Sex, lies and video games: the heated debate over sexism and misogyny in China
Advertisement
These are among the cases fuelling heated debate, and outrage, on Chinese social media in recent months over sexism, misogyny and
gender stereotypes.
The discussion started in April when a court in Datong, Shanxi province upheld the guilty verdict and three-year prison sentence of a man who had raped his fiancée the day after they got engaged. The case centred on whether the bride price he paid of 100,000 yuan (US$13,900) and a gold ring was considered marital consent and a tacit agreement for sex.
In June, there was anger over stereotyping and sexism after a Chinese online game originally called Revenge on Gold Diggers shot to the top of gaming platforms on day one. Players of the game are male characters being pursued by manipulative women who only want one thing: their money. The backlash prompted the game's creators to change the name to Emotional Anti-Fraud Simulator the day after its release.
It did not end there. The same month, media reported that a dowdy, 38-year-old cross-dresser had lured hundreds of young men into having sex, which he secretly filmed before selling the videos online. Days later, a 21-year-old Chinese student was expelled from a university in Dalian, Liaoning province for having a one-night stand with a Ukrainian gamer attending an event in Shanghai. The man had posted intimate photos and videos of the student, one of his fans, on social media, calling her 'easy'.
Advertisement
In the case of the cross-dresser the discussions initially focused on lurid details of the videos. But that shifted to a debate over why the men involved, including the cross-dresser, had their identities protected by the authorities yet the student, a woman, was publicly shamed by the university.
According to experts, the intense discussions around sexism and misogyny prompted by these cases are part of a broader phenomenon of 'gender antagonism' that has emerged in China over the past few years. And the echo chamber effect on social media has only amplified these tensions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- South China Morning Post
Myanmar gives life sentences to 12 - 5 of them Chinese
Myanmar military courts have sentenced a dozen individuals – including five Chinese nationals – to life imprisonment for their involvement in multiple human trafficking cases, state-run media reported on Saturday. According to the Myanmar Alin newspaper, the convictions stem from a range of offences including the online distribution of sex videos and the trafficking of Myanmar women into forced marriages in China. In one case, five people, including two Chinese nationals identified as Lin Te and Wang Xiaofeng, were sentenced to life imprisonment by a military court in Yangon, the country's largest city, on July 29. They were found guilty under Myanmar's Anti-Trafficking in Persons law for producing sex videos involving three Myanmar couples and distributing the footage online for profit. In a separate case, the same court sentenced a woman and three Chinese nationals, Yibo, Cao Qiu Quan and Chen Huan. The group was convicted of planning to transport two Myanmar women, recently married to two of the convicted Chinese men, into China, the report said. Thousands of women and girls from Myanmar have been smuggled into China, duped into travelling there then sold into forced marriages. File photo: SCMP Additionally, three other people received life sentences from a separate military court for selling a woman as a bride to China and for attempting to do the same with another woman.
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- South China Morning Post
Will Chinese Z-10ME attack helicopters now power Pakistan air force?
Images circulating online suggest Pakistan's military has received a shipment of Chinese-made advanced attack helicopters, a version of which has been deployed by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) near China's mountainous border with India In the past week, photos and videos of the Z-10ME , the export version of the Chinese multirole attack helicopter, have appeared on Pakistani social media accounts. On Tuesday, a social media user believed to be an active-duty member of the Pakistan Army uploaded a video clearly showing the helicopter airborne, apparently conducting field airport support missions from a military base. The video was captioned: 'First look at Pakistan's Z-10ME attack helicopter armed with next-gen air-to-ground missiles.' This followed a photo posted on Monday by another user showing a Z-10ME undergoing ground maintenance. The helicopter bore the words 'Pakistan Army' and serial number '786-301' on its fuselage and tail. The image marked the first credible evidence of the Z-10ME's operational status within the Pakistan Army Aviation Corps.
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- South China Morning Post
EU condemns Macau authorities for arrest of former lawmaker and activist
The European Union has condemned Macau authorities for arresting a democracy activist from the former Portuguese enclave over alleged national security violations. In a statement on Saturday, the EU said the arrest of Au Kam-san, a former pro-democracy lawmaker of Macau, 'adds to the existing concerns about the ongoing erosion of political pluralism and freedom of speech' in the city. The casino hub was returned to China by Portugal in 1999. Like Hong Kong, Macau is also run under Beijing's 'one country, two systems' policy. 'The EU recalls that the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is a central element of the Macau Basic Law and 'one country, two systems'. 'It is essential that the protected rights and freedoms of Macau residents remain fully upheld in line with the Macau Basic Law, the Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration of 1987 and Macau's commitments under the International Covenant for Civil and Political Right,' the EU statement read. Au, 68, was taken away from his home on Wednesday. A leading Macau democrat, Au was accused of colluding with foreign forces in breach of the city's national security law, marking the first publicly known arrest under the legislation since its enactment in 2009.
