The Guangxi Women's Battalion was a women's unit formed in 1938 in Guangxi, China.[1] It was one of several corps that were founded following an appeal by Soong Mei-ling for women to support the Sino-Japanese War effort in 1937.[2][3] Similar units included: the Yunnan Women's Battlefield Service Unit,[4] Zhejiang Women's Guerrilla Band,[5][6] Hunan War Service Corps,[7] and others.

In Guangxi, an initial appeal aimed to recruit 1200 students (both men and women), but over 18,000 initially signed up.[1] Of these 4,269 were selected for service, and of the women chosen, most trained as combat medics with the Fifth Route Army.[1] Reports on the size of the battalion vary from 130 students,[8] to 500,[9] to 800.[2] The battalion fought in southern China.[8]

According to anthropologist Elisabeth Croll, the Guangxi Women's Battalion was "the most famous of the girls' military units" in China.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Zhu, Pingchao (2015-10-30). Wartime Culture in Guilin, 1938–1944: A City at War. Lexington Books. ISBN 978-0-7391-9684-7.
  2. 1 2 Chung, Mary Keng Mun (2005). Chinese Women in Christian Ministry: An Intercultural Study. Peter Lang. ISBN 978-0-8204-5198-5.
  3. ↑ Women of China. Foreign Language Press. 2001.
  4. ↑ Honig, Emily (1992-03-01). Sisters and Strangers: Women in the Shanghai Cotton Mills, 1919-1949. Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-2012-0.
  5. ↑ Siu, Bobby (1982). Women of China: Imperialism and Women's Resistance, 1900-1949. Zed Press. ISBN 978-0-905762-58-6.
  6. ↑ The Chalice and the Blade in Chinese Culture: Gender Relations and Social Models. China Social Sciences Publishing House. 1995. ISBN 978-7-5004-1741-5.
  7. 1 2 Croll, Elisabeth (2011). Feminism and socialism in China. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-33732-1. OCLC 828737579.
  8. 1 2 Yihong, Pan (1997). "Feminism and Nationalism in China's War of Resistance against Japan". The International History Review. 19 (1): 115–130. doi:10.1080/07075332.1997.9640778. ISSN 0707-5332. JSTOR 40108087.
  9. ↑ Morgan, Robin (2016-03-08). Sisterhood Is Global: The International Women's Movement Anthology. Open Road Media. ISBN 978-1-5040-3324-4.
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