Hsieh Hsueh Hung (Taiwan)


Hsieh Hsueh-hung (謝雪紅) can be regarded as the first female revolutionary in Taiwan and the pioneer of social revolution and the fight for democracy in Taiwan.

 

Hsieh Hsueh-hung was in Changhua on October 17, 1901. Her family was very poor and she was finally a child bride in a Hung family. However, she escaped from this family because of their rude approaches and later she married the wealthy Zhang Shumi and went to the Qingdao. She was deeply recognized the important of democracy and revolution through the local college lectures and some revolutionary photos. It is the turning point in her lives.

 

Unfortunately, she found Zhang Shumin was a married man already after returning to Taiwan and therefore a left Zhang and opened a tailor shop. As a minor economically independent career woman, she began to have more opportunities to meet many revolutionaries and participate in different social movements.

 

Hsieh Hsueh-hung gradually became to the political leadership, but her association disbanded. However, she was still actively involved in political activities. In the February 28 Incident of 1947, the national government killed many people to suppress the insurgency. Hsieh Hsueh-hung founded and led the 27 Brigade to resist, so that people massacred in Taichung could be greatly reduced. Unfortunately, she was criticized as “rightists”, “counter-revolutionaries” later and lost her leadership. During the Cultural Revolution in 1966, she was caught and her physical and mental torture was suffered. Finally, Hsieh Hsueh-hung died because of lung cancer in the hospital corridor in 1970, at the age of 69 years.

 

Written by Mok Ka Wing