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queer politics in China since 2015, cluded in the system of the China the censorship cannot completely
finds the Chinese authorities have be- Communist Party, symbolizing de- suppress these voices, as “feminism
come more cautious about feminism mocratization that they fear,” he adds. is about women’s daily lives and can
and LGBT+ movement. “In Chinese social media ecology, cover a wide range of social issues.”
Guo says the current tension be- some netizens even do not even know For feminist and LGBT+ social
tween China and the U.S., and Chi- what feminism or LGBT+ rights really media accounts, Fang suggests that
nese president Xi Jinping’s strong are. They just showcase their patriot- they should try to stay flexible, for ex-
attitude towards western ideologies, ism and anti-U.S. emotions through ample, try creating more diverse con-
“have together turned these (femi- opposing these ‘western’ thoughts,” tent which focuses on individual ex-
nism and LGBT+) issues into bargain- says Guo, viewing the situation as a periences and stories considered less
ing chips during the competitive race consequence of “political framing”. sensitive.
between the two world powers.” Fang Kecheng, associate profes- “Forming deeper connections with
“Feminism and LGBT+ thoughts sor from the School of Journalism more people within a relatively small
are indeed imported to China from and Communication at the Chinese range may work better under the cur-
western societies. These are not in- University of Hong Kong, believes rent situation,” he says.

Where is Peng Shuai? Chinese Player Not Seen Since Post About Sex Assault
Peng Shuai, a Chinese top tennis player, accused the country’s former vice premier, Zhang Gaoli, of forc-
ing her to have sexual relations in a post on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social media platform, on the night of
November 2, 2021.
The original post was quickly removed and cannot be viewed by users. Comments on Peng’s account were
turned off. According to China Digital Times, names involved such as Peng Shuai, Zhang Gaoli and Kang Jie
(Zhang’s wife) were listed as sensitive keywords and strictly censored.
In the 1600-word post, Peng said she had a three-year lover relationship with Zhang with knowledge of
Zhang’s wife, Kang Jie. Zhang has not responded to the accusation so far.
Steve Simon, chairman and chief executive officer of Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) made an an-
nouncement on the organization’s official website calling for “full, fair and transparent investigation” into the
allegations on November 14.
Peng was away from the public eye after she made the allegations on Weibo. On November 17, after Peng’s
two-week disappearance, China’s state affiliated media CGTN posted a screencap of Peng’s “email to Steve
Simon” on its Twitter account. The picture attached refuted previous allegations, adding that WTA should
“verify” with her before posting any further news without her consent. However, WTA said the video was “in-
sufficient evidence” of Peng’s safety.
On December 1, WTA announced immediate suspension of all tournaments in China, including Hong
Kong.
Chinese feminism accounts on Instagram have paid great attention on Peng’s safety. Feminist China, based
in the U.S., organized both online and offline campaigns including “#Where is Peng Shuai” to support Peng and
demand justice.

*Names changed at interviewee’s request

Edited by Coco Zhang & Lynne Rao
Sub-edited by Fiona Cheung