Retracin ga Martyr's Life

Qiu Jin (1875-1907) was a female poet and a revolutionist who opposed the feudal rule under the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). She was killed after a failed uprising that she had helped plan. She was born into a feudal bureaucrat's family that lived in Minhou, Fujian Province. Her ancestors were from Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province. When she was a young girl, she was taken to Xiamen, Fujian Province, by her grandfather, Lu Xuan, who, at that time, was an official in Xiamen responsible for foreign affairs. Qiu witnessed the domineering foreigners and corrupt and recreant government officials of the Qing Dynasty. Given her strong character, Qiu agonized over what she had witnessed, and that ultimately fostered her rebellious nature.