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“Women’s Work for Women”: The New Intellectual Woman in the Republic of China, Wu Yi-fang (1893-1985) = 「女性為女性工作」: 民國新女知識分子吳貽芳 (1893-1985)
Principal Investigator
Department
Grant Awarding Body
Research Grants Council
Grant Type
Faculty Development Scheme
Project Code
UGC/FDS15/H31/25
Amount Awarded
HK$591,785
Funding Year
2025
Duration of the Project
36 months
Status
Ongoing
Abstract
This research project examines the career of Dr. Wu Yi-fang (1893-1985) as president of Ginling College, a Christian higher education institution based in Nanjing. This research project focuses on two aspects of her personal life and work experiences to gain a deeper understanding of the long 20th century, during which China underwent momentous changes.
First, a case study of Dr. Wu’s professional career allows for a close investigation of the rise and fall of Christian universities and colleges during the tumultuous years of Republican China (1912-1949). In the late 1920s, the Nationalist government proceeded to secularize and Sinify Christian universities, paving the way for Wu Yi-fang’s ascendance as the first and only Chinese president of Ginling College. Dr. Wu reconciled the two seemingly competing threads of educational ideas: the Christian and the patriotic. Dr. Wu herself was a political activist whose political career culminated in 1945 when she represented China in signing the Charter of the United Nations. This proposed research project will significantly reflect the interconnectedness between Christianity and patriotism.
Second, the project highlights Dr. Wu as a pioneer of modern Chinese womanhood. She was an exemplar of a new breed of intellectual Chinese women in the first half of the 20th century. Her womanhood resulted from the newfound educational opportunities for women, along with career prospects, widely circulated and accepted feminist ideas, and the influence of Christianity. As a woman who remained single throughout her life, Dr. Wu’s womanhood was heavily tied to her career as a leading educator and political activist.
First, a case study of Dr. Wu’s professional career allows for a close investigation of the rise and fall of Christian universities and colleges during the tumultuous years of Republican China (1912-1949). In the late 1920s, the Nationalist government proceeded to secularize and Sinify Christian universities, paving the way for Wu Yi-fang’s ascendance as the first and only Chinese president of Ginling College. Dr. Wu reconciled the two seemingly competing threads of educational ideas: the Christian and the patriotic. Dr. Wu herself was a political activist whose political career culminated in 1945 when she represented China in signing the Charter of the United Nations. This proposed research project will significantly reflect the interconnectedness between Christianity and patriotism.
Second, the project highlights Dr. Wu as a pioneer of modern Chinese womanhood. She was an exemplar of a new breed of intellectual Chinese women in the first half of the 20th century. Her womanhood resulted from the newfound educational opportunities for women, along with career prospects, widely circulated and accepted feminist ideas, and the influence of Christianity. As a woman who remained single throughout her life, Dr. Wu’s womanhood was heavily tied to her career as a leading educator and political activist.