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A court’s verdict in the case of a survivor of domestic violence has sparked intense debate on Chinese social media. The woman identified as Xu was sentenced to three years in prison for stabbing and killing her husband while defending herself from aggression.
According to the court records, she had been the victim of violence from her alcoholic husband for years. Xu had been trying to get a divorce since 2019, but was denied the request by authorities. In recent months, she has tried to end the marriage again, but a new Chinese law imposing a “cooling off period” before separation has delayed the process.
On July 15, she was sleeping when her husband returned home drunk and began beating her in bed. Then, when he tried to hang her, Xu took a pair of scissors and stabbed him. She called the police immediately and was arrested in the act.
At the trial, the criminal court in Shantou City, Southeast China, found the woman used a “disproportionate degree of force” in defending herself, constituting the crime of intentional assault.
The decision became the target of intense debate on Weibo, the country’s main social network and a kind of local Twitter. The case attracted more than 200 million views and thousands of comments, mostly in support of the woman and blaming the sluggish Chinese legal system for the tragedy.
Why it matters: One of the great innovations implemented by the Chinese Civil Code enacted in 2020 was the so-called “period of reflection”, in which men and women in divorce proceedings must wait at least 30 days after the delivery of the separation documents to formalize the decision.
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The law makes an exception for survivors of domestic violence, but many Chinese say authorities have been ignoring the rule.
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Xu’s case illustrates the consequences of the change and puts pressure on the government to act to regulate the rule more clearly and fairly.
what also matters
Known for his nationalist and provocative posts on social media, the editor of Chinese state-run Global Times newspaper, Hu Xijin, resigned.
Hu rose to prominence in the West for exaggerating and belligerent commenting on the news and China’s relations with other countries. The country’s independent press speculated that the journalist, in fact, was compulsorily retired, mainly because of his combative style on the internet.
“I’m approaching 62. It’s retirement time,” Hu posted on both Twitter and Weibo. “I will continue to contribute to journalism and the party’s propaganda work as a special commentator for the Global Times. Thank you for your support,” he concluded.
Hu was replaced by Wu Qimin, who previously served as the deputy editor of International at People’s Daily, the most widely circulated and influential newspaper in China.
The Lithuanian embassy in China withdrew diplomats and their respective families from the country. The episode represents yet another chapter in the struggle between the two countries since the Lithuanians agreed to receive a commercial office in Taiwan, in November.
According to the Reuters news agency, at least 19 people, including embassy officials and relatives, had their status downgraded as China demanded that Lithuania change its mission classification in the country to “business office”, which does not count. with diplomatic immunity.
The Lithuanian Foreign Ministry deplored the incident and said it was “ready to continue the dialogue with China and restore embassy functions as soon as a mutually beneficial agreement is reached.” China has yet to comment.
The omicron variant was registered in China. The city of Guangzhou, in the south of the country, revealed on Tuesday (14) that it had found the genetic material of the strain in samples from a 67-year-old man. He reportedly arrived in China on November 27 and was tested negative for Covid in tests several times at the quarantine hotel until he learned he was infected after being released.
Local and national heads of government are now on standby because, upon being released from his Shanghai quarantine, the man took a several-hour flight to the south of the country.
The trip took place in the “closed circuit” system, in which transport is regulated by health authorities to avoid contact between passengers coming from abroad and the rest of the population.
China struggles to contain the country’s new Covid hotspots, most registered in Zhejiang province. At least 50,000 people from this region have been quarantined. The local government halved the maximum capacity of bars and restaurants and banned travel outside the province.
keep an eye
After announcing the termination of LinkedIn in China for “legal compliance issues”, Microsoft this week launched a new version of the professional social network in the country’s app stores. The app, renamed “LinkedIn Platform for Global Recruiting,” launched without a feed for personal publications. The company commented on the launch, saying it was committed to “helping mainland Chinese professionals find work, and Chinese companies discover talent.”
Why it matters: in plain English, by “problems of legal compliance” Microsoft meant that it was failing to deal with Chinese censorship. In the weeks leading up to LinkedIn’s deactivation, the company came under intense scrutiny for blocking the profile of American journalists and anti-Chinese activists.
With the new app, with no space for publications, Microsoft makes life easier for censors and shows that it is becoming increasingly difficult for Western networks to prosper in the country.
to go deep
- Bi Yi Niao do Livro, a project by linguist Calebe Guerra, announced the independent publication of a collection of classical poetry. The initiative will be put out for crowdfunding soon. Those interested in learning more about the book can take a look at the highlights on the Instagram profile. (paid, in Portuguese)
​ - Did you know that the Brazilian dance by Fofão da Carreta Furacão went viral on Douyin, the Chinese TikTok? He doubts? Because the Chinese embassy in Brazil posted the translated version of the tutorial that teaches the Chinese to reproduce the steps of the sympathetic (and rebolative) character. (free, in Portuguese)
​ - The World of Chinese brings a super interesting report telling how the fusion of Syrian and Chinese instruments shaped an unusual friendship between two musicians and, as a gift, a completely unique sound that has enchanted spectators around the world. (free, in English)
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