Kang Tongbi
Encyclopedia
Kang Tongbi a.k.a. Kang Tung Pih (Chinese
康同璧 pinyin
Kāng Tóngbì), 1887–1969, was the daughter of Kang Youwei
, a Chinese reformer and political figure of the late Qing dynasty
and early Republican era
.
Kang Tongbi's father, along with his disciple Liang Qichao
, was one of the major intellectual figures behind the launching of China's political reform
by the Guangxu Emperor
in 1898, but political infighting at the Qing court caused the reform movement to be summarily aborted within 103 days of its start, and a death warrant to be issued against Kang Youwei. He hastily left the country with his family and would spend the next 14 years travelling the world. As a result, much of Kang Tongbi's youth was spent abroad.
Her father, a noted calligrapher, taught her traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy. A few of Tongbi's own paintings survive.
In 1903, while the Kangs were in Japan, teen-aged Tongbi met Luo Chang, a young staffer at the Chinese embassy in Tokyo. The two were married soon thereafter. There is no indication of the match having been arranged by their respective families, as was usually the case among upper-class Chinese at the time. Tongbi followed her husband when the latter was assigned to the Chinese consulate in Denmark, and later moved on to the United States where her father was already residing.
In 1907, Tongbi became the first Asian student ever to be enrolled in courses at Barnard College
. She earned an associates degree in Journalism in 1909. Also in 1909 at age twenty-one, she gave birth to her daughter, Luo Yifeng.
, advocating women’s rights through meetings and speeches. She was an editor and major contributor to Nüxuebao (Women’s Education), one of the first women’s journals in China.
After the journal folded, Kang Tongbi continued to crusade for women’s rights. Like her father, she took a stand against the practice of foot-binding, establishing and co-leading a Tianzuhui (Natural Feet Society) with other Chinese feminists that served as a base of operations for their activities. She was part of the effort to organize the various Shanghai women’s groups into a united Shanghai Women’s Association, which petitioned the Nationalist government in Nanjing
for a new constitution under the slogan, “Down with the warlords and up with equality between men and women”. Kang Tongbi is also remembered for her biography of Kang Youwei, published in 1958.
She stayed in mainland China after the communist revolution in China in 1949. While she seems to have been left alone by the new regime for a while, she was jailed during the Cultural Revolution
and died on August 17, 1969, possibly as the result of ill treatment.
depicted a character named Kang Tongbi in his counterfactual novel The Years of Rice and Salt
, a speculation on how world history might have turned out if Western Civilization had been wiped out by the plague epidemic of the 14th century, but it is not known whether the reference is deliberate.
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
康同璧 pinyin
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
Kāng Tóngbì), 1887–1969, was the daughter of Kang Youwei
Kang Youwei
Kang Youwei , was a Chinese scholar, noted calligrapher and prominent political thinker and reformer of the late Qing Dynasty. He led movements to establish a constitutional monarchy and was an ardent Chinese nationalist. His ideas inspired a reformation movement that was supported by the Guangxu...
, a Chinese reformer and political figure of the late Qing dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
and early Republican era
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
.
Early life
She was born in 1887 to Kang Youwei's first wife, Zhang Yunchu (as a scholar from a relatively wealthy family in traditional China, Kang kept several wives and concubines). She was Zhang Yunchu's second daughter. Official documents in the US indicate that her birth was on February 5, 1888, using the Gregorian calendar. No record is currently available of her birth date using the Chinese calendar.Kang Tongbi's father, along with his disciple Liang Qichao
Liang Qichao
Liang Qichao |Styled]] Zhuoru, ; Pseudonym: Rengong) was a Chinese scholar, journalist, philosopher and reformist during the Qing Dynasty , who inspired Chinese scholars with his writings and reform movements...
, was one of the major intellectual figures behind the launching of China's political reform
Hundred Days' Reform
The Hundred Days' Reform was a failed 104-day national cultural, political and educational reform movement from 11 June to 21 September 1898 in late Qing Dynasty China. It was undertaken by the young Guangxu Emperor and his reform-minded supporters...
by the Guangxu Emperor
Guangxu Emperor
The Guangxu Emperor , born Zaitian of the Aisin-Gioro clan, was the eleventh emperor of the Manchurian Qing Dynasty, and the ninth Qing emperor to rule over China. His reign lasted from 1875 to 1908, but in practice he ruled, under Empress Dowager Cixi's influence, only from 1889 to 1898...
in 1898, but political infighting at the Qing court caused the reform movement to be summarily aborted within 103 days of its start, and a death warrant to be issued against Kang Youwei. He hastily left the country with his family and would spend the next 14 years travelling the world. As a result, much of Kang Tongbi's youth was spent abroad.
Her father, a noted calligrapher, taught her traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy. A few of Tongbi's own paintings survive.
In 1903, while the Kangs were in Japan, teen-aged Tongbi met Luo Chang, a young staffer at the Chinese embassy in Tokyo. The two were married soon thereafter. There is no indication of the match having been arranged by their respective families, as was usually the case among upper-class Chinese at the time. Tongbi followed her husband when the latter was assigned to the Chinese consulate in Denmark, and later moved on to the United States where her father was already residing.
In 1907, Tongbi became the first Asian student ever to be enrolled in courses at Barnard College
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
. She earned an associates degree in Journalism in 1909. Also in 1909 at age twenty-one, she gave birth to her daughter, Luo Yifeng.
Activities in China
Little information is available in English on Kang Tongbi’s life after she left Barnard College, but it is known that after the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911, she returned to China, where she continued to agitate for feminist causes. She was deeply involved in the women’s movement in ShanghaiShanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, advocating women’s rights through meetings and speeches. She was an editor and major contributor to Nüxuebao (Women’s Education), one of the first women’s journals in China.
After the journal folded, Kang Tongbi continued to crusade for women’s rights. Like her father, she took a stand against the practice of foot-binding, establishing and co-leading a Tianzuhui (Natural Feet Society) with other Chinese feminists that served as a base of operations for their activities. She was part of the effort to organize the various Shanghai women’s groups into a united Shanghai Women’s Association, which petitioned the Nationalist government in Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
for a new constitution under the slogan, “Down with the warlords and up with equality between men and women”. Kang Tongbi is also remembered for her biography of Kang Youwei, published in 1958.
She stayed in mainland China after the communist revolution in China in 1949. While she seems to have been left alone by the new regime for a while, she was jailed during the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
and died on August 17, 1969, possibly as the result of ill treatment.
Trivia
Science-fiction writer Kim Stanley RobinsonKim Stanley Robinson
Kim Stanley Robinson is an American science fiction writer known for his award-winning Mars trilogy. His work delves into ecological and sociological themes regularly, and many of his novels appear to be the direct result of his own scientific fascinations, such as the fifteen years of research...
depicted a character named Kang Tongbi in his counterfactual novel The Years of Rice and Salt
The Years of Rice and Salt
The Years of Rice and Salt is an alternate history novel with major Buddhist and Islamic religious elements written by science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson, a thought experiment about a world in which neither Christianity nor the European cultures based on it achieve lasting impact on world...
, a speculation on how world history might have turned out if Western Civilization had been wiped out by the plague epidemic of the 14th century, but it is not known whether the reference is deliberate.
Sources
- Barnard College online archives: http://www.barnard.edu/archives/persons.htm#top
- Barnard College Office of Admissions. “International Students.”
- Lo, Jung-Pang. K’ang Yu-Wei: A Biography and a Symposium. Tucson, AZ: The University of Arizona Press, 1967.