The Fight to Ban Opium in the Soviet Areas of Sichuan

IN recent years, I visited some old Soviet Areas (established during the Second Revolutionary Civil War, 1927-1937) in Sichuan Province. Recalling the war with local people and singing Red Army and revolutionary songs of those years, I remember the folk songs about giving UP the opium habit. In order to establish and develop the revolutionary base in Sichuan, the Party and Red Army carried out a mass movement to ban opium, saving tens of thousands families from ruin.     

I Took Part in the Long March

Wei Xiuying was born in Ruijin, Jiangxi Province. She joined the Communist Party of China in 1932, and served as directorfor Xingguo County Soviet Government Committee for the Improvement of Women's Life, and secretary in charge of women's work in Jiangxi Province.In October 1934, Wei Xiuying took part in the 25,000-li Long March with the Central Red Army.After liberation, she served as the first-term director of the Jiangxi Women's Federation. In the early 50s, it was she who first found that schistosomiasis was serious in Yujiang County, and reported this condition in a report to the National People's Congress. The very day Chairman Mao Zedong saw this report, he gave the order "eliminate this plague". Wei Xiuying was appointed as the deputy head for South China Land Reclamation and Cultivation Bureau in charge of the development of Hainan Island. Before retirement, she was the Vice President for Jiangxi Provincial Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.Now, Wei Xiuying is 86 years old. Sh     

Roam in Yan'an

YAN'AN, located in the center of the Loess Plateau, is an ancient, hilly city established in the Sui Dynasty (581-618). The city has a history of more than 1,300 years. In October 1935, the Central Red Army led by Chairman Mao Zedong accomplished the 25,000 li (1,250 k.) Long March and arrived at Wuqizhen in the north of Shaanxi Province. In Januar, 1937, the Central Party Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) moved to Yan'an. Yan'an then became the base for the Chinese Liberation.     

The Marriage System in the Age of Revolutionary War

IN the late 1920s, the Communist Party of China (CPC) founded the (Chinese) Soviet Area (established during the Second Revolutionary Civil War period, 1927-1937) which operated in the revolutionary base areas. The outline of the Soviet constitution stipulated that women should have equal rights in politics, economy, culture and hold the same social position as men.     

The Origin of "The East Is Red"

"THE east is red, the sun rises. China brought up Mao Zedong. He fights for the happiness of the people, he is a great liberator of the people." All Chinese know this song, but few know the origin of it. Composer Liu Zhi recalled, "I was a young actor in the Yangge Team under the Lu Xun Arts Institute of the Red Army 60 years ago. One folk performer in our troupe called Fang Xianzhang used to make a living by performing on both banks of the Yellow River. He knew a lot of Shanxi folk songs and once taught me a love song called Sesame Oil. It turned out to be the same tune with The East Is Red.     

追索:中国“慰安妇”真相(英文)

At the First International Symposium on the Issue of Chinese "Comfort Women" held in Shanghai this April, it was declared that the wartime habit of taking "comfort women" was paramount to military sex slavery. Carried out by the Japanese government and armies before and during World Ⅱ, in its colonies and occupied land, it was a heinous war crime, which severely infringed women's human rights. And yet this period of history and the crimes that were committed have been deliberately "fortotten" by the Japanese.     

Ruijin Looks Toward a Brighter Future——Ruijin Women (Part Two)

WOMEN in Ruijin made enormous contributions to the Chinese revolution during the war, and today, in the tide of economic reform and opening, Ruijin women are working hard for their own futures and the prospects of their hometown. Two Capable Rural Women Zhong Fengying lives in Jieman Village, Shazhouba Town. In the 70s, she became a leader of the village women's production team. In 1993, seeing the town-owned orchards were untended due to Poor management, she took the initiative to contract 500 mu of an orange orchard. She signed a 15-year contract with the town government.     

身影(英文)

Red Army Woman Huang Haiyun Tells a Story about the Long March红军女战士黄海云讲述长征的故事Huang Haiyun,86,is a veteran of theLong March and,before this year's ArmyDay(August 1),the Red Army woman.now healthily living in Guangzhou City,told her story to the media.grasslands.“she continued.At that time.Huang Haiyun was a nurse in charge oflooking after the wounded.However,under extremely difficult circumstances theRed Army was short of not only medicine     

Combating Floods

In summer and autumn of 1998, the river vatleys of the Changjiang, Songhua and Nenjiang rivers were stricken by exceptionally serious floods, As of the, 22nd of August, the flooded areas stretched over 52.4 million acres. More than 223 million people were affected by the flood. 4.97 million houses were ruined, economic losses totaled RMB 166 billion, and most tragically, 3,004 people lost their byes. It was one of the costliest disasters in Chinese history. Millions of People's Liberation Army soldiers and local people joined hands to battle the floodwaters. Thanks to their unified efforts and tenacious struggle, they successfully withstood the rising, water, resumed production and began to rebuild their homes.     

