五四女性：现代中国女权主义先行者

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       In the early 20th century, a group of professional women, largely unknown today, were active in China. They were principals, lawyers, editors-in-chief, educators, and revolutionaries, among other things. They advocated for women's self-liberation and committed themselves to integrating women into broader societal spheres. Through a series of groundbreaking practices, they reshaped the socio-cultural landscape of the early Republic of China, embedding profound gender imprints in the legacy of the May Fourth New Culture Movement. Unlike the portrayal of women in male-centric cultural representations, these women were neither backward objects waiting for salvation nor mere tools for anti-feudalism and national salvation; rather, they were key figures actively participating in the modernization process.

　　This book, through the juxtaposition of oral accounts and historical documents, records the life trajectories of five pioneering women and integrates women's experiences into the framework of historical analysis, rediscovering the early, obscured history of feminism in China. For the publication of this Chinese edition, the author rewrote the oral sections based on original recordings and supplemented them with autobiographies and recent research, restoring the vivid expressions and lively historical marks of these five women. The stories of these May Fourth women reveal the historical complexity of the Chinese women's movement and the tension between it and nation-building, further solidifying into an enduring inspiration: even when difficulties recur, there are always those who rise up to break them.

　　The five women in this book, as powerful promoters of the feminist movement, actively participated in the great changes of modern Chinese society. Wang Zheng, with her solid theoretical understanding of feminism and passionate writing, vividly presents this buried history, revealing the paradoxes and historical complexities in the development of the Chinese women's movement. — Hu Ying, Professor of East Asian Studies, University of California, Irvine

　　This book, through the recollections and evaluations of five female intellectuals who were shaped by the May Fourth Movement, examines their lives of breaking old traditions, striving for women's rights, and loving their country/party, and reviews the development and challenges of Chinese new women establishing their subjective consciousness and pursuing self-liberation. The gender analysis in the book of how politics influenced personal choices, life meanings, and historical judgments is worth contemporary readers' repeated reflection. — Xu Huiqi, Associate Professor of History, National Chengchi University

　　Wang Zheng explores how feminist thought and institutions opened new paths for intellectual women while also revealing the structural dilemmas they continuously faced. In the context of China's ongoing social transformation, the academic value and practical significance of this research are increasingly prominent. — Gail Hershatter, Distinguished Professor Emerita of History, University of California, Santa Cruz