[Interview] Icon of Chinese #MeToo movement calls Korean movement a source of strength

Posted on : 2021-11-15 17:22 KST Modified on : 2021-11-15 17:22 KST
Zhou Xiaoxuan’s case against a prominent Chinese TV host was defeated in court in September, but her battle against rampant sexual assault and the systems that enable it in China is far from over
Zhou Xiaoxuan, a symbol of China’s #MeToo movement, wipes away tears while speaking to supporters outside a courthouse in Beijing on Sept. 14. (EPA/Yonhap News)
Zhou Xiaoxuan, a symbol of China’s #MeToo movement, wipes away tears while speaking to supporters outside a courthouse in Beijing on Sept. 14. (EPA/Yonhap News)

Interviewing Zhou Xiaoxuan, a prominent figure in the Chinese #MeToo movement, proved to be no easy feat.

The Hankyoreh was finally able to sit down with the 28-year-old for a video chat on Nov. 1 after a long process that involved tracking down her account on Weibo — the Chinese version of Twitter — and sending a message, with two subsequent changes of accounts after her previous two were suspended. It was her first interview with a South Korean news outlet.

Caption 2-2: Zhou Xiaoxuan speaks during a virtual interview with the Hankyoreh on Nov. 1. (still from Zoom)
Caption 2-2: Zhou Xiaoxuan speaks during a virtual interview with the Hankyoreh on Nov. 1. (still from Zoom)

Better known by her nickname Xianzi, Zhou has been fighting an uphill battle for more than three years since July 2018, when she revealed that she had been sexually assaulted by Zhu Jun, a well-known broadcaster on China Central Television (CCTV).

Zhu, who is now 57, spent the two decades spanning from 1997 to 2017 hosting the CCTV New Year’s Gala, a special program viewed by over 1 billion Chinese people. He is a very influential figure in Chinese broadcasting who also serves as a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a political advisory organization for the Chinese Communist Party.

On Sept. 14 of this year, a Beijing court issued a ruling in the first trial on the case — three years after Xianzi filed a complaint against Zhu, and seven years after the assault took place.

The court ended up exonerating Zhu due to what it called a lack of evidence. It rejected Xianzi’s allegations that as a third-year university student and intern in June 2014, she was sexually assaulted in a CCTV dressing room in Beijing by Zhu, whom she accused of forcibly kissing and groping her for between 30 and 40 minutes.

“There were serious procedural justice issues,” she said of the ruling.

Xianzi reported the assault to Beijing authorities the day after it occurred, but her allegations were not investigated seriously.

“The Beijing security authorities went all the way to Wuhan to get my parents to sign a statement saying they would not make an issue over the sexual misconduct case,” she explained.

The authorities applied pressure on her and her parents at the time, stressing that the accused was a celebrity whereas Xianzi was “just a college student.”

They took with them the skirt that she had been wearing during the assault — which they have never given back — and continue to deny that there was any footage from the closed-circuit camera in the hallway. Zhu was questioned only once.

Together with a supporter, Zhou Xiaoxuan heads into a courthouse in Beijing on Sept. 14. (AFP/Yonhap News)
Together with a supporter, Zhou Xiaoxuan heads into a courthouse in Beijing on Sept. 14. (AFP/Yonhap News)

Xianzi’s battle hasn’t just been against Zhu and judicial authorities. She has also had to contend with a Chinese government that views the #MeToo movement and feminism as “subversive,” as well as government-influenced social media companies and news outlets that have worked to hinder the movement or foster apathy about it.

“It’s common for me to give interviews that never make it to print,” she explained. “Often, the article will be published, only to end up deleted an hour or two later. People who support me on Weibo have their accounts immediately suspended.”

After the #MeToo movement began in South Korea in early 2018, a number of similar allegations were shared on Chinese social media — most of them were quickly deleted. Searches for the English expression “Me Too” on Chinese social media do not turn up relevant results.

On the evening of Nov. 2, renowned Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai, 35, alleged that she had been sexually assaulted by former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, 75, which was ranked in the top seven of the Chinese political hierarchy during the mid-2010s. But no reports on the accusations are to be found in the Chinese press.

Xianzi said the response “shows how widespread sexual assault by powerful figures is in China, and how little reflection there is on the situation.”

What has allowed her to soldier on through the struggles of the past three years without giving up has been the support and encouragement she receives from women in the shadows.

“The best thing since my ‘#MeToo’ declaration has been the comfort and support I’ve gotten from people who have had similar experiences to mine,” she said.

“I’ve gotten a lot of comfort from people telling me that it wasn’t my fault that I was assaulted, that there wasn’t anything wrong about what I was wearing that day.”

Another big source of strength for her has been watching the developments in the Nth Room situation, which engendered much debate and discussion in South Korean society between 2019 and 2020.

“The Nth Room case in Korea has had a really big impact on the women’s movement in China,” she said.

“It showed young women coming together to make their voices heard, to wield social influence, to change laws and achieve transformation. That’s been a huge encouragement to us, and to me in particular.”

Zhou Xiaoxuan, known also as Xianzi, a prominent figure in China’s #MeToo movement (provided by Zhou Xiaoxuan)
Zhou Xiaoxuan, known also as Xianzi, a prominent figure in China’s #MeToo movement (provided by Zhou Xiaoxuan)

Xianzi may not have won her case, but she is winning the larger battle. When she first filed suit in 2018, there were no provisions on sexual assault in China’s civil code. A new item was created last year and went into effect in 2021.

Introduced in January of this year, Article 1010 of the Chinese Civil Code states that those who suffer sexual assault may file complaints against their assailant, and that institutions and organizations are obliged to prevent and investigate such acts.

By Choi Hyun-june, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

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