Ding Ling: China's Most Prolific Feminist Writer

Despite criticism, bigotry and the precarious era in which she lived, Ding Ling’s literary works show her deeply felt concern for gender equality and political reform. Ling fought for women’s social and political equality. In addition to being a writer, Ling was also a political activist. Throughout her years as a writer, Ling faced adversity due to her status as a woman as well as her political affiliations.

Ding Ling was born in 1904 as Jiang Bingzhi. She was significantly influenced by her mother, who was continuously struggling to improve their living conditions. She was extremely supportive of her daughters’ decisions and even encouraged her to end an undesirable arranged marriage. At the age of thirteen, Ling became active within the political scene. She began writing in the late 1920’s and was a part of the May 4th generation. She was immersed in a culture of women that were struggling to find their own identity.

According to Jin Feng’s book entitled New Woman in Early Twentieth-Century Chinese Fiction, Ling’s works can be divided into three sections throughout her career. While all of her stories focus around the struggles of women during the modernization of China, Ling used different methods to address their reality. The first method portrayed the social lives of women without giving a direct method of addressing the difficulties that they faced. The second involves women who renounce their current life to pursue Marxism and the revolution. The third romanticizes the lives of women after joining the revolution.

Many of Ling’s stories focus on the new woman and her role in society. In contrast to her peers, Ling chose to go “beyond the gentleness of women’s literature” by portraying women who encompassed many de...

... middle of paper ...

...0’s. She was exiled and her literary works were banned. During this time her books, as well as her name, had been banned in China and she was sent be rehabilitate and all of the writings that she had attempted to produce during this time were destroyed. Almost twenty years later, the ban on her books was lifted and she was declared to be rehabilitated. She was allowed to write and set free until her death in 1986.

Despite the criticism and persecution she faced Ling held fast to her ideals and convictions. She fought for what she believed in, she refused to be silenced or to give up her ideals. Ling was a feminist and activist until her death and despite the atrocities that she suffered at the hands of her political party, she remained a communist until her death. Her ambition in life was to show those around her that women have a voice and can make a difference.