China MeToo: Why one woman is being sued by the TV star she accused

Posted by kuailai99 on September 30th, 2018

China MeToo: Why one woman is being sued by the TV star she accused In July, China's entertainment world was faced with the allegation that one of the country's biggest and most beloved TV stars had forcibly groped and kissed an intern after she took a basket of fruit to his room.To get more china news in english, you can visit shine news official website.

Zhu Jun, known for hosting national television extravaganzas such as the Spring Festival Gala, immediately denied the accusation and proceeded to sue her for damaging his reputation and mental wellbeing. The woman, known by her online moniker Xianzi, was finally told on Tuesday that the case will be heard in Beijing's Haidian district court. She has now filed a countersuit and intends to fight the case, thus setting up China's first #MeToo confrontation in court. The case is a telling insight into how China is negotiating the #MeToo phenomenon that has swept the world and seen dozens of high-profile figures being publicly shamed for alleged sexual misconduct.

When 25-year-old Xianzi posted her 3,000-word account on WeChat, she wasn't expecting a huge amount of attention. But when her friend Xu Chao re-posted it on China's biggest social media site Sina Weibo - it immediately began to go viral. Xu Chao is now also being sued by Zhu Jun - who also demands compensation and a public apology from her, arguing that the situation has caused him great distress.The alleged incident is said to have taken place four years ago, but in her account Xianzi alleges that the police told her to drop the accusation because Mr Zhu was a prominent TV host and his "positive impact" on society should make her think twice. She also alleges that the authorities went as far as contacting her parents and said she should keep quiet for their sake.

Soon after she came forward, Xianzi claimed to have received several threatening phone calls: "Believe it or not, I'll get to your Mum," a deep male voice said in a voice recording she posted later on Weibo.With no other witnesses or allegations against Zhu Jun forthcoming, the case looks to be a simple case of his word against hers. But for both women this is about making a point on a public stage in China, where #MeToo has failed to make significant progress as a movement. Xianzi told the BBC she would not change her stance: "I don't want society to expect the perfect victim who never makes any mistakes and asks [for] no compensation.

"Many people ask #MeToo victims why you don't make a report to the police immediately. I'm the one who did report to the police four years ago and I didn't receive any justice. Still there are people who instruct female victims to do this... but not men. I want to correct this by standing up." Xu Chao had this to say: "What deeply concerns the victims is whether this injury leads to justice or nothing." She is pessimistic about China's ability to allow #MeToo to become a fully-fledged part of the mainstream conversation, the way it has elsewhere. "China is a bit different. There is a gap between public opinion and legislation," she says, but adds: "I won't give up."

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