"People are always used to looking at women's appearances and ignoring their talents and abilities. In ancient times, women were defined as "virtue without talent" and were bound to the family and unable to pursue their dreams.
However, an old lady with small feet in the ** period never married, dared to challenge the tradition, and bravely pursued her own life. ”
Wu Yifang, a legendary woman, was born in Wuchang, Hubei Province in 1893 to a wealthy family. At the age of 11, she entered Hangzhou Hongdao Girls' School with her sister, and later transferred to Shanghai Qiming Girls' School to receive a new education.
Her life should have been like that of countless young girls at that time, receiving a new education, looking for free love, and then smoothly entering marriage and living an ordinary life. However, the peaceful life was shattered in 1909, when Wu Yifang's father committed suicide by jumping into the river because he was framed by his superiors, and the family lost its breadwinner and fell into trouble.
Within a month, Wu Yifang's mother, sister and brother died one after another, leaving her orphaned at the age of sixteen. Such a major life change suddenly befell Wu Yifang, but her uncle-in-law took pity on her and took her home so that she could continue her studies.
Wu Yifang was born in the last years of the Qing Dynasty and, like other ordinary women, embraced the tradition of foot binding from an early age. However, this seemingly ordinary small-footed orphan girl later shined on the international stage.
In 1919, Wu Yifang graduated from Jinling Women's University and went to Beijing to teach at the Women's High School. Not only is she diligent and studious, but she is also passionate about new things.
Although she has no experience abroad, she is extremely fluent in spoken English. In the winter of 1921, the president of the Allied Montholik Women's University gave a speech at the Beijing Women's High School, and was amazed by Wu Yifang's authentic spoken language.
So, Wu Yifang got her recommendation and went to the University of Michigan in the United States for further study. During her stay in the United States, Wu Yifang always reminded herself to maintain high standards and remember not to lose the face of the motherland.
Once, when the Australian Prime Minister was speaking in the United States, he went so far as to insult China's remarks. Wu Yifang wrote a rebuttal article that night, which was published in "Michigan**", which caused a great repercussion.
After studying in the United States, Wu Yifang returned to her alma mater, Jinling Women's University, as president. Su Shi once said: "She knows very well that the education that Chinese women need is not only how to 'teach their husbands and children' and 'three obedience and four virtues', but also how to tell them how to break through the shackles, some people tell them the vastness of the outside world, and how to build a strong heart." ”
As a result, she opened many "tradition-breaking" courses at Jinling Women's University, such as the "Corrective Gymnastics Class", which is specially aimed at students who are in poor posture and subconsciously hunched over their chests, and a one-year correction class to help them develop self-confidence.
At the same time, Wu Yifang also added a "May Flower Club" for these young girls, erecting a bamboo pole wrapped with white and purple satin on the playground, which became the benchmark of the flower club.
At the end of the show, a "May Queen" is chosen, an honor that only those cheerful, elegant, enthusiastic and energetic girls will be honored. Jinling Women's University's approach instantly swept the city and became synonymous with trendy and confident women.
Wu Yifang's elegance is not the kind of cold "legacy and independence", but as warm and friendly as the spring breeze in March. She treats every student with respect, whether rich or poor.
At that time, many dignitaries wanted their children to study at Jinling Women's University, but Wu Yifang insisted on fairness, believing that students should get admission letters through their own efforts.
When the Anti-Japanese War broke out in 1937, Wu Yifang resolutely led the students to leave Nanjing. She knows that school is a pure land of knowledge and should not be polluted by politics. Therefore, when Song Meiling invited her to be the Minister of Education, she politely declined.
Although she did not get involved in politics, as a Chinese, Wu Yifang never stopped supporting the resistance war.
In March 1943, Wu Yifang organized a "Chinese Six Professors" in the United States, who shouldered the heavy responsibility of anti-Japanese propaganda and hoped to obtain help from the United States.
Wu Yifang delivered a speech at the conference with elegance and self-confidence, and it was impossible to imagine that the China in which she lived was facing oppression by invaders. Since ancient times, the society's requirement for women is to be a "good wife and good mother", constantly instilling the idea that "a woman's lack of talent is virtue", teaching them to "follow their husbands at home, marry their husbands", and even having no children is considered a reason for divorce.
These regulations and ideas all treat women as tools of procreation, completely ignoring their personal worth and dignity. However, Wu Yifang saw through all this.
She did not choose to marry, but dedicated her youth and life to the cause of knowledge and education. She is the "goddess of wisdom", a symbol of women's independent spirit, which deserves our deep admiration and learning.
In the 21st century, the status of women is constantly improving, with more resources, higher platforms and more comfortable lives, no longer bound by traditional concepts, and the pursuit of freedom and independence is our right. ”