The Media Archive for Central England is the public screen archive for the East and West Midlands. An independent charity and company based at the University of Lincoln, MACE acquires, catalogues, preserves and makes widely available moving image materials that inform our understanding of the diverse cultures and histories of communities between the Lincolnshire coast and the Welsh border.
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Jacqui Chan
Pioneering Chinese feminist and revolutionary Qiu Jin is remembered through mime and dance by the British performer Jacqui Chan.
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Overview
Jacqui Chan was one of the few people with Chinese heritage working regularly in British television and cinema in the 1960s and '70s, and she discusses those often stereotyped roles in this interview. She also reconnects with her own background in dance by performing an extract from a new work about the life of revolutionary feminist Qiu Jin, who fought against traditional foot bindings and the demeaning role of women until her execution by the authorities in 1907.
Jacqui Chan was born in Trinidad from Chinese descent. She trained at the Royal Academy of Dance before her big break in the feature film, The World of Suzie Wong in 1960. Qiu Jin (1875-1907) was an ally of Sun Yat-sen in his fight against the Qing Dynasty in China. She was a writer and poet and fought in particular for women's rights of freedom including the abolishment of the practice of foot binding.
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