Qiu Jin got married at the age of 21, which was considered late for a woman of that time. Qiu Jin's father arranged the marriage for her and made her marry Wang Tingchun, the youngest son of a wealthy merchant in Hunan province. Qiu Jin did not get along well with her husband, as her husband only cared about enjoying himself. While in an unhappy marriage, Qiu came into contact with new ideas. The failure of her marriage affected her decisions later on, including choosing to study in Japan.