Yü Cheng-hsieh

Yu Zhengxie (1775–1840) was a Qing dynasty scholar from Yi county, Anhui. Along with his philological work, he was a noted critic of foot binding, female infanticide, and the cult of widow chastity. Yu grew up in Jurong, Jiangsu, where his father served as sub-director of schools. While in Beijing, Yu assisted Ye Mingchen in the compilation of the 1818 edition of the *Collected Statutes of the Great Qing*, and also wrote a history of his hometown. In 1821, he obtained the rank of juren. Despite his learning, he was unsuccessful in the metropolitan examination of 1833. Lin Yutang regarded him as one of the three pre-modern Chinese male feminists along with Yuan Mei and Li Ruzhen. A skilled philologist, Yu researched the history of language, which influenced his views on women. According to his interpretation, Chinese historical texts supported an egalitarian view of marriage. He also wrote about Taiwan, religion in Tibet, and the relationship between Tibet and the Manchus.