Public Passions: The Trial of Shi Jianqiao and the Rise of Popular Sympathy in Republican China

by Eugenia Lean

In 1935, a Chinese woman by the name of Shi Jianqiao murdered the notorious warlord Sun Chuanfang as he prayed in a Buddhist temple. This riveting work of history examines this well-publicized crime and the highly sensationalized trial of the killer. In a fascinating investigation of the media, political, and judicial records surrounding this cause célèbre, Eugenia Lean shows how Shi Jianqiao planned not only to avenge the death of her father, but also to attract media attention and galvanize public support. Lean traces the rise of a new sentiment―"public sympathy"―in early twentieth-century China, a sentiment that ultimately served to exonerate the assassin. The book sheds new light on the political significance of emotions, the powerful influence of sensational media, modern law in China, and the gendered nature of modernity.

Genres: China, History, Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Eugenia Lean is associate professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Columbia University.

Reviews

[Chelsea Szendi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sure, I'm interested in gender studies, but I'm not yet convinced that gender is the most salient prism from which to view historical moments. Lean convinced me that gender is essential to any conception of a "public sphere" in Republican China. Her discussion of popular literature operates in a society in which there is no safe sphere to discuss politics was particularly compelling.

[Miaomiao Li · Rating 4 out of 5]

好多地方让我想到了《Chicago》，even murder can be a show business
施剑翘首先是个女性，她的复仇必须披着传统儒家“孝道”的外衣，如此突破性别界限的行为才能得到许可。
民国时期纸媒、广播、戏曲的发展很好地传播了施剑翘案的影响力。虽然大部分公共持同情态度，但精英们对此意见不一，出现了传统孝道和现代理性的对抗
最后政府的特赦又是一个国家层面的performance：借用孝来主张新生活政权，把现代性的个人复仇上升到民族复仇，并以推翻最高法院判决的模式展示更高权威的“党义”
施剑翘是否只是当时军阀纷争中的一颗棋子我们已经无从得知，但从她的行为和她30年代之后的所作所为依然可以看出是一名勇敢又有谋略的伟大女性，晚年太可惜了…

[DAZK · Rating 5 out of 5]

性别在这场舆论中到底是不是那么重要

[Yvette · Rating 4 out of 5]

以小见大，读到很多现实的影子。当今中国的集体情感主义在这个更加威权的社会愈加工具化，也许也会反噬任何试图操纵它的政权。几年前的张扣扣为母报仇案里，辩护方也试图唤起公众同情，虽然社会主义核心价值观似乎也试图复苏传统价值观，但在当局看来，维护私力复仇对维稳大业的负面影响更大。

[Jessica Zu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Top-notch. I cannot believe this is a first book ...
need to check out the author.