Introduction
Primary sources of information are crucial evidence in unearthing historical happenings that occurred several years ago. The Revolution of China happened over a century ago, and the occurrences can only be exposed to the current generation by historians, who strive to describe the activities and records of heroines such as Jin Qiu. Therefore, an analysis of “Address to two Hundred Million Fellow Countrywomen,” discloses the nature of primary sources used by one of the historians to reveal the activities that lead to China’s liberation.
Main body
The source is classified as a primary source because it entails information written or spoken by the people being discussed in the piece. In the entire text, information is obtained from a letter. Additionally, it has individual accounts that illustrate Jin’s experience, life, and spoken words. For instance, in “Address to two Hundred Million Fellow Countrywomen,” the exact terms of Qiu Jin are stated as she addresses the oppressed Chinese women. This is an indication that they were obtained from the recording that was captured during that period.
The source was created by a historian interested in the activities that led to the Revolution of China. On several occasions, the author refers to some processes recorded from the personal experiences of other people. For instance, the author relates to the happenings of other individuals instead of personalizing the information. He references their statements and writings to display their contributions to making China a free nation. The source was created to highlight personnel who strived to revolutionize the country by rejecting unfavorable laws. It also aims to give information on how people have suffered from autocratic rules. For instance, Qui Jin, an advocate for women’s rights in the country, was executed by the regime. Therefore, the document was created by an individual who was interested in past events.
The source is official and can be used for academic purposes and also other studies. The writer does not use personal opinion to make the thoughts known. Instead, he uses real accounts from people who performed the actions described in the text. For instance, the author sheds on the plight of women by refereeing to the letter written by Qiu Jin. In the “Address to two Hundred Million Fellow Countrywomen,” Qiu Jin highlights Chinese women’s suffering in her prison cell. Women were viewed as inferior beings; hence they were accorded fewer privileges compared to their male counterparts. Jin, therefore, describes these actions as they existed and encourages women to fight for their rights. The source is classified as a public document because of how it addresses its subjects. For instance, the letter from Jin was intended to reach as many people as possible. Also, the letter was written in a magazine that Qiu started. Magazines, newspapers, and government institutions’ publications are classified as public sources because their information is not profit-oriented. Therefore, the story is public because it was intended to reach as many people as possible, and they were either printed or addressed in publications regarded as public.
The creator of the information in the text can be taken at a face value. In the entire text, the illustrations are not personalized but demonstrate the action of the actual perpetrators. For instance, in the “Address to two Hundred Million Fellow Countrywomen,” the creator describes the plight of young women in China. The document contains the actual document that Jin wrote in her prison cell awaiting execution. On all occasions, the designer avoids personal opinions when illustrating the events that lead to China’s liberation. Therefore, the creator can be seen at a face value because of the limited personal bias demonstrated in the text. Hence, people should believe in everything stated in the excerpt.
In most cases, authors appeal to the readers by demonstrating personal information that can never be verified from any authorized source. The source also is significant because it creates authenticity. Factual materials are usually reliable because the information found in them can be verified and traced to the original. Hence, the evidence in the texts creates an authenticity that is needed in any source of information.
The source can be used to answer the questions regarding the processes and events that led to Chinese Liberation. People from various sectors performed different functions to liberate the country that oppressed its people for many years. For example, the academicians’ contributions to China’s liberation can be answered by Qiu Jin, “Address to two Hundred Million Fellow Countrywomen.” She went to study in Japan before coming back to China to advocate for the rights of the vulnerable population.
Additionally, women were also crucial agents of revolution, and this is demonstrated by Jin’s actions, a woman who had traveled to Japan to seek education. In her letter “Address to Two Hundred Million Fellow Countrywomen,” she courageously encourages women to take an active role in educating their children and supporting their country. She reminds women that they are equally important as their male counterparts; hence they should seek what is best for them. Although Jin was in a prison cell awaiting her execution, she never relented in fighting for equal opportunities in society. Therefore, the excerpt talks of the initiatives taken by every sector of society during the Chinese revolution.
Numerous primary and secondary sources can be used to interpret the excerpt. For instance, Reynolds provides a detailed analysis of every individual who participated in the revolution of China. The source enlists their autobiography and the kind of motivations that pushed them to admire the change in their government system. Also, it gives the contributions of every person who actively participated in the liberation of China and demonstrated the events that occurred before and during the revolution. The accounts given by Whyte are correspondingly in connection with what the author of the excerpt illustrates. Moreover, it provides a deeper meaning of every person’s role in ensuring that China was liberated. For instance, it describes women as a fearless gender who went against the existing ruthless regime to ensure that girls exercised their rights in a free space where they are not regarded as inferior beings.
Conclusion
In conclusion, analyzing the excerpt reveals the nature of primary sources and their significance to historians. Primary sources give a researcher authenticity since they are obtained from the actual footage, and writings, among other sources that have existed for several years. Also, it makes the readers feel that they are being addressed directly hence connecting them. In as much as it is known that China went through a tough time during the liberation struggle, it can only be proven by the availability of trusted primary sources.
Bibliodraphy
Jin, Qiu. Address to two Hundred Million Fellow Countrywomen. 1904.
Reynolds, Douglas R. China, 1898–1912: The Xinzheng Revolution and Japan. Boston: Brill, 2020. 1-18.
Whyte, Martin K. China’s revolutions and intergenerational relations. Michigan: University of Michigan Press, 2020.