Exhibition spotlights maverick NTNU literati

2015/09/22

A special exhibition drawing the curtain back on the exploits of a female soldier-cum-writer-cum-academic and her commitment to passing the literary torch is underway in Taipei City.

Staged at National Taiwan Normal University, the exhibition features 10-plus pieces from the late Hsieh Ping-ying’s original letters, manuscripts and photographs. Also on display are her digitalized diaries, novels, prose and travel notes.

Chen Den-wu, dean of NTNU’s College of Liberal Arts, said Sept. 17 that Hsieh was a trailblazer in rejecting traditional practices of foot binding and arranged marriages in becoming a pioneer of the women’s rights movement in Greater China. “Her joining the army also revealed a deep-seated sense of patriotism and unwillingness to accept the status quo concerning a woman’s preordained role in society.”

Hsieh, born in 1906 in Hunan province, is widely considered one of the first female soldiers in modern Chinese history. After enrolling at Wuhan branch of the prestigious Whampoa Military Academy at age 20, she went on to take part in the Northern Expedition and led other women on the frontline during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945).

During a 20-year military career, Hsieh also produced a number of acclaimed pieces such as “A Women Soldier’s Story,” “Girl Rebel” and “The Diary of Joining the Army.”

Diary is a widely read and gripping account of the 1926 to 1928 Northern Expedition led by former ROC President Chiang Kai-shek, then commander in chief of the national army, against feuding warlords in central and northern China. Of equal appeal is Story, which was translated into more than 10 languages worldwide.

Chung Chung-hsien, head of NTNU’s Department of Chinese, said Hsieh penned over 80 pieces before her death in 2000. “She documented her experiences in the army and examined the issue of self-identity in the face of social challenges during the tumultuous 94-year period of her life.”

According to Chung, after Hsieh starting lecturing in modern Chinese literature at NTNU in 1948, she became the first academic to teach vernacular literature at tertiary institutions in Taiwan and mainland China.

“The professor was also one of the founders of Taipei City-headquartered Chinese Women Writers Association in 1955, and worked tirelessly in cultivating the younger generation and promoting women’s writing,” he said, adding that this helped foster contemporary literary development in Taiwan.

The exhibition wraps up Oct. 12 and was organized as part of Sept. 28 Teacher’s Day activities.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=236893&ctNode=2194&mp=9)