Gold Flower's Story: a Peasant Woman in the Chinese Revolution

Description

The story of how one Chinese woman, Kinhua ("Gold Flower") frees herself from her abusive husband, and her father-in-law, with the help of the women in her village. In 1945 the Communist 8th Route Army had arrived in the village and the women had formed a Women's Association. Although afraid to do so, Kinhua joined the association, and told them about her husband’s and father-in-law’s beatings, and their practice of starving her. After hearing about this the women confront the men, tie them up, drag them to a meeting, and put them on trial. Kinhua tells them what she thinks of them; that the old customs no longer apply - women are to be treated as equals, not servants. Although “Gold Flower’s Story” originally formed a section of Jack Belden's "China Shakes the World” (1949), it was reprinted as a pamphlet in the 1970’s by various publishers connected with the Women's Liberation Movement. As with the "Half of China” chapter (chpt.16) of William Hinton's “Fanshen: a documentary of revolution in a Chinese Village” (1966), it was used in consciousness-raising groups and provided tactics for actions undertaken by Women's Liberation groups around the world.