Women in the Chinese Military

1

• Women in the Chinese Military
• Reading
• Young, Helen Praeger, Choosing Revolution
  Chinese Women on the Long March, Introduction
  and Conclusion.

2
Women in the Chinese Military

• Introduction
• Women Commanders of Han origin
• Hua Mulan
• Liang Hongyu
• Qin Lingyu
• Women Commanders of Non-Han origin
• Princess Pingyang of the Tang
• Empress Dowager Yingtian of the Liao
• Empress Dowager Chengtian of the Liao
• Female Leaders as Defenders
• Women Leaders of Peasant Uprisings
• Women Fighters in the Late Qing
• The Taiping Rebellion
• The Boxer Rebellion
• The the 1911 Revolution
• Recent History of female participation
• The Anti-Japanese War
• The Red Army
• The Peoples Liberation Army (PLA)

3
Introduction

• War is usually the mans area and womens
  participation has often not been mentioned yet,
  Chinese women have participated in wars and
  battles within the last 3,000.
• Many women were commanders with long military
  careers and political skills.
• Others lacked military training or experience
  before their participation.
• Most professional military personnel were from
  military families who grew up learning the skills
  of war.
• Some had official titles, some did not.
• Some were ordinary citizens who had to defend
  their home or city or take part in rebellions.

4
Introduction (2)

• The earliest famous female general that we know
  of is Fu Hao ?? in the Shang dynasty.
• There were many other unknown women in the armies
  and in rebellions many women participated to end
  the Qin ? dynasty.
• Women of both Han and non-Han origin took part in
  both the defense and in the invasion of China.
• In more recent history, women fought as defenders
  against the Japanese (1930s).
• In Peoples Republic of China (PRC), women have
  served in the Chinese military on a regular basis
  since 1949.
• In the 1990s there were about 240,000 women 12
  generals -- working either on active duty or as
  civilians in the Peoples Liberation Armay (PLA)
  7.5 of 3.2 million persons.
• About 1,500 women served in Taiwan under the
  Kuomintang (KMT)/Guamingdong (GMT) during the
  1990s.

5
Introduction (3)

• Womens participation could be divided into three
  kinds
• Women commanders or service personnel of official
  armed forces, mostly imperial armies most
  served for years and participated in military
  operations frequently.
• Defenders women who were only involved in one
  battle although it might have lasted for many
  years.
• Rebel leaders and followers women of peasant or
  ethnic uprisings participated in more than one
  battle.
• There were also women of lower social status camp
  followers they were frequently wives, fiancées,
  sisters of soldiers or prostitutes.
• Some women cooked, served as camp guards, nurses
  and were responsible for equipment repair.

6
Women Commanders of Han origin Hua Mulan

• The most famous female warrior in recorded
  history is the legendary Hua Mulan.
• There are a lot of debates as to whether she is a
  real or a historical figure.
• According to one version, her real name is Wei
  Huahu ???
• She lived during the Han dynasty and that her
  tomb can be found in the Wei ? village in Bozhou
  ??.
• Record of her name and actions can be found in a
  book compiled at the end of the Jin ?dynasty (206
  B.C.E.-220 C.E.).
• The local history of Wan county ??, where she was
  stationed has also records of her actions and
  local scholars have written many articles to
  commemorate her.

7
Women Commanders of Han origin Hua Mulan (2)

• She was born into a sergeants family in Shandong
  and received her military training from her
  father who had retired from the army.
• When he was recalled he was too old and her
  brother was too young.
• She disguised herself as a man, bought a horse
  and saddle and went in her fathers place.
• She served for 12 years and was promoted and
  rewarded several times after many victories and
  the court wanted to promote her to the position
  of general but she refused the honor and instead
  asked for a camel to go home.

8
Women Commanders of Han origin Hua Mulan (3)

• There are two versions to the end of her story.
• When the court found out that she was a woman the
  emperor ordered her into the palace to serve as
  an imperial concubine and she committed suicide.
• The other version is that she married a general.
• The tragic version is probably the true one.
• A temple was built in her village and every year
  on her birthday there is a ceremony to remember
  her.

