Wilcox

JoshuaWilcox
EnglishIII(H)
Mr.Phillips
1May2015
UnlockingChineseFeminism
PeoplethinkfeministsintheUnitedStateshaveitbad?Overall,womenhavecomea
longwaytodowhattheyareabletodoinChina.Fightingforgenderequalityoverthecourseof
decades,evengoinguptocenturies,thewomenofChinadeservetherightsthattheyhavetoday.
Althoughthedifferencebetweenmalesandfemalesarecloseonpaper,thereisstillalottobe
donetopeoplesmindsetsinChina.Inthiscase,weseeamajorturningpointinChinasfight
forgenderequality,showinganoppositionagainstthegovernmentbyciviliansfromallwalksof
life.CitizensalloverChinahaveroaredoutinoutrageaboutthisimprisonment,andthe
governmentofChinanowisbeingpressuredaboutestablishingwhatisrightandwhatiswrong
todointhepublicstreetsofChina.Thefutureofgenderequalityisbecomingmoreandmore
endangeredduetothegovernmentofChinaoppressingwomencontinuously,suchasthecaseof
fivefeministsdefendingtheircivilrightsduringInternationalWomensDayinBeijing.
ThefivefeministsthatwereimprisonedbytheBeijingPoliceForceforhandingout
leafletsandfliersforsexualharassmentawareness,standasasymbolforourplanetasawhole.
Whenthenewswasfirstannouncedonlivetelevisionthatthefivefeministswereimprisonedfor
doingsomethingthatseemsmorepositivethannegative,hundredsofcollegestudentsfrom

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multipleuniversitieswereoutragedaboutwhathadhappened(
ABadDay
).Whentheyhad
heardaboutthenews,theyrioted,protested,andeverythinginbetween.Itwasactually
announcedovertheannouncementsatthevariousuniversitiesthatifyouparticipatedwiththe
defenseofthefeministmovementoncampus,youwouldimmediatelybesuspendedandhave
yourfuturebeputatrisk,attemptingtosilencethestudentswithmoralsthatChinaholdshighly
(Tatlow).Studentswerecalledinforguidancemeetingswithuniversityofficialsorteachersa
studentatanotheruniversitywroteinasocialmediamessage.Administratorsoftheuniversities
threatenedstudentswithbadmarksandruiningtheirfutureiftheycontinuedtospeakaboutit
(
ABadDay
).Unfortunatelyforthevariouscounselorsthatattempttohushthestudents,thisjust
madethestudentsmorelikelytoprotestduringschooltime.Theadministrationsoonreleased
anotherstatementstatingthataslongastheinteractionwiththefeministmovementdoesnot
disruptanythingthathastodowithlearning,itisacceptable(Tatlow).Thereleaseofthat
statementisoneofthemajorcontributionstopushthecollegestudentstoreleaseapetition,
whereoveronethousand(1,000)individualshavesignedtopressurethechinesegovernmentto
releasethefreewomen,andstopoppressingthegendersnaturalrights.Thisbroughtmore
awarenesstotheimprisonmentastherewerereportsthatstudentsfromten(10)universitieshave
signedapetition(Tatlow).ThepetitioninmyopinionshowsthatthepeopleofChinaarewilling
tofightforwhatisrightforthegenderofwomen,andalsohasachanceofinspiringgroupsof
feministsinothercountriesthatareinasimilarpredicamentasChina.
Thestudentsfromtheuniversitymusthavesparkedalightofinspiration.Anothergroup
ofprotesterswereidentifiedasthemaskedwomen(Fish).Thisgroupofprotesterswent
abnormally,butnecessarilyextremeastheydefiedthelawsofsocialnormalitytodefendthe

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womenthatwereimprisoned.Agroupofchinesefeministsdecidedtowearwhitemasksand
takepicturesofthemwearingthemaskstouploadtosocialmediatodefendtheunfairnessof
genderinequality(Fish).Thisgroupofwomenclaimthatthedetainmentofthefive(5)
feministsindicateapushfromthechinesegovernmenttorepresstheactoffeminism(Fish).
Thisisthesamegroupofwomenthathavedefendedfeminisminthepastbydoingthingssuch
assingingonaheavilytraffickedbridge,anddonningbloodieddressestoraiseawarenessfor
domesticabuse(Doane).ThesewomenstandasasymbolforChina,statingthatnomatterhow
muchthechinesegovernmentofficialsrepresstheiractoffeminism,theyarewillingtofightfor
whatmatters,evenifitlandstheminjail.
Thewaytheimprisonedwomenweretreatedwhileinjailwasnogoodeither,andalso
hintedapushtowardsConfucianism,whichcultureincludedoppressingwomenandhaving
womentoonlyservemen.Lawyersreportmaltreatmentinjail,suchasMs.WeiandMs.
Zhenghavingtheirglassestakenaway.Ms.Wangwassenttothehospitalduetolongstrenuous
timesofinterrogationwhileinthepolicestation.Totopitalloff,Ms.Wuwasnotreceiving
medicationforhersexuallytransmitteddisease,Hepatitis(NewYorkTimes).TheBeijing
PoliceDepartmentalsokeepaskingherthesamequestionsandarepressuringhertosigna
confession,whichsherefusestodobecauseshehasnotbrokenlawsaysWang.Alltheseare
showingsignsoftheoppressionofwomensincethegovernmentistryingtoseemliketheyare
intheright,buttherealquestionis,aretheyrightorareweblowingthiswholethingoutof
proportion?Let'sdigalittledeeper.

