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SPEAKER_00: Hey, it's Jenny. We're currently gearing up for a brand new season of Womanica. Until then, we're bringing you our favorite episodes featuring villains, troublemakers, magic, and mystery in honor of October.
SPEAKER_02: Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I'm Alessandra Tejeda and I'm a junior producer at WMN, which means that for Womanica, I get to produce and write some of these incredible episodes. I'm so excited to be introducing this best of episode of Womanica. This episode originally came from our troublemakers theme in October, 2021. The life of today's villainess is a story about the clash between tradition and modernity. She was charged with premeditated murder, but really modern law itself was on trial. How should governments handle the messy transition between political eras? And what's the difference between law and justice? These are two questions that this episode poses that I find really interesting because it gives a brief look into how a crime can be interpreted through a spiritual, legal, and even philosophical lens. But especially because these questions get asked through the story of an incredible woman who went to great lengths in the middle of her grief. Now here's host Jenny Kaplan to talk about the life of Xi Gulan, also known as Xi Zhenqiao, or sword wielder.
SPEAKER_00: Xi Gulan was born in an Eastern province in China in the early 1900s. She grew up in a farming family, living in a small village. Though her life started unremarkably, the end of the country's final imperial dynasty, the Qing dynasty, was fast approaching. China was undergoing a period of drastic change. Xi Gulan's father, Xi Kongbin, entered the military and climbed to the rank of lieutenant. This elevated the family's status, but it also brought new risks in an uncertain time. The Qing dynasty collapsed in 1911, and what followed is now called the warlord period. Government control from the capital, Beijing, was weak. It was hard to know who held true power. Military warlords constantly battled over territories in the rest of the country. Xi Gulan's father served under one of the most brutal warlords during the wars of the 1920s. In 1925, he and his soldiers were ambushed and captured by a rival warlord. The next day, they were executed. The opposing faction stuck Xi Gulan's father's head on a pike outside the railway station. Xi Gulan was enraged. Though she was barely in her 20s, she immediately started plotting her revenge. But before Xi Gulan could reach her father's killer, the killer was stripped of his political power. He eventually retired to the city of Tianjin and became a member of the Buddhist lay clergy. But Xi Gulan didn't care about her father's killer's retirement. She continued to track his movements, determined to hunt him down. She even changed her name to Xi Zhenqiao, which roughly means sword wielder. Xi Zhenqiao moved to Tianjin and pretended that she wanted to join the recitation hall where her father's killer worked. But really, she wanted to join so that she could learn his schedule. On November 13th, 1935, Xi Zhenqiao walked into a prayer meeting and shot her father's murderer three times as he led the recitation. It had been 10 years since he killed her father. As onlookers panicked, Xi Zhenqiao calmly said, "'I have avenged the murder of my father. "'Do not fear. "'I will not hurt anyone else, nor will I run away.' Xi Zhenqiao confessed to the crime and let herself be arrested. She distributed booklets that explained her actions, contained poetry dedicated to her parents, and apologized for getting blood on the shrine. She signed the booklet, Female Avenger, Xi Zhenqiao. Such a clear-cut murder went straight to trial, but it was obvious from the start that Xi Zhenqiao was a public relations master. She orchestrated the perfect dramatic scene and the perfect publicity packets to capture the public's attention. The crime, inspired by ancient tradition, brought a very modern amount of media coverage. Xi Zhenqiao took lengthy interviews from her jail cell. The courtroom was open to the public, and reporters from newspapers based in several major cities crowded the courthouse entrance. Xi Zhenqiao's case ended up being tried three times. The defense first argued that even modern law required recognition of tradition. The murder was simply avenging a wrongful killing. Xi Zhenqiao was simply acting as the most devoted daughter. The attorneys implored the jury to find that the murder was committed under mitigating circumstances. The prosecution pointed out that the defense was a clear, premeditated murder. Further, how could the death of a soldier during war be unjust? Xi Zhenqiao was found guilty during the first trial and was sentenced to at least 10 years in prison. But the defense appealed the decision, leading judges to reduce the sentence to seven years. Still, the defense didn't want to stop, and public opinion was on Xi Zhenqiao's side. They pushed for an acquittal, and the case climbed to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court upheld the sentence of seven years, but just two months later, the government issued a statement. It declared that Xi Zhenqiao's actions, quote, constitute a violation of criminal law, but if we consider that she was a lone woman acting upon filial thinking and with little regard for her own personal safety, then her intent merits commiseration and the extraordinary circumstances are forgivable. Xi Zhenqiao had been pardoned. After the pardon, Xi Zhenqiao went on to live a normal life, even through a revolution in 1949 that once again overhauled China's government. When the People's Republic of China took over, she was elected vice chair of the Women's Federation of Suzhou. Then, in 1957, she was appointed to a key political committee in Beijing. Xi Zhenqiao passed away in 1979, following surgery for advanced cancer. Her ashes were buried in Suzhou City. Xi Zhenqiao's crime has been the subject of moral and legal debate for decades. Is a soldier dying during war unjust? Should someone who's reformed themselves be held responsible for past actions? Whether or not her actions were morally justified, Xi Zhenqiao's independence and determination represented a surprising leap outside the gender expectations of her day. All month, we're bringing you the best of villainy, magic, and mystery. Tune in tomorrow for another of our favorite episodes. Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator. Talk to you tomorrow.
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