9
Women Commanders of Han origin Liang Hongyu

• Liang Hongyu ??? (ca.1100-1135), lived during the
  period between the Northern and Southern Song.
• Her father was a military commander guarding the
  borders against the Xiongnu ?? and taught her
  tactical planning and the use of weapons.
• In 1121, she married a low ranking military
  officer who later became one of Chinas most
  outstanding generals.
• They lived in military camps with their two sons
  and she was able to learn more about the arts of
  war when her husband was elevated to marshal she
  became his assistant.
• She fought all over northern and central china
  during the Jin ?invasions and when the Song was
  defeated.
• At her death, the emperor honored her by giving
  her family 500 taels of silver and 500 bolts of
  cloth.

10
Women Commanders of Han origin Qin Liangyu

• Qin Liangyu ??? (1547-1648) was a general who
  fought against the Manchu invaders at the end of
  the Ming dynasty.
• She was born in Sichuan her father was a local
  official who excelled in both classical Chinese
  and military strategy.
• He educated his children at home and encouraged
  them to serve in civil and military positions.
• She was very intelligent and was her fathers
  favorite and was treated equally as the sons she
  was married to a military commander who was
  descended from a generals family.
• When her husband died, Qin was ordered to take
  his former military office and was made military
  commander and fought to protect Beijing from the
  Manchu when she was over 70 years old -- she was
  given title of Loyal Marquis.

11
Women Commanders of non-Han origin

• There were many female commanders of non-Han
  origin.
• They were female members of the royal family.
• They were outstanding for their military
  leadership and political vision.
• They are equals to reigning queens in other
  cultures.
• They led armies of either all women warriors or
  of mixed male and female soldiers.

12
Women Commanders of non-Han originPrincess
Pinyang

• Princess Pingyang ???? (ca.600-623), was the
  daughter of the founding emperor of the Tang
  dynasty (618-907).
• She organized a Womans Army and led them to
  help her father overthrow the Sui ? (582-628) and
  establish the Tang.
• She formed her army among the peasants in her
  area whom she had won over by opening up the food
  stores during the drought.
• After her victories, her army would distribute
  food to the people in the captured territories
  and they saw her armies as liberators rather than
  as conquerors.
• When her army grew to 70,000 troops, the Sui took
  her seriously and attacked her but the Suit
  troops were defeated.
• She was made a marshal with the same entitlements
  as her brothers.
• But the hard struggles of war had worn her out
  and she died at the age of 23.

13
Women Commanders of non-Han originThe Empress
dowager Yingtian of the Liao

• Empress Dowager Yingtian (d.953) helped her
  husband ambush and murder the other chiefs so
  that he could found the Liao ? (907-1125)
  dynasty.
• While he was emperor, she commanded 200,000
  horsemen, organized campaigns against rival
  tribes, and maintained order when her husband was
  away on campaigns.
• When he died, more than 300 were buried with him,
  but she said that her children needed her and
  instead, cut off her right hand and placed it in
  his coffin.
• She had disapproved of her husbands choice of
  heir who sensed the danger and approached his
  mother to formally withdraw his claim so that her
  preferred heir, the second son, could ascend the
  throne as Liao Taizong (r.926-947).

14
Women Commanders of non-Han originThe Empress
dowager Yingtian of the Liao (2)

• The ED, as regent, took control of all military
  and civil affairs while the succession question
  was being settled and continued to exercise great
  influence during her second sons reign.
• After his death, the eldest son, Yelu Yuan ???
  (r.947-951), of the former heir Yingtians
  eldest son declared himself emperor (Shizong)
  before his fathers coffin.
• His grandmother wanted the throne for her third
  son and so opposed him this was a conflict
  between the Chinese style of succession and the
  Qidan style.
• She sent her youngest son with an army to block
  her grandsons return to the capital but the
  sons army was defeated.
• The old lady then led her own army to confront
  her grandson but was defeated and was forced to
  stay under house arrest within one of the
  palaces.

