Flower Hotel

A Brave Girl

by ellyse

Qiu Jin was a female revolutionary who was born during the late Qing dynasty and died at the age of 32, a few years before the fall of the last dynasty of China. She was the earliest female martyr to die for the revolutionary cause. Famous writer Lu Xun's short story "Medicine" opens with the scene of Qiu Jin's execution.
Right in the middle of town (in fact, right in the middle of busy Jiefang Lu) there's an obelisk in memory of Qiu Jin's martyrdom. Vehicles swarm past at all hours of day and night, this memorial is a constant reminder of her sacrifice, one of the many so that later generations would hopefully enjoy a brighter future. She was executed by the Qing dynasty authorities at this spot, under the archway saying "Gu3 Xuan1 Ting2 Kou3". The archway still stands today (I'm sure it has been renovated over the years) and the small street leading away from the main road now has some street vendors in the evening.
The residence of Qiu Jin is now a ticketed sight. I visited during my 1st visit to Shaoxing, but not later. As far as I remember, the admission fee is a nominal 5 RMB, but not sure if it has increased over the years. The residence has exhibits about Qiu Jin's life and revolutionary activities, but unfortunately no English captions.