Next year will mark the 30th anniversary of the Beijing declaration, a landmark blueprint for advancing women’s rights. It marked the mainstreaming of feminist concerns, with 189 states signing up to the text at a conference in China, where Hillary Clinton, then first lady of the US, declared that “women’s rights are human rights”. Yet when the United Nations celebrates that achievement, its commission for promoting and evaluating progress on gender equality will be steered by Saudi Arabia. A country known for its abysmal record on women’s rights was chosen…
Tag: Feminism
Professor accused of sexually assaulting teenager as China’s #metoo movement struggles forward
Followers of China’s struggling #MeToo movement have been gripped by a series of recent allegations, including against a professor at a high-profile university, which went viral online and been reported by state media. The professor at China’s largest public university, has been suspended after being accused of the historical sexual assault of a then-16-year-old girl. The case, which has been reported by multiple state media outlets, is the most recent in a #MeToo movement which is often hampered by censorship and crackdowns on activists. It comes just weeks after allegations…
Chizuko Ueno: the Japanese writer stoking China’s feminist underground
To find evidence that China’s feminist movement is gaining momentum – despite strict government censorship and repression – check bookshelves, nightstands and digital libraries. There, you might find a copy of one of Chizuko Ueno’s books. The 74-year-old Japanese feminist and author of Feminism from Scratch and Patriarchy and Capitalism has sold more than a million books in China, according to Beijing Open Book, which tracks sales. Of these, 200,000 were sold in January and February alone. Ueno, a professor of sociology at the University of Tokyo, was little known…
China’s ‘rotten girls’ are escaping into erotic fiction about gay men
“The hand around his waist held him tighter, their bodies pressed closer together, and Xie Lian’s struggling hands were firmly folded and crushed against his own chest; unable to move. His lips were still securely sealed, the kiss deepening, and a stream of gentle, chilled air slowly passed through.” A god kisses a ghost king, and a love story, movie deal and KFC sponsorship are born. The kiss appears in the book Heaven Official’s Blessing, a danmei or “boys love” story. Danmei is romantic fiction about men or male beings…
Domestic violence still a problem in China
China is coming to grips with domestic violence, and the judiciary is taking up measures to combat the menace after a series of high-profile cases recently highlighted the plight of domestic violence victims, sparking nationwide outrage. As education, awareness and employment make their way across the country, more and more women are speaking up about domestic violence. It has elevated to a national concern in recent years. The latest data is not available, but past figures show how severe and alarming the problem is. Way back in 2010, the National…
Why Doesn’t the Chinese Government Protect Them?
Why Doesn’t the Chinese Government Protect Them? The Women of China In June 2022, a video surfaced of a woman chained up in a shack in Fengxian County, Jiangsu Province, China. Her inhuman experience of her being abducted, trafficked and abused repeatedly while bearing eight children caused shock across China’s heavily censored internet. After the woman’s story was made public, the local government issued five contradictory statements, quickly sealed off the village, silenced comments, and arrested netizens who tried to pursue the truth. To this day, questions about where she…