15
Women Commanders of non-Han originThe Empress
dowager Chengtian of the Liao

• The fifth emperor, Jingzong, died in 982 leaving
  the throne to his 11 year-old son, Shenzong
  (r.982-1031).
• His mother, ED Chengtian became regent at the age
  of 37 and remained in control until her death in
  1009 (969-1009).
• She underwent the ritual of rebirth which
  confirms the new emperors right to rule in the
  eyes of the Qidan aristocracy a practice
  reserved for emperors but she went through it
  three times twice in 984 and again in 986.
• The new emperor, Shenzong, was completely
  dominated by his mother, who continued to
  browbeat him and sometimes strike him in public
  even when he was a grown man.

16
Women Commanders of non-Han originThe Empress
dowager Chengtian of the Liao (2)

• The Empress Dowager was a ruler who understood
  the realities of power and the art of governance
  and was always willing to listen to advice she
  won the deep loyalty of Liao officials, both
  Qidan and Chinese.
• She was an excellent military commander and had
  her own army of 10,000 cavalry even when she was
  over 60 (1005) when she commanded armies in the
  field against the Song dynasty.
• She oversaw the peace negotiations with the Song
  which brought in 100 years of peace to both
  dynasties the Treaty of Shanyuan.
• The Liao-shi (History of the Liao) sums up her
  achievements by saying, Shenzong may be
  considered the most successful of the Liao
  emperors, most of his successes must be
  attributed to his mothers instruction.

17
Women Warriors as Defenders

• The most famous woman defender was Xun Guan ??
  who lived in the Jin ? Dynasty (265-420) in
  Henan.
• She was the descendant of a famous general in Wei
  of the Three Kingdoms and had begun military
  training at a very young age.
• Her father had also been a general and was the
  Grand Defender of a city which was surrounded by
  a rebellious troop.
• All his sons were scholars with no military
  skills.
• The daughter, Xun Guan, at the age of 13 led
  several dozen warriors at midnight and broke out
  of the encirclement of the rebels.

18
Women Warriors as Defenders (2)

• Yan Gongren ??? was the widow of a rich landlord.
• She built fences with thorns and organized her
  farm laborers and her maids to defend against the
  bandits.
• Because of her success, more farmers came to ask
  for protection and her followers controlled five
  areas.
• All of her followers went though military
  training and she shared all supplies and rewards
  with her allies and her followers.
• Tens of thousands of people were then protected.
• As a reward, she was given the official title of
  Furen ?? and her son was given an official
  title.

19
Women Leaders of Peasants Uprisings

• The first known woman leader of a peasant
  uprising was Lü Mu ?? who lived during the late
  Western Han (206-24BCE) in Shandong.
• Her family was very rich and her son had been an
  official in charge of local public security .
• She had no military training but led an uprising
  against the county governor to avenge the
  wrongful execution of her son for a minor
  offense.
• She spent 4 years selling all her familys
  property, raised an army of hundreds of young
  people and called herself the general.
• She treated her army well and they did not loot
  so more peasants joined and the army grew to
  10,000 persons.
• She attacked, captured the governor and killed
  him and offered his head in sacrifice to her son.
  
• A year later (18 C.E.), a larger peasant uprising
  red eyebrows ??arose and her army worked with
  them and is credited by historians as having
  caused the rebellions that destroyed the Han
  empire in the year 24.

20
Women Leaders of Peasants Uprisings (2)

• Chen Shuozhen ??? was the first and only Chinese
  woman who declared herself Emperor after
  launching a peasant rebellion.
• She lived during the early Tang Dynasty and was
  an ordinary farmer with no military training.
• She and her brother-in-law, Zhang Shuyin ???,
  said that she had ascended into heaven and had
  become immortal and had returned to correct
  wrongs in the society.
• She called herself Wen Jia Emperor ???? and
  organized her own court.
• She had an army of 40,000-50,000 persons and
  occupied many areas in western Zhejiang and
  southern Anhui provinces.
• Eventually, she and her brother-in-law were
  captured and executed.

