In the early 2010s, a wave of feminist activism burst on to the scene in China. Powered by the explosion of social media and a bold willingness to take to the streets, Chinese feminists drew unprecedent levels of attention to domestic violence, sexual harassment, employment discrimination, and other experiences of mistreatment and misogyny. Before long, the Party-state cracked down on this burgeoning movement. But while activist circles have been forced into becoming more dispersed, decentralized, and low profile, the broader feminist awakening they catalyzed has endured. Two of China’s leading feminist activists will discuss the evolution of their movement and what the future holds under a new normal of greater censorship and repression.
Maizi Li is an activist for the rights of women and LGBTQ people in China. For over a decade, she has conducted public performance art-style protests, litigation, and advocacy campaigns, such as “Occupy Men’s Toilets” and “Bloody Brides Against Domestic Violence.” In March 2015, she and four other feminist activists, later known as the “Feminist Five,” were jailed for over a month for planning to hand out stickers on subways to raise awareness about sexual harassment on International Women’s Day. Li was named a Global Thinker by Foreign Policy Magazine in 2015.
Churan Zheng is a Chinese feminist activist and organizer and is one of the China Feminist Five. Since 2012, she has been organizing young Chinese women to engage in policy advocacy and public education and has also worked on advocating for female workers’ rights. She is one of the co-recipients of Ms. Magazine's 10 of the Most Inspiring Feminists of 2015 and one of the BBC's 100 Women in 2016.
Meals provided, please contact Concetta Fusco if you have dietary limitations or for any reasonable accommodations.
Sponsoring Organization(s)
Paul Tsai China Center