Concerning the Incident of Miss Zhao’s Suicide
(November 21,1919)
In recent days there have been many commentaries on the incident of Miss Zhao’s
suicide, and I too have written a few comments on it that have been published in
this city’s Dagongbao. This is a public event that concerns all mankind, and leaving
aside those who advocate extreme individualism and living alone, everyone should pay
attention to it and study it. But Chinese women should devote particular attention
and study to it. Because for several thousand years perverse customs based on the
[Confucian] rites have prevailed in China, women have had no status in any area of
life. From politics, law, and education, to business, social relations, entertainment,
and personal status, women have always been treated very differently from men, and
relegated to the dark corners of society. Not only are they denied happiness, they are
also subjected to many kinds of inhumane mistreatment. That this incident of a woman
being driven to suicide should occur at a time like this, when the truth is very clear
and there are loud calls for the liberation of women, shows just how profound are the
evils of our nation’s society. Today we need not express more pity for the deceased,
but rather we should look for a method that will thoroughly correct this problem so
that from now on such a tragedy as this will never happen again. But before we look
for a method, we must first search for the controlling root causes of this domination.
Let us consider why it is that women have been bullied by men and have not been
able to emancipate themselves [fansheri]162 for thousands of years. Regarding this point,
we must examine the question of what, in the last analysis, are the defects of women?
Looked at superficially, women have a lower level of knowledge than men, and are
weaker willed than men. Women have deep emotional feelings, and when the emotions
well up, one’s conscious awareness recedes. In this respect, they are psychologically not
the equals of men. Also, women are physically somewhat weaker, and to this must be
added the suffering and painful difficulty of walking with bound feet. These are the
physiological defects of women. Actually, none of these are inherent defects. Generally
speaking, the
psychological processes of women are not much different from those of men. This
has already been proven by the fact that the effects of education in all countries show
no differences based on gender. The last two items of physical weakness are the result
of custom. The binding of women’s feet was not practiced in antiquity and cannot be
regarded as a basic biological defect. The search for any inherent biological deficiency
in women finally comes down solely to the question of childbearing.
The relationship between men and women should, according to the contemporary
view, center on “love,” and apart from love, must not be governed by “economics.” Thus
the contemporary position is, “Each is economically independent, sharing the fruits of
love.” Before modern times, this was not the case. No one knew of the principle “Love
is sacred.” In the relationship between men and women, love was considered to be only
secondary, while the core relationship remained economic, and was thus controlled by
capitalism. In antiquity, eating was a simple affair. People picked fruit and caught
wild animals and fish, and were easily satisfied. Men and women were equals, and
economically women asked nothing of men and men asked nothing of women. Men
and women sought of each other only “love.” Thus woman sometimes, on the contrary,
used her physiological strengths (physiologists say that in sexual physiology women are
stronger than men) to control men. Later, as population increased, and food supplies
became inadequate, the competition for survival made it necessary to emphasize work,
and with this arrived the terrible age in which women became subjugated to men.
In doing physical labor, women are not inherently inferior to men, but because
women cannot work during the period of childbearing, men took advantage of this
weakness, exploited this single flaw, made “submission” the condition of exchange and
used “food” to shut them up. This then is the general cause that has kept women
subjugated and unable to emancipate themselves. On the one hand, what member of
the human race was not born of woman? Childbearing by women is an indispensable
element in the survival of humanity. That men should have forgotten this supreme
act of benevolence, and on the contrary should have wantonly and unscrupulously
oppressed them, merely for the sake of petty economic relationships, is truly a case of
returning evil for good. On the other hand, childbearing is an extremely painful event.
“The pangs of childbirth” is a term that frightens every woman who hears it. Despite
the medical discoveries that have changed the “difficulty of childbirth” into the “ease of
childbirth,” we should show great reverence and compassion. How can we instead take
advantage of trivial economic benefits to press the other down?
Having presented the “reasons” above, we can now turn to the “methods.” The methods by which women can become free and independent and never again be oppressed
by men may in general be listed as follows:
1. A woman must never marry before she is physically mature.
2. Before marriage, at the bare minimum, a woman must be adequately prepared
in knowledge and skills to live her own life.
3. A woman must prepare herself for living expenses after childbirth.
The above three items are the basic prerequisites for a woman’s own personal independence. In addition, there is a further condition of “public child support,’’ to which
society should pay close attention. If women themselves are able to fulfill the above
three conditions, and if society, for its part, provides for the public rearing of children, then marital relationships centered on love can be established. This will depend on the
efforts of all of us young men and women!

--- Notes

162 Mr. Rulin is believed to be Xiao Rulin (1890–1926), a native of Hunan Province. After the 1911
revolution he became editor-in-chief of the Changsha Junguomin ribao (National Military Daily), and
was deputy chief of the office of Governor Tan Yankai in 1917. The Dagongbao published his article
entitled “My Views on the Suicide of Miss Zhao” on November 19, 1919.