21
Women Fighters in the Late Qing The Taiping
Rebellion ????

• When the rebellion started in 1851 entire family
  members, old and young, men and women took part
  in the uprising.
• In the beginning, between 2-3,000 women took part
  in the uprising out of a total of 20,000 persons
  but by the time they arrived at the capital,
  there were 500,000 women 40 women armies.
• Women participated directly in battles some wore
  mens clothing, some painted their foreheads red
  or wrapped their heads with red cloths.
• At the beginning women were always put at the
  front many Qing soldiers were so puzzled by the
  appearance of these colorful women that they
  giggled and stopped fighting.

22
Women Fighters in the Late Qing The Boxer
Rebellion???

• The female leaders who fought in Boxer Movements
  showed strong leadership in organizing and
  commanding armies many relied on religion to
  mobilize their followers.
• Most had military training and knowledge but came
  from poor peasant families.
• The most active was the young womens group, aged
  between 12 and 18 some were as young as 8 or 9.
• They trained with swords and every few days they
  formed groups and went through the streets.
• They joined in burning foreign buildings and
  killing foreigners in Tianjin.
• The leader, ??? had learned martial arts as a
  child and was an entertainer she was eventually
  captured and executed.

23
Women Fighters in the Late Qing 1911 Revolution

• Women participated in the 1911 revolution for a
  short time and in limited scale.
• Many were young and educated.
• When the revolution was won, men were given key
  positions but women were not given any important
  responsibilities.
• The women were disappointed and frustrated.
• After 1926, there was a first generation of
  female cadets of Huangpu Military Academy (1924
  to 1927).

24
Recent History of female participation
Anti-Japanese War

• The women were guerrilla fighters, arsonists,
  assassins, bomb makers, leaders in uprisings,
  defenders and their age range was from 9-60.
• They participated in direct combat,
  reconnaissance, logistic and medical support.
• Some women were put in gender segregated units
  and were assigned to combat support such as
  nursing, cooking, and uniform manufacture.
• Male commanders tried to keep women out of
  regular combat units except when the troops were
  loosing then the women would be assigned to
  covering the main armys escape.
• Women suffered the heaviest casualties in this
  war compared with those in others.

25
Recent History of female participationThe Red
Army

• In the early years of the communist movement
  (1927-35) there were many women serving in combat
  and non-combat roles.
• At least 20,000 women took part in military
  operations in 12 bases.
• It is estimated that 2,600 women participated on
  the Long March??
• Some were teen-agers escaping their abusive
  in-law families into which they had been sold.
• Some were avoiding arranged marriages.
• Some were running away from starvation.
• Others were revolutionaries and were escaping
  capture.
• Some were wives, sisters, daughters, or nieces of
  Communists.
• There were another 8,000 who worked at jobs such
  as carriers, Tailors, and laundry workers.

26
Recent History of female participationThe
Peoples Liberation Army (PLA)

• Today, most do not have to serve in the military
  although all young men and women, 18 and over,
  are supposed to serve.
• Women who serve do so for about the same time as
  the men
• an average of 2 years for the army,
• 4 for the navy and
• 3 for the air force.
• Career women serve longer than the enlisted
  they served up to 30 years.
• In 1994 there were 240,000 women serving in the
  PLA, 8 of the military personnel.
• More women serve in the army and the headquarters.

27
Recent History of female participationThe
Peoples Liberation Army (2)

• Most women serve in traditional female roles such
  as medical workers, administrative personnel,
  communications specialists, logistic support
  staff, political and propaganda workers,
  scientific researchers and technicians.
• Enlisted women serve as switchboard operators,
  typists, map makers or data entry personnel.
• Most career soldiers work as nurses in 1990
  70.6 of career soldiers were nurses.
• By the end of 1992, there were 290 female pilots
  none had been assigned to combat although some
  were test pilots.

28
Recent History of female participationThe
Chinese Nationalist (Taiwan) Army

• The women participated in the Anti-Japanese War.
• Almost all modern women went through military
  training and have professional skills.
• They played supportive roles in the armed forces.
• Some participated in combat.
• About 1,500 serve in the military, most are
  career personnel.