User:Jiayi Yan/Li Wenyi/ModernViolet Peer Review

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Jiayi Yan
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Lead[edit]
Li Wenyi (李文宜 1903-1997), born in Wuhan, Hubei, graduated from Hubei Nü Zi Shi Fan Xue Xiao (Hubei Girls’ School of Education), (REWRITE AS LI WENYI, A CHINESE ACTIVIST AND POLITICIAN, GRADUATED...)Chinese woman activist, politician. (IN 1922, WENYI GOT INVOLVED WITH THE ... TO ... THROUGH WHICH SHE ...) Her activism begun as early as 1922 as she started to get involved in Women's Movement Alliance (WMA) to advocate for women's equal rights and political participation in China, promoting female labor protection and education equality. In 1926, she joined Kuomingtang (KMT) and Communist Party of China (CCP), and was then expelled by both, but her affiliation with both was maintained through out her activism. (THIS DOESN'T MAKE SENSE, IF SHE WAS EXPELLED THEN SHE IS NO LONGER AFFILIATED) When the War of Resistance broke out in 1938, Li Wenyi joined local women's resistance group (NAME?) to defend her hometown. In 1943, under commission, Li Wenyi traveled to Kunming, Yunnan and built her major left-wing (DELETE BUILT MAJOR ACTIVISM AND JUST STATE WHAT SHE DID AND HOW IT WAS ACTIVISM) activism there, including women's press, women's reading group, and academic seminars to educate local women. During the Civil War (1945-1949), Li Wenyi, along with her colleagues, supported the CCP's establishment of a new China and joined the national All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) upon the founding of the People's Republic of China. Her tireless dedication and unwavering commitment to advancing women's rights and democracy played a pivotal role in shaping China's trajectory toward greater equality and political participation for women. (LAST SENTENCE SOUNDS BIASED) (NEEDS CITATION)

Preliminary Attempt[edit]
In 1922, Li Wenyi emerged as a prominent figure within Women's Movement Alliance (WMA) as a staunch advocate for democracy and women's rights, (JUST SAY: SPECIFICALLY WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE AND POLITICAL PARTICIPATION) consistently pressing for women's suffrage and political participation. She maintained strong affiliations with the CCP and the Communist Youth League, which provided crucial support and guidance for her various political activities, particularly within the realms of the democratic movement and women's rights advocacy. (RUN ON SENTENCE) Within the Hunan Women's Movement League, Li Wenyi spearheaded several crucial initiatives alongside fellow women (FEMALE ACTIVISTS OR FEMINIST ACTIVISTS IS MORE GRAMATICALLY CORRECT) activists. (CRUCIAL SOUNDS BIASED, MAYBE USE IMPORTANT INSTEAD) These initiatives encompassed calls for the repeal of the Police Law, the inclusion of women in electoral legislation, and the incorporation of provisions safeguarding women's labor rights in the Labor Protection Law. ( NEEDS CITATION)

Start of a Political Career[edit]
In 1926, Li Wenyi embarked on her political career by joining the KMT and CCP. This was a significant (CONTROVERSIAL MAYBE IS A BETTER WORD AND HOW IS IT CONTROVERSIAL/SIGNIFIGANT) step, given the volatile political climate in China during that era, with the KMT and CCP navigating a complex and often contentious relationship. (RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO ORGANIZATIONS? OR SOMETHING ELSE.. NOT CLEAR) Her work alongside prominent communist leaders Deng Yingchao and Cai Chang in the CCP women's committee, as part of the First KMT-CCP United Front during the National Revolution, was crucial in the fight against foreign imperialism and domestic warlords. (HOW?)

(DELETE FIRST SENTENCE AND SAY HOWEVER, IN 1927...) However, Li's journey was fraught with challenges. In 1927, she was persecuted by the KMT due to her communist affiliations and faced a controversial expulsion from the CCP. Officially, her expulsion was for not seeking permission for a personal task. However, it was later revealed that internal political struggles within the CCP were the actual cause.

Despite these setbacks, Li's commitment to political activism remained steadfast. During the War of Resistance in 1938, she was actively involved in women's resistance organizations in Hubei and played a significant role in the defense of Wuhan, joining other female activists from across the country. (SOURCE/HOW?)

Li's influence continued to be felt in the 1940s. In 1943, in recognition of her political experience, she was invited by Hua Gang and Zhou Xinmin, appointed by the CCP, to help establish the Yunnan branch of the Democratic League in Kunming.

Main Activism and Political Activities in Kunming (1943-1946)[edit]
Arrival in Kunming

Li Wenyi was married to Zhou Xinmin, who was both part of the KMT and the CCP. Her relationship with Zhou did not help her much (SOUNDS BIASED) when it came to establishing political connections with fragmented communist women’s groups. However, Zhou’s role as the, later appointed, chairman of The Kunming League of Democratic Political Groups did play a role in Li Wenyi’s arrival into the group in August of 1943 as an organizer. She took that role due to her prior experience of being an underground organizer for the CCP.

