#MeToo 20 Years Later

Gao Yan was a top student at Peking University before she committed suicide

The fledgling #MeToo movement in China got a big boost recently when a literature professor at Nanjing University was suspended for allegedly sexually harassing and raping a student 20 years ago.

At the time 21-year-old Gao Yan, who was a start student, told her friends that professor Shen Yang, who was teaching at Peking University had forced her to have sex. He also apparently spread rumours that Gao was mentally ill.

Shen, 62, has denied the accusations.

Professor Shen Yang allegedly sexually harassed Gao

Her classmates have been pressing for justice ever since she died. During Qing Ming last week when Chinese families sweep graves to remember their relatives and ancestors, one of Gao's friends, Li Youyou posted an essay online, chastising Shen for not apologizing.

"Twenty years have passed. Your constant lies and crimes should be put to an end," she wrote.

In an interview with The Beijing News on Friday, Shen described the accusations as "malicious defamation".

The essay spread quickly online and some Chinese media wrote stories about it, which may have led to to him being fired.

Even Gao's parents complained to the university in 1998 about the alleged sexual assault, and while the tertiary institution did conduct an investigation that found Shen did have sex with Gao, it only issued him a demerit and did not terminate his employment contract.

Shen is the second prominent professor to be sacked due to allegations of sexual misconduct after Chen Xiaowu of Beihang University.

The movement is slowly growing in China (with other names)

Universities in China need to address the power imbalance between students and professors, but also the same patriarchal hierarchy in companies too.

Nevertheless, getting more people to talk about #MeToo or #MiTu or #woyeshi (the Chinese version) is important. And as some say, eventually truth prevails.

Fact of the Day: 70% Divorces Filed by Chinese Women

More than 70 percent of divorces in China are filed by women

In the age of #MeToo or #mitu in China, it's hard to see how attitudes towards women will change much in this patriarchal society when men believe they have or are entitled to more power than women.

Although Chairman Mao Zedong claimed that "women hold up half the sky", in reality it's not true at all.

In 1986, 460,000 couples registered for divorce, while 20 years later the number jumped to 4.15 million.

A new report that uses divorce statistics from 2016 and 2017 by the Supreme People's Court shows two things. The first is that women filed more than 70 percent of the divorce cases in the past two years, with most couples splitting up after three years of marriage.

The second is that domestic violence was the second most common problem, cited as the major factor in 15 percent of divorces. "Incompatibility" was cited for 75 percent of divorce cases.

Tencent News did a survey in 2016 about the high divorce rates. Some 70,000 internet users gave their responses which found the following: About 60 percent of male respondents had cheated on their partners in a relationship, while it was around 30 percent for women respondents.

Another interesting result was that one-third of male respondents didn't think sex with prostitutes was cheating. What is it then? Having an intimate playmate? A way to work off stress? It's paid so it doesn't count?

Ah, men. Always finding an excuse to have it their way...

Rice + Bunny = #MeToo

A Chinese way to be part of the #metoo movement with a bunny and rice

The Chinese are pragmatic -- if they find something blocking their way, they'll think of another way to get around it.

Like the #MeToo campaign that's gathering momentum in the West. The latest casualties are two men who worked closely with US President Donald Trump -- staff secretary Rob Porter and speechwriter David Sorensen.

Chen Xiaowu was sacked after sexual harassment claims

In China there is greater awareness of the #MeToo movement, with many women posting their experiences, though the only big victory so far was the sacking of a Beijing university professor, Chen Xiaowu, after Luo Xixi revealed she had been sexually harassed by him 12 years earlier.

The #MeToo movement in China knows eventually there will be attempts by the censors to wipe out allegations of sexual harassment and rape in Chinese cyberspace so there is already a homonym created -- Mi Tu or 米兔, which literally means "rice bunny".

It's cute, easy to remember and emojis can be used too.

The Chinese government doesn't want the #MeToo or #mitu movement to gather too much momentum -- its patriarchal society is rife with allegations of sexual harassment and assault and it could lead to the top ranks of the leadership.

More women are speaking out in China

That would just shake the Communist Party to its core -- other than corruption.

Nevertheless it's wonderful to see women finding the courage to speak out about what happened to them as a way to process their emotions and also know they are not alone.

#我也是

#MeToo中国