Qu Qiubai - Early Life

Early Life

Qu was born in the southeast corner of Changzhou, Jiangsu Province. His family lived in a building named TianXianLou, and the building was in a lane named QingGuo. Qu's father, Qu Shiwei, was born in a downfallen family which used to be powerful and glorious. Qu Shiwei was good at painting, fencing, and medical knowledge, but he was not interested in other things, particularly politics and business. Qu's mother, Kim Xuan, the daughter of elite government officials, was skilled in poetry. Qu had five brothers and one sister, of which he was the eldest. When Qu was young, his family lived in his uncle's house, being supported financially by relatives. Though Qu’s father took a job as teacher, he was unable to earn enough money to support his family due to an opium addiction. In 1915, Qu’s mother, overcome by her life's mounting difficulties and debts, committed suicide.

In 1916, Qu went to Hankou and entered Wuchang Foreign Language School to learn English on his cousin’s support. In the spring of 1917, Qu went to Beijing to apply for a job, but did not pass the general civil service examination. Without enough money to pay for a regular university tuition, therefore, Qu enrolled in the newly established Russian Language Institute of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (俄文专修馆), as it was tuition-free. The institute also offered a stipend and held the promise of a job upon graduation. As a reluctant participant in revolutionary discourse, Qu was radicalized by his experience in the May 4th Movement.