In 1943, Li Wenyi was a participant of the Southwest Central Research Society meeting that hosted many professors and others in the academic setting to talk about CCP policies and other internal and external issues. This was relevant to Li due to the women’s groups in Kunming being heavily related to academics, both for KMT and CCP. She had the task of bringing together women’s groups.

A Breakthrough: The Women’s Day Celebration, 1944[edit]
Li Wenyi, with no political connections in Kunming, aimed to start a left-wing women's movement by first making 100 friends before Women’s Day in 1944. Her High Court job in Yunnan Province led her to befriend Yang Suhui, who introduced her to her friends. By late 1943, Li Wenyi had formed a women's reading group of about 30 members. To expand this group, she approached Zhong Shaoqin, director-general of the local Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), who agreed to merge the reading group with the YWCA, renaming it the Career Women's Community (CWC). However, the expansion faced challenges as the YWCA office relocated shortly after, hindering member attendance, and by Women’s Day 1944, the Community had only 46 members.

The 1944 Women’s Day celebration marked a significant breakthrough for Li to broaden her influence and build political rapport. Li Wenyi initiallly planned to publish a special Women’s Day newspaper issue and she had successfully secured space in several major Kunming newspapers, including Saodang Bao (扫荡报), Guomin Ribao (国民日报), Yunnan Ribao (云南日报),  Zhengyi Bao (正义报). Learning that Zhang Jinghua, the women leader iof KMT, had a similar celebration idea, Li tactfully shared her planned articles for the Guomin Ribao (国民日报) with the KMT to avoid conflict and foster good relations. This gesture won her favor with the KMT, leading to her drafting the opening speech for Gu Yingqiu, the governor's wife, and an invitation for her group to the KMT’s Women’s Day event. Following Women’s Day, the Community's membership nearly doubled, approaching 100 members.

Turning Point: Break from YWCA, Move toward CWA[edit]
However, CWC’s success and popularity entailed resentment from the YWCA, resulting in its exclusion from YWCA’s decision-making, in response to which CWC was renamed as Joy Group to assert its independence without causing disturbance within YWCA. Within a year, Joy Group held over a dozen public talks and seminars to educate local women, featuring renowned scholars from Xi’nan Lianda, and the financial cost was minimal thanks to Li Wenyi’s academic network. By the end of 1944, Joy Group recruited 117 members and engaged broadly with social and political issues, demonstrating  a left-wing political stance, and they even organized a nurse-training class at YWCA’s dormitory.

Constantly working for YWCA without being paid or included in the decision-making process, Joy Group broke from YWCA and lost its legal status, therefore couldn’t get involved in Kunming’s public activities alone. Subsequently, Li Wenyi was commissioned to establish a Yunnan branch of the China Women’s Association (CWA)--formed under the United-Front framework during the War of Resistance (1937-1945), affiliated with CCP’s south Bureau and consisting of women activists from a wide range of organizations and parties–which granted legal status to the Joy Group. The Yunnan Women's Association and its official publication, Funü Xunkan (妇女旬刊), were officially registered in Kunming. This move facilitated Li Wenyi's network development with local left-wing women activists and female students and the Association also strengthened its institutional and political connections with Chongqing by its publication.

After her three fruitful years in Kunming, Li Wenyi as well as her colleagues arrived in major cities controlled by KMT (Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai) during the Civil War (1945-1949).

Late Stage Activism (1946-1949)[edit]
The Civil War was characterized by administrative turmoil, military threats, and economic decline. In KMT-controlled urban areas such as Shanghai, Beijing, and Nanjing, political activists faced persecution for suspected affiliations with the CCP, and independent women (FEMALE/FEMINIST) activists struggled to continue their work amid the political chaos. In CCP-liberated areas, the CCP welcomed women activists who found it hard in KMT-controlled regions, and henceforth, leaders of the CWA, including Li Dequan, Cao Mengjun, Xu Guangping, and Li Wenyi, who had been active in KMT-controlled urban areas, traveled to CCP-controlled Xibaipo and Shenyang to support the CCP in establishing a new government. (LONG SENTENCE)

In April 1949, six months before the founding of the People's Republic of China, the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) was established in Beijing. Li Wenyi, along with other prominent CWA leaders like Li Dequan, Shi Liang, and Liu-Wang Liming, was (WERE) elected into the executive and standing committees of the ACWF. The federation's inaugural resolution emphasized the unification of Chinese women against the KMT as the sole path to women's liberation and the construction of a new China. Notably, Li Wenyi expressed dissent regarding the dominance of CCP women leaders within the federation.

WELL WRITTEN WITH LOTS OF DETAIL. LEAD SECTION NEEDS FURTHER SIMPLIFICATION. THE CHRONOLOGY OF HER ACTIVISM IS KIND OF CONFUSING. OVERALL, SOME GRAMATICAL ISSUES, RUN ON SENTENCES, AND BIASED WORD CHOICES/PHRASING.