一位晚清女報人的際遇――陳擷芬其人其事

A Life Story of a Late-Qing Woman Journalist: Chen Jiefen

晚清女權初興，除了仰賴有志之男知識人大聲疾呼，也依仗少數先覺女知識人身體力行。辦報與辦學，是當時推動女權的兩大途徑。陳擷芬（1883－1923），為《蘇報》發行人陳範之長女，十六歲便在父親的支持下主編《女報》，可謂從事報業年齡最小的女報人。《女報》因隨《蘇報》附送，故而有「女蘇報」之稱。1903年，《女報》改名《女學報》。同年六月，「蘇報案」發生，《蘇報》館被清廷查封，陳擷芬隨同父親避難日本，仍續出《女學報》第四期。陳擷芬在日期間，結識秋瑾，重組「共愛會」，在女留學生群體中活動相當積極。她在報刊上發表的言論，也深具獨立意識，是一位自主性頗高的女知識人。婚後，夫家雖然富裕，她依舊簡樸自奉，且以獨立自許，為人準則始終如一。惜夫家以子嗣之故，為其夫納妾，陳擷芬中年即抑鬱而終。這位先覺女報人曾站在婦女的立場發聲，同時劍及履及，致力於獨立自主，但終因環境逼壓，齎志而歿。本文試圖勾稽陳擷芬其人其事，探索她一生的志業，並透過她的際遇，兼論家族觀念與婦女權益之間的可能衝突。

The women’s rights movement began to develop during the late Qing period, and those exponents who were positing new ideas and putting them into practice include both conscientious male and a few female intellectuals. The major strategies adopted by the movement were the founding of newspapers and periodicals and of schools for women. Chen Xiefen 陳擷芬 (1883-1923) was the eldest daughter of Chen Fan 陳範 (1860-1913), publisher of the famous Su bao 蘇報, and began to serve as editor-in-chief of Nü bao 女報 while she was only 16. Due to the fact that Nü bao was delivered along with Su bao, it was also referred to as “nü Su bao” 女蘇報, and in 1903, Nü bao changed its name to Nü xuebao 女學報 (Chinese Girls’ Progress). In the same year, because of the “Su bao incident,” Chen Xiefen accompanied her father to Japan to escape persecution, yet continued to preoccupy herself with Nü xuebao releasing its 4th issue. During her stay in Japan, Chen became acquainted with Qiu Jin 秋瑾 (1875-1907), and together they reorganized Gong’ai hui 共愛會 (Mutual or Universal Love Society) as well as being active in political affairs. The ideas she put forward in the publication exhibit an independent mind and conspicuous subjectivity as a woman, and even after her marriage, she remained independent in her work as well as in her family life. Unfortunately, she was distanced by her husband due to not bearing a child, and stricken with dismay, eventually died in her prime. As a forerunner in airing ideas on women’s rights and realizing them as well as a woman seeking an independent mind and social positioning, Chen is an important figure deserving a thorough investigation. This article delineates her life, explores her aspirations in a quest for independent social status, and looks into the milieu that created conflicts between family and women’s rights.