Born: 4 September 1895, China
Died: 1 May 1928
Country most active: China
Also known as: 向警予, Xiàng Jǐngyǔ, Hsiang Ching-yü,
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
Xiang Jingyu (Chinese: 向警予) was a trailblazing figure in the early history of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). She is renowned as a pioneering force in the women’s rights movement in China.
In February 1922, Xiang Jingyu joined the Chinese Communist Party as one of its earliest female members. In July, she became the first female member of the CCP Central Committee and the director of the party’s Women’s Bureau. She focused on connecting with female laborers, especially in the silk industry, and wrote articles about women’s issues, urging Chinese women to unite for their liberation.
In 1923, when the CCP formed a United Front with the Kuomintang, Xiang became an editor for a Kuomintang-affiliated newspaper. She was re-elected to the Central Committee in June 1923 and played a role in passing the women’s movement bill.
In 1924, Xiang led a strike involving about ten thousand female silk factory workers and founded the Committee of Women’s Liberation, training female cadres against feudalism and imperialism.
In 1925, Xiang played a significant role in the May Thirtieth Movement protests. However, due to an affair with a party member, she faced criticism for lacking “moral virtue”, leading to her resignation from the Central Committee and the party Women’s Bureau.
In October, she studied in Moscow, ending her controversial relationship. In March 1927, she returned to China and, despite danger, stayed in Wuhan, supporting the workers’ movement and the underground Party.
Xiang Jingyu was arrested in Wuhan on March 20, 1928, due to betrayal by her group. French officials handed her over to the Nationalist government in April, and she was executed on May 1 of the same year.