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Asmuchasthegovernmentseemsasiftheyareattemptingtoimprisonwillinglyand
restricttherightsofwomenslowly,suchastheimprisonmentofthefivewomen,somereason
canbeseenbywhytheywereimprisoned.Someauthoritiesandcitizensalikesaythat,the
womenwerebeingdetainedbecausetheyplannedacollectiveeventthatmayhaveother
motives(
Intimidatorsputfeminists
).InChina,WomensDayisarealthingandis
celebratedallthroughoutChina,withwomenbeingrecognizedasoutstandingandbeingallowed
totakehalfofthedayofffromwork(TheEconomist).DuetoWomensDay,government
forcesseethisaschanceforwomentogetawaywiththingsthattheywouldnthavegottenaway
withifitwasanyotherday.Becauseofthisthoughtprocess,itisslightlymoreunderstandable
thatimprisonmentswouldbealittlemorelikelyforsmallerthings,butthatdoesntmakeit
alright.
Peopleweresurprisedwhenthewomenwerearrested,duetogenderequalitybeingthe
foundingprincipleofthecommuniststate(NewYorkTimes).PresidentXiJinpingwaselected
onNovember15,2012,andeversincethen,peoplealloverChinahavefeltthathehasbeen
tryingtoputthethought,theory,andtruthofthepresenceoffeminismtoitsgrave.Eversince
XiJinpinghasbecomethePresidentoftheRepublicofChina,thenumberoffeministrelated
lockups,imprisonments,anddetainmentshavequadrupled(Doane).DoestheelectionofXi
Jinpingintopresidencyhavesomethingtodowiththeincreaseoffeministimprisonments?It
seemsasifthefeministscouldlinkXiJinpingwithbeingsexistandactingawaronfeminism.
Feministsareafraidthatbecausethefivewomenwerejailed,theircampaigninginthe
futurewillbeaffectedmorebythegovernment(TheEconomist).Althoughthisimprisonmentis

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consideredtobebreakingnews,thisisnotthefirsttimethegovernmenthasdonesomethinglike
this.Chinesejournalistsandactivistsgetarrestedallthetimefordoingthingssuchasleaking
informationandcampaigningagainstthegovernment,whiletheyarepromotingthesubjectthey
aretryingtodefend.Thiscreatescontroversyfortheactivistsweretheyimprisonedfor
defendingfeministsorprotestingagainstthegovernment?Astimegoeson,activistsrealizethat
themoreandmorepeoplethatdefendgenderequality,themorepeoplethataredetainedsuchas
journalists,lawyers,writers,etc(Doane).
Overall,thestateoffeminisminChina,onthesurface,doesnotseemlikeitisholdingup
toowell.Althoughitlookslikethatthedeeperpeopledigintoit,themoretheyrealizethatthere
ismuchmoretoit,suchasmultiplecontroversiesandtherealmeaningsbehindwhatfeminists
actuallydo.Thisspecificimprisonmenthasmadeahugeimpactontheawarenessofthe
feministmovementinChina,andhasshownusthat,ifanything,womenwillreceivemorerights
inChinatopleaseitscitizens.Thewomenhavebeenofficiallyreleased,duetopressurebeing
receivedfromSamanthaPowers,whoisapartoftheUnitedNations,releasinganofficial
statement,andmanymore(Doane).Asforthechinesegovernment,theyshouldcontinueonthe
paththattheyhavebeenwalkingfromthestartwithmanychanges,withofficialstatements
definingwhatisrightandwhatisnotright,withoutoffendingeithergender.IfChinasgoalwas
tooppressthewomensrightsmovementwiththeimprisonmentofthefivewomen,theyhave
definitelynotsucceededandhavebeenpushedbackevenfurtherthantheyhavestarted.The
feministmovementinChinaisstillendangeredasimprisonmentsarestillquitefrequent,butas

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muchastheywanttoimprisonChinaswomen,theycanneverimprisonallofthefeminist
movementssupporters.

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WorksCited
"AbaddayforwomenFeminists."TheEconomist21Mar.2015:37(US).TheEconomist.
GlobalIssuesinContext.Web.29Apr.2015.
Doane,Seth."
AdvocatingforWomen'sRightsinChinaLands"BeijingFive"inCustody."
CBSNews.CBSInteractive,n.d.Web.30Apr.2015.
Fish,Eric."Interview:MaskedChineseActivists'ShowSolidarity'withDetainedFeminists."
AsiaSociety.N.p.,n.d.Web.30Apr.2015.
Jacobs,Andrew."TakingFeministBattletoChinasStreets,andLandinginJail."
TheNewYorkTimes.TheNewYorkTimes,05Apr.2015.Web.29Apr.2015.
Tatlow,ByDidiKirsten."Intimidatorsputfeministsonnotice."InternationalNewYorkTimes
26Mar.2015.GlobalIssuesinContext.Web.29Apr.2015.