PUBLISHED DECEMBER 14, 2019
In 2018, 152 people, mostly women, from all over China chose to speak up and report those who had sexual assaulting him or her. Altogether 54 preptrators were revealed. It was known as the Chinese version of the global MeToo Movement.
This project aims to document what happened, who were the preptrators and more importantly, the courageous individuals who stood up and became a power in changing social conceptions and even legislations.
Total Reported MeToo Cases In China By Month in 2018
54 cases in total
50
33 cases in July
cases
30
10
2
Jan
Feb
Mar
April
May
June
July
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Total Reported MeToo Cases In China By Month in 2018
50
33 cases in July
cases
30
10
2
Jan
Feb
Mar
April
May
June
July
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Total Reported MeToo Cases In China By Month in 2018
50
cases
33 cases in July
30
10
2
Jan
Mar
May
July
Sep
Nov
#MeToo in China first erupted at the begining of 2018 on social media platforms like weibo and wechat. The first few cases that caught public attention were mostly from colleage campuses, where professors were accused of sexually harrassing or even raping their female students.
Encouraged by the early cases, more and more people broke the silence. The highlight of the movement was in July, when the number of reported preptrators surged 33 in a single month. Meanwhile, the movement spread beyond campuses and brought down many prominent figures across multiple industries.
In Janurary, Chen Xiaowu, a professor from China's Beihang University, was reported by one of his former students for sexual harrassing female students for years.
Later, Chen was removed from his teaching position. This marked the very begining of China's MeToo Movement.
In April, Shen Yang, a literature professor at Peking University in the 1990s, was accused of raping and sexually harassing his student Gao Yan, who committed suicide after tolerating years of harassment.
A coalition of student activists at the univiersity successfully pushed school authorities to open a new investigation into the matter. But their activism came at a high price. Yue Xin, the most outspoken and passionate activist, reportedly endured days of harassment and intimidation from school officials.
In July, Lei Chuang, founder of a major Chinese NGO dedicated to eliminating discrimination against people with hepatitis B, was assused of sexually assaulting a female volunteer. Lei later resigned from his position.
Zhu Jun, a famous TV host for China's Central Television, was accused for sexual harassing an intern in 2014. The intern, Xianzi, has brought her case to court in a civil lawsuit.
In September, Shi Xuecheng, the abbot of Beijing’s Longquan Temple and one of China’s highest-ranking monks, was removed from his post amid allegations of sexual assault.
In October, Richard Liu, founder and CEO of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com, was accused of raping a 21-year-old Chinese student in U.S. in summer 2018.
Liu is facing a rape accusation in civil court in U.S.
Altogther 152 people chose to stand up and reveal these preptrators. They were these preptrators' students, interns, or female co-workers. Most of them are well-educated and from Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou, the so-called tier-one cities in China. All of them spoke out about their #MeToo stories with incredible courage and fought for change.
Luo Xixi
"It happened to me 12 years ago. I want to stand up so that no sisters behind me will be victims."
-- LUO XIXI from Beihang University(BUAA)
"He pounced on me like a hungry wolf."
-- GAO YAN, a former Peking University student
LI YOUYOU, a former sociology student at Peking University, has accused Shenyang of sexually assaulting Gao Yan, a friend of her, during his teaching at Peking University, and slandering Gao Yan for suffering from mental illness, leading to Gao's suicide.
Xianzi
Xianzi has been thinking about the book "The Silence of the Lambs" frequently. She is not only the victim as a "lamb", but also can save other girls from bad luck. If she doesn't stick to reporting on Zhu Jun, the screaming of lambs in her mind won't stop.
-- Former CCTV intern XIANZI (pseudonym)
Jiang Fangzhou, Writer
"Thanks to all those who support me. I was ready to "evaporate". In the past, the victims will bear the pressure of public opinion from all aspects of society, and I am afraid that I will collapse as a result. But fortunately, after me, more female victims have come forward, and I have also received the concern and support from a lot of people. I never fight alone. Now, even if someone still uses 'slut humiliation' to attack me, I will not be afraid any more. "
-- "Little Elf"(pseudonym)
A woman wrote that Zhang Wen, a famous journalist in China, raped her after drinking in May 2018. After that, Writer JIANG FANGZHOU and journalist YI XIAOHE also revealed that Zhang Wen had sexually harassed them.
"I don't want to wear clothes at night. Master asked me to imagine how many times I slept with him. Now it has become a habit. "
-- A text message sent to Shi Xuecheng by SHI XIANBING (pseudonym)
"I just felt the endless darkness, fear, shame and disgust."
-- LI YIYI
LI YIYI, who once studied in Qingyang No.6 middle school, jumped from a building to commit suicide on June 20, 2018, after which it was revealed that she had been indecently molested by Wu yonghou, the head teacher in charge of her school.
Experts have pointed out that sexual harassment cases are difficult to file in China as it is hard to obtain evidence. Plantiffs have lost most of the cases in history. Even when the victims won, compensations for such cases are merely 3,000 yuan ($400) on average.
All these have prevented victims from publicly defending their rights, as they could risk many things for nothing. The MeToo movement in 2018 was a rare oppotunity for victims to stand together and speak up. But unfortunately, support from the legal system was still missing in most cases.
Public Security Administration Punishment Regulations:
Anyone molests a woman with obscene words or behaviors shall be detained or warned for less than ten days
Criminal Law:
Rape of women by violence, coercion or other means shall be punished by a term of imprisonment of three to ten years.
Public Security Administration Punishment Regulations (Revised Edition):
Those who insult women shall be detained for less than 15 days, fined less than 200 yuan or receive a warning, and for less severe cases, they shall be punished by related organization.
Criminal Law (Revised Edition):
Those forcibly insults or insults women by violence, coercion, or other methods shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than five years or detention.
First sexual harassment case filed in China:
A woman in northwest China’s Shan'xi Province sued the general manager of her company for sexually harassing her. But after two months of trial, the court dismissed the charges for lack of evidence.
First sexual harassment case in China that the plantiff wins:
A female English teacher in China’s Hubei Province accused her supervisor for sexual assault. The plaintiff won the case and the perpetrator was ordered to apologize to the victim and paid a fine of 2,000 yuan ($300) for moral damages.
First legislation in China on sexual harassment:
"Women's Rights Protection Law", which came into effect on December 1, 2005, states that "Sexual harassment against women is prohibited, and victims are entitled to lodge complaints with organizations. Public security organs shall punish the offenders in accordance with the law.
Special regulations for female employees' labor protection:
The Chinese State Council states employers' obligations to prevent and stop sexual harassment towards female employees.