Two women, two visions of nationhood for Taiwan: Madame Chiang Kai-shek and Hsiu-lien Annette Lu

Abstract

This essay discusses the ways in which social feminism in postwar Taiwan has been used as a means to further the nationalistic goals of Madame Chiang Kai-shek and the former vice- president of Taiwan, Hsiu-lien Annette Lu. As social feminists, both Madame Chiang and Annette Lu envisaged the extension of homemakers' maternal roles from the domestic realm to the public arena to serve the nation. Since 1949, Madame Chiang urged women to contribute their sewing skills to mending military uniforms and to raise funds for social services to assist military families in order to support the campaign of the Chinese Nationalist Military to recover China from Communist occupation. In contrast, Lu proposed the peaceful coexistence of Taiwan and China and conceived of women's contribution to democratic political participation, human rights, fund-raising for humanitarian aid and international peace as Taiwan's “soft national power’ in the international community.