Jing Zhou: Jiang Jian: Mother of Wounded Warriors and Refugee Children

Artist(s):

Jing Zhou

Title:

Jiang Jian: Mother of Wounded Warriors and Refugee Children

Exhibition:

DAC Online Exhibition 2020: Digital Power: Activism, Advocacy and the Influence of Women Online
More artworks from DAC Online Exhibition 2020:

Artist Statement:

The Jiang Jian website is the first visual presentation of a growing project that touches on multiple fields of studies such as history, women’s movement, storytelling, information design, visual narrative, interaction design, and web development. This project unveils the forgotten story of an extraordinary woman Jiang Jian (蒋鉴)—the “Chinese Nightingale,” “Mother of Wounded Warriors,” and “Mother of Refugee Children”—who passed away at age 38 during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). Through her evocative story, the project sheds light upon the Mothers’ Movement in China, a major achievement of the Chinese Women’s Movement in the first half of the 20^th century.

Ms. Jiang was from an affluent family. Instead of living a comfortable life, she became a nurse, educator, activist, and philanthropist during the war. She volunteered to serve the wounded warriors in military hospitals and established a refugee school for children. In addition to actively engaging in community development and charity programs, she set up a local Women’s Association. After years of assiduous work, she dedicated her life entirely for the wounded warriors and refugee children in wartime. Meanwhile, from 1938 to 1946, 30,000 refugee children were saved and educated in over 60 Relief Schools throughout China, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia organized by the Chinese Wartime Refugee Children’s Relief and Education Association (中国战时儿童保育会) supported mainly by donations. After WWII, unfortunately, the Chinese Mothers’ Movement has been overlooked and their voices attenuated due to the Chinese Civil War followed by decades of political turmoil and unrest. As of today, no studies in English are hitherto available. This project was initiated to share the story of Jiang Jian—a heroine of the Chinese Mothers’ Movement, which would deepen our understanding of common human experiences and stimulate social change for generations to come.