Being a feminist in China: A battle lost in advance • FRANCE 24 English

[Music] [Music] [Applause] it's D-Day for these 11 couples they're walking down the aisle for a group wedding in a public park a pink and Rosy Affair that's been blessed by the Chinese Communist party in reality these couples were all already married the ceremony was staged organized in the name of international women's day a not so subtle attempt by local authori ities to encourage young people to settle down and start a family it's important to set an example because a lot of young people are afraid of marriage in my opinion and in Chinese culture a girl really becomes a woman after she gets married and then she understands what her role is as a woman the guests aren't the friends and families of the happy couples but singles ready to take part in a government sponsored speak Le dating event each participant men and women will introduce themselves our aim is simple for you to get to know each other thanks to these ice breakers authorities hope to boost the birth rate one of the lowest in the world and the number of marriages which is halfed in 10 years the Chinese Communist party is playing Cupid trying to Target educated women like Leman an engineer I'm already 35 personally I don't mind but at this age in China I'm called shangu which means leftover woman her parents urged her to sign up today and even came to observe her they're very anxious about their only child's marital status in the big cities young women are too independent they behave as if they don't need need anyone else our daughter thinks that if she's happy on her own we'll be satisfied but that's not enough for us a conservative Vision one that's encouraged by the highest levels of government women are increasingly excluded from places of power for Xi Jinping they must promote traditional Chinese virtues and sound family values and devote themselves to Motherhood it's a vision that has become impossible to criticize publicly like any social movement feminism is severely repressed in China in 2012 in the heart of Beijing a handful of activists dawned bloodstained white dresses to raise awareness about domestic violence at the time tactics like these were tolerated but 3 years later the activists were arrested the day before another public event their leader was under surveillance for a long time and after years of intimidation she left the country in 2017 the me2 movement briefly went viral on Chinese social media but was quickly censored hang chin journalist and icon of the movement has been in prison since 2021 accused of inciting State subversion feminists have been silenced talking about women's rights in China requires discretion in the Southeastern city of Shaman these comedians polish their scripts I haven't finished writing this part yet it's about girls who lose their minds in relationships 31-year-old elen has created a 100% female standup show I think you should describe and detail people's reactions even more it's a rare space where female comedians can speak out and help each other even though their existence is still frowned upon in China when a girl's really funny it means she has convictions that she thinks for herself and that's not really encouraged by Society they choose their words carefully as with all comedy clubs in China every sentence must be submitted for approval with the culture Bureau these commedians are used to it some of us express ourselves in a radical way others less so each of us has her own style and the advantage of being in this club is that if we Face controversy online or we have problems then we can support each other the censorship apparatus wants positive content with no mention of politics sexuality or violence despite these limits their 10 weekly shows are often sold [Music] out I used to want a big strong boyfriend but not anymore now I'm looking for a man who's a bit skinny so I'm sure I'll be safe feminist jokes have to be subtle but foren they're necessary when we talk about sexual harassment or other difficulties that women have like painful periods going to the gynecologist that creates empathy in the audience in fact women need us to speak up for them she grew up in northern China a more socially conservative part of the country compared to her new city back home she felt the pressure of gender inequality I come from a small town where boys are preferred to girls people don't say it explicitly but I feel the weight of tradition reflected in my parents' behavior for example well it's only my little brother who will inherit their house after a master's degree in finance she worked for a few years at a bank then she quit everything to express herself creatively through standup her parents disapprove they're not happy that I'm a comedian why is that because according to them a girl should have a stable job and look after her husband and children by their standards that's the life of a happy woman although she dares to criticize social norms elen does not define herself as a feminist activist to do so would put her at risk of police repression Chinese feminists are very closely watched especially when they form groups we met a young woman whose identity we are protecting we'll call her Edith she tried several times to organize discussions in an online group the topics were for example sexual harassment male female gender Dynamics or family pressure but this was already too much for Chinese authorities we had a first meeting online but the group was blocked without warning then we created a collaborative document which was also suspended maybe because it contained sensitive words maybe because someone reported it we thought wow we weren't expecting such a reaction we didn't think we'd done anything wrong since the group was shut down the police regularly call her in for question the first time they came to my house I was scared when they knocked on my door and even though that was two or three years ago I still sometimes jump When someone knocks on my door the last time I was summoned I mastered all my contempt and disgust for them I asked them do you think your work is useful I hate having to censor myself it makes me hate myself this despite being exhausted and isolated Edith refuses to abandon her beliefs she now wants to leave China I hope that by leaving I'll be more free to bravely express my thoughts about Society I find that China is like a black box disconnected from the world we can't follow what's going on outside the country and our stories can't be heard abroad today many feminist activists like most Chinese human rights Defenders immigrate and live in self-imposed Exile they go to places like Japan Thailand the United States or Canada in Vancouver 20% of residents identifies as ethnic Chinese Chi-Chi came here 5 years ago to study and has never left it's it was difficult to adjust in the beginning but right now it just feels more like H mostly because um we have community members around us the community she mentions is an association of feminist and lgbtq activists of Chinese descent Chi set it up a year ago what aounds me is finally having a place where I can express my anger and turn it into something concrete together they organized an exhibition about activists imprisoned in China people like hang chin the icon of the me to movement or Jang Jan the Wuhan whistleblower visitors could write postcards in support of them we can not let those who pave the way for Freedom um to be just trapped there is a lot of fear and increasing fear especially after the pandemic and the political oppression and just the Civic Society has been more closed up a collective like this could not exist in China and even outside China these activists know that they can be watched their relatives back home intimidated for chii it's a necessary sacrifice we share a sense of um forced displacement so that many of us might decide to stay here because of the situation in China and the human rights conditions so for us to have a safe space here and continue those discussions continue the conversation that we couldn't have freely in China is important although she misses her country for the time being she has no plans to return she wants to continue building a Chinese feminist movement in Canada [Music]

Channel: FRANCE 24 English

Views: 1,924

Keywords: #MeToo, China, Communist Party of China, REPORTERS, feminism, france24, news, women's rights

Id: V3wWam4r0H0

Length: 12min 18sec (738 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 07 2024