They Walked out of Home—The First High Tide of Chinese Women's Employment

THE founding of New China in 1949 put an end to a half century of strife and war in China. Encouraged by the government of New China and because of the state's need to resume production and develop the economy, Chinese women, who for thousands of years had been enclosed within the walls of their home, obtained the right and the chance for extensive employment for the first time. They took a historical step out of their homes. At the First Plenary Session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) which was held just before the founding of New China, the "CPPCC Common Program"     

FROM THE CHINESE PRESS

To commemorate the 5th anniversary of the death of Kang Keqing, a Chinese veteran revolutionary and an outstanding leader of the Chinese women's movement, the China Women's Publishing House published The Selected Works of Kang Keqing. In her more than 60 years revolutionary career, Kang made great contributions to the Chinese people's liberation, to the Chinese women's movement and to chil-     

Notes on a Trip to Japan

"WHAT'S your impression of Japan? How has it advanced?" I was repeatedly asked the same questions by my friends and colleagues after I returned to Beijing. As a neighboring country of China and a world economic superpower, Japan is still a remote and unfamiliar place to most Chinese. In November of 1996, I was invited by the Japanese government to participate in the Asian-Pacific Journalist's Seminar on Women and Media. My one-week schedule     

Women and the Environment: Declaration Encourages Active Participation

JUNE 5, 1994 has been mandated World Environment Day. On this day the first meeting on Women and the Environment in China was held in Beijing and the Declaration of Chinese Women on Environment was established. According to the declaration, environmental pollution and the destruction of the ecology have posed a serious threat to the survival of the human race. It has become a great issue of common concern. The functions of women in procreation and social development are directly affected by the deterioration of the environment. It is the common interest of the populations of the world to protect the environment. The declaration notes that Chinese women are greatly concerned about the environmental conditions of their     

Ruijin Women In the Period of the Red Army (Ⅱ)

IN the 1930s, the first red political power was set up in southern China. Women in the area cut their hair short and unbound their feet. But its significance was more than that—women had broken the feudal yokes restraining their hearts. They were able to get married by their own will and stand arm-in-arm beside men. To allow the Red Army to move fast and fight against the     

The Times are Changing Women's Employment

IN the mid- and late-1980s a debate was held in China concerning the issue of women's employment. It was a time when economic reform involved both the management and labor force of the country's state-rum enterprises. What the Chinese women in the workforce had experienced from the late 1980s to the early 1990s in many ways differed from our predictions about the debate. Perhaps we can make a closer analysis of the trend in Chinese women's employment by learning the differences. Both the employment rate and the population of Chinese women in urban and rural areas have steadily grown as the economy has developed. In 1982 the Chinese workforce was     

Deng Xiaoping's Three Marriages (Ⅱ)

IN February 1931, Deng Xiaoping returned to Shanghai after he had finished his work in Guangxi, where as a political commissar, within two years he organized the Seventh and Eighth Front Armies of the Chinese Workers-Peasants Red Army and set up     

To Our Readers, on the 40th Anniversary of the Magazine

Dear readers, Women of China was first issued in 1956, a full 40 years ago. In that time, the magzine's format has changed from a quarterly, to a bi-monthly, to a monthly. Our magazine is distributed in more than 130 countries and regions and is well-received by our readers. Women of China is a comprehensive English monthly concerned with the conditions of Chinese women. It aims to enhance contacts and exchanges between Chinese women and women from all over the world, and to increase their understanding and friendship. In the 40 years, forerunners in Chinese women's movement and women state leaders, Soong Ching Ling, Cai Chang, Deng Yingchao, Kang Keqing and     

Visit to Japan

BETWEEN November 8 to 17, 1995, the Chinese women's delegation, led by Ms. Kang Ling, member of the Secretariat of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), visited Gunma Prefecture, Japan, with short stays in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. The visit was at the invitation of the Gunma Prefectural Government and was the twelfth women's delegation to make the journey since the friendly contacts were established between the ACWF and Gunma Prefecture.     

The Boat Girl in the Photo

The Little Boat Girl THIS picture was taken at dusk, onestormy day, half a century ago. On April 21, 1949, one million soldiersof the Chinese People's Liberation Army, alongmore than 500-kilometers of riverbank, quicklybroke through the "thousand-Li line of defence,"which had been painstakingly built up by theKuomintang, and forced the Changjiang River. At dusk on April 22, boatmen from Yangzhong,an island in the Changjiang River, hurried to thebank to row the follow-up units across. Despitearduous weather, the boatmen's skill in fightingagainst wind and waves was considerable and, inthe soft lights of sunset, the rows of old woodenboats appeared to be flying on the ChangjiangRiver. A most impressive scene. Among the officers waiting on the riverbank tobe ferried across was one tall soldier, deeplyabsorbed in the sight of a young girl, not far away,     

许晴:差点儿成了外交官(英文)

The refreshing, expressive and unrestrained style of actress Xu Qing has made her the idol of many young people. In 1999, she was awarded first place among the Most Outstanding Film Stars, and was commended as the actress having the best disposition. Few people know that this charming and talented actress almost became a diplomat. Xu Qing was born into a family of artists. Both her parents are famous actors in the Song and Dance Ensemble of the General Political Department of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. When asked whether she had inherited her parent's performing talents and naturally chose to be an actress, Xu Qing