Luo Xixi: Breaking the Wall in China

Women in China are beginning to speak out
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The Me Too movement began in 2006 to support victims of sexual violence, with #metoo sweeping the social media world by storm and thrusting the topic into the national arena. Countries outside the United States of America began to expand the narrative and allow more woman to heal by sharing their stories, but China stifled the social phenomenon. As a communist male-dominated state, often divorced from Western ideals, any attempts to alter the collective environment is wrought with opposition, but Luo Xixi decided Time's Up for the patriarchal hierarchies' harassment of women.

Luo Xixi after sharing her story in January 2018
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Xixi is a Chinese software engineer, who currently works in Silicon Valley for a technology conglomerate, but her path to success was plagued by predatory practices. In 2004 while attending a PhD program at Beihang University, a well-respected professor attempted to sexually assault Luo Xixi. Chen Xiaowu was the renowned computer scientist that coaxed Xixi to a house with the intent of engaging in nonconsensual sex, and only abated following tears and the discovery that she was a virgin (1). Chen had sworn her to secrecy and insisted he was simply verifying Xixi's moral character, but on January 1st, 2018, inspired by the downfall of Harvey Weinstein, her silence was broken. Luo Xixi detailed her experience on the Chinese social media site Weibo, using #MeToo, signing her name and revealing Xiaowu's identity.

Female students across China were inspired to share their own experiences across a multitude of campuses and multiple former students made formal allegations against Chen Xiaowu, who was subsequently dismissed from Beihang. The hashtag was utilized approximately 4.5 million times on Weibo (2) and a state-run newspaper gave support to the fledgling campaign by urging victims to share their experiences. Within 18 days of Xixi's open letter, over 50 professors advocated for a zero tolerance policy towards sexual misconduct on university campuses and the Ministry of Education agreed to work on a durable solution to prevent sexual harassment in higher education (3).

The feminist five were targeted by Chinese authorities.
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The feminist movement has faced opposition from the Communist state, resembling the struggle for suffrage in America and equal rights between the sexes. The traditional belief that women are intended to be submissive has led to a stigma surrounding those who speak out and denial that harassment occurs. Authorities have not always responded positively to conversation surrounding sexual misconduct, for example, in 2015, five female activists were arrested after publicizing plans to protest sexual harassment on International Women's Day (4), so Xixi took a risk. Due to government censorship, the Me Too hashtag has been transformed into #RiceBunny, allowing Luo Xixi's message and the voice of others to continue making waves throughout China.   

China still has a long way to go in order to cultivate a culture free from powerful male figures exploiting their female counterparts, but Luo Xixi was instrumental in starting the narrative. Luo showed courage and inspired other ladies to do the same, bringing awareness to a systemic issue. Without her open letter on Weibo, a predatory professor would still be able to exploit young woman who are simply attempting to better their education. Every move made to make higher education safer and to end sexual violence is a major victory for all women internationally.

Works Cited

(1) Denyer, Simon, and Amber Ziye Wang. “Chinese Women Reveal Sexual Harassment, but #MeToo Movement Struggles for Air.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 9 Jan. 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/chinese-women-reveal-sexual-harassment-but-metoo-movement-struggles-for-air/2018/01/08/ac591c26-cc0d-4d5a-b2ca-d14a7f763fe0_story.html.

(2) Yuan, Karen. “#MeToo With Chinese Characteristics.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 8 Feb. 2018, https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/02/metoo-in-china/552326/.

(3) Kao, Karen. “Luo Xixi Archives.” Shanghai Noir, 20 Dec. 2018, http://inkstonepress.com/tag/luo-xixi/. 

(4) Shepherd, Christian. “China's #MeToo Movement in Colleges Initially Encouraged by...” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 31 Jan. 2018, https://in.reuters.com/article/uk-china-harassment-insight/chinas-metoo-movement-in-colleges-initially-encouraged-by-authorities-then-frustrated-idINKBN1FJ33G.