to work as a journalist. She joined
Liang Qichao¹s wife to establish a school for Chinese girls in Shanghai,
the first one established by Chinese as distinguished from those
established by foreign missionaries.

More information can be found on the two Kang sisters in the Biographical
Dictionary of Chinese Women: The Twentieth Century (M E Sharpe, 2003),
p.272-274 and 275-277.

Lily