当一个伟大的任务站在你面前的时候，应忘却自己的渺小。When a great responsibility stands in front of you, you must forget the minuteness of your self.
Ding Ling (丁玲), Miss Sophie’s Diary (莎菲女士的日记)
Jiang Bingzhi (蒋冰之), who wrote under the pen name Ding Ling for her literary career, is one of the most renowned authors in the birth of modern Chinese literature. Raised by a single mother, Ding Ling grew up deeply inspired by her mother’s resilience and strength working as a teacher to support her children. She went on to become an activist for womens’ rights in the early 1920s, rejecting Confucian norms of filial piety and female virtues. Miss Sophie’s Diary is her most well-known work, tracing the thoughts of Sophie and her dealings with depression, bisexuality, and romance. A significant work in feminist Chinese literature, Miss Sophie’s Diary was among the first works to center the complexities of the female psyche, presenting a multidimensional and nuanced portrayal of a female protagonist who is simultaneously all-powerful yet powerless to effect change in the lives of others.
(via sinethetamagazine)
