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A video posted online showing a woman, a mother of eight, chained by the neck in a shed in rural Jiangsu province has sparked reactions and a protest written by alumni of Peking University. The letter was censored by the Chinese government after its release.
In the released images, the victim appears without teeth and with thin clothes in the harsh Chinese winter. She couldn’t even answer questions from whoever was filming. The content went viral on Douyin (local version of TikTok).
Jiangsu police initially played down the seriousness of the story and said the woman was originally from Yunnan, in the southwest of the country, and had been taken to Jiangsu in 1998 by a friend who wanted to find her a “good family and a good wedding”.
As more data was unearthed by netizens, it turned out that the woman had been trafficked at a young age.
The ineptitude of the police generated a wave of fury online and offline, prompting the letter from students at the prestigious Peking University.
- The text called for an investigation by the local authorities involved in the case and a “comprehensive review of national laws protecting trafficked women and children”;
​ - The students criticized the “full of inconsistencies” reports given by the local police and demanded a “firm response” from the central government.
The letter disappeared from Chinese social media shortly after it was published. The posts have been replaced by the standard censorship notice: “This content cannot be viewed because it violates rules.”
why it matters: Peking University (or Beida, as it is called by the Chinese) is known for the defiant nature of its students. It was on campus that the May Fourth, 1919 protests against foreign imperialism and that of Tiananmen Square began in 1989.
Even so, an open and public challenge to the country’s central government is rare.
The reaction of students, seen in China as the national academic elite, shows not only how much the case has reverberated but also a growing concern with the episodes of femicide, gender violence and domestic aggression reported in recent years.
what also matters
China this week unveiled an ambitious plan to raise the quality of higher education in the country. The country has two universities in the top 20 of the best institutions in the world.
The Ministry of Education released a list of 147 universities and over 300 subjects that will become the focus of investment. The aim is to turn courses into “first-class education”, catapulting more Chinese universities into the world rankings by 2030.
- “While the first set of goals has been achieved, progress [das universidades chinesas] still falls short of the expectations of the Communist Party and the people”, the text says.
Engineering, biological and social sciences will receive the biggest share of the funds, although the National Development and Reform Commission aims to create interdisciplinary training to “increase China’s competitiveness internationally”.
Xi Jinping expressed displeasure and called for “responsibility” to Hong Kong government officials in controlling the latest wave of Covid-19.
According to the South China Morning Post, the Chinese leader instructed officials to “take all necessary measures to protect the lives and safety of residents while maintaining social stability.” He also urged Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng to convey his “concern” to Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam over the rise in the number of cases.
Beijing said it would establish a high-level coordination group to collaborate with Hong Kong in containing cases.
The number of cases of infection with the new coronavirus in Hong Kong has increased in the last two weeks. Scientists in the city declared that only a strict lockdown of “two or three months” would make it possible to return to Covid zero policy.
China reaffirmed that it will not renew or issue passports for non-essential travel as long as Covid poses “major national security risks”.
The policy was introduced last year and aims to reduce the risk of the virus being brought from abroad by Chinese returning home.
- The country does not plan to review the measure in the short and medium terms;
- Anyone traveling to study, work or do business is authorized to request the document.
“Passport renewal rumors for individuals traveling for leisure are false,” the agency wrote in a statement.
keep an eye
What could be the first Chinese vaccine against Covid with mRNA technology, the same as the American immunizers from Pfizer and Moderna, partially failed.
Provisionally called ARCoV, the compound had been in development for months by the Academy of Military Medical Sciences. Preliminary data showed that two-dose vaccinates “maintained low but detectable neutralizing activity against the micron.” When a third dose was applied, the levels of neutralization were higher. The search must continue.
why it matters: China took the lead in vaccine development, betting on an old but effective technology: the inactivated virus. The problem is that recent studies indicate that the effectiveness of this technique to prevent infections is low.
Closed for more than two years, the country needs an immunizer or a highly effective treatment that will allow the authorities to reopen the borders without risking losing the support of the population, used to maintaining a life close to normal given the success in controlling the virus.​
to go deep
- The panda Bing Dwen Dwen, mascot of the Winter Olympics, has been stealing attention and going viral in China. The Wall Street Journal, however, tells more about the confusion behind the scenes after the actor who wears the costume decides to speak. (porous paywall, in English)
- Observa China returns this Saturday (19) with a series of weekly events. The first lecture will be with diplomat Pedro Henrique Batista Barbosa, who will talk about Chinese investments in the Brazilian energy market. (free, in Portuguese)
​ - The School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London welcomes Professor Pei-Chia Lan on the 21st for a virtual lecture on the new family dynamics in Taiwan with the advancement of globalization on the island. (free, in English)
