June 21, 2023, Guangzhou, China: People take a subway train in Guangzhou
CHENGDU — On June 7, a master's student at Sichuan University, Zhang Wei, saw a man in the subway squatting down using his phone and staring at her. The woman thought that he was secretly filming her, a common phenomenon on Chinese public transportation. Zhang Wei asked to check the man’s photo album on his phone and found that he had not taken any pictures of her. After the incident, Zhang Wei posted an article online detailing the event, along with a video of her confronting the man.
On June 9, the Guangzhou police said that the dispute had been dealt with, with both parties reconciling. Social media users still, however, condemned Zhang Wei’s posting of the event.
A few days later, Zhang Wei posted an apology on the Chinese social media network Weibo, stating: “I shouldn’t have confirmed that there was [no wrongdoing] with you on the subway and still spread the video freely on the internet.” She also said that she would take action to correct her mistake. People on social media pointed out that as a journalism student, Zhang Wei should have known the law and claimed that her apology was insincere.
After this backlash on Weibo, Zhang Wei tried to appeal to users, saying that she has been taught a lesson and that both parties have forgiven one another. Users still attacked her and commented that she should have known the consequences of her actions.
The attack on Zhang Wei
From this incident, some social media users have unearthed parts of Zhang Wei’s history, with claims that she used her authority as president of the student union to get extra points in university. Some users also claimed that she bullied a classmate in high school, which led him to depression. The alleged classmate responded by saying that he wished that no one would point fingers at the school, but did not confirm nor deny the allegations of bullying.
With her background and history being exposed, users have posted calls on the internet for the cancellation of Zhang Wei’s qualifications. Some have even gone as far as to report her to the Central Disciplinary Inspection Commission, claiming that Zhang Wei’s actions are illegal in terms of online violence.
Many are questioning the role of journalists, with one person stating: “Many people in the media are like this. It is a serious problem that we let such people control the country’s public opinion."
Turn your back to women.
On June 12, the media reported that Sichuan University was treating the incident seriously and would deal with it according to procedures and regulations. Users from within the education community commented that "the Internet is not a place outside the law" and "this kind of person should never be allowed to work in the news media."
Due to the attacks on Zhang Wei on the internet, on June 13, the media confirmed that Tencent, a Chinese multimedia company, had terminated its internship contract with Zhang Wei.
Feminist critics
Feminism has been brought up, with some social media users believing that “the biggest victims of the incident are the innocent girls who are secretly filmed in the subway,” and that “it will be more difficult to defend the rights of girls who are secretly filmed in the future.”
Other users commented that Zhang Wei has blocked the road of women's rights in this issue.
Some have even gone as far as to victimize men, saying things like, “tips for men to stay alive in public; don’t look at any women, look at the ground, don't get too close to a woman wearing a skirt, turn your back to women”. These were just a few of the many comments against feminism on the internet.
Exposing the secret filming industry
The incident also brought public attention to a recent undercover BBC report on secret filming on subways. On June 7, they revealed that a Chinese man living in Japan was operating a pornographic website consisting mainly of secretly filmed videos on the subway and streets. The men secretly filming these women often grope and harass the women they are filming as well. The website has over 10,000 members.
She is an 'object of the gaze'.
Users brought up that there was much more social media attention on Zhang Wei’s incident than the BBC report, which should have received more attention.
On Weibo, a woman wrote and published an article about women's security after this incident. She pointed out that “although what she [Zhang Wei] did was indeed inappropriate, it was also for a valid reason of fear.” After being attacked by users, she withdrew the post.
Some users on Weibo did defend Zhang Wei, saying that if she is aware that she is in an environment where she is an “object of the gaze” where it is highly likely that people would “pervasively record her.” Then “when you see a strange male squatting on a subway with his cellphone facing you, wouldn't you be scared too?”
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