The Irrepressible Strength of Peng Shuai

Abstract

The Irrepressible Strength of Peng Shuai Lü Pin (bio), Leta Hong Fincher (bio), and Anne Henochowicz (bio) Click for larger view View full resolution [End Page 42] Last November, Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, the former Wimbledon and French Open doubles champion, posted a lengthy statement on the social media site Weibo accusing China’s former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexually assaulting her, referring to a years-long, on-again, off-again relationship. The post was deleted by censors within a half-hour and Peng disappeared for several weeks, unleashing a flood of international news reports and prompting tennis celebrities such as Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka to post their concern on Twitter, using the viral hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai. Chinese state media sought to stanch the flow of bad publicity by releasing bizarre propaganda images of Peng through government-affiliated Twitter accounts, attempting to persuade foreign audiences that she was free and well. The Chinese government has a long history of forcing political prisoners or detainees to give false, televised testimony to suit its propaganda goals, and Peng’s obviously staged appearances failed to convince the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), which took the unprecedented step of withdrawing all tournaments from China. In late December, Peng was filmed giving a short interview to Lianhe Zaobao, a Singaporean Chinese-language news outlet, saying that “there were many misunderstandings” about her social media post and claiming that she “never said or wrote about anyone sexually assaulting” her. This, too, failed to allay doubts about her safety, and the WTA issued a statement to Reuters on December 19 saying, “these appearances do not alleviate or address the WTA’s significant concerns about her well-being and ability to communicate without censorship or coercion. We remain steadfast in our call for a full, fair and transparent investigation, without censorship, into her allegation of sexual assault, which is the issue that gave rise to our initial concern.” Peng’s case is by far the most explosive of China’s #MeToo movement, which has managed to gain momentum in spite of an intensifying government crackdown on feminist activism and social media accounts. There is no better person to comment on Peng’s courageous Weibo post and what [End Page 43] it could mean for the future of the beleaguered women’s rights movement than Lü Pin, founding editor-in-chief of China’s now-banned media platform, Feminist Voices (Nüquan zhi sheng). She is one of China’s most influential intellectuals, and she is currently pursuing a PhD at Rutgers University’s program in women and politics. Her essay on Peng Shuai, originally published in Chinese, is translated here for the first time into English by Anne Henochowicz. —Leta Hong Fincher ________ On November 2, one of China’s tennis superstars shocked social media. In a long post to her verified Weibo account, evidently published without much thought as to the consequences, Peng Shuai revealed that former Politburo Standing Committee member and vice premier Zhang Gaoli had forced her into a sexual relationship, setting in motion a three-year love-hate affair. When she realized that Zhang was only “playing, and would leave me as soon as he didn’t want me anymore,” Peng wrote, she decided to speak out. Social media suffered a collapse similar to her own. Peng’s post soon disappeared, as did keywords related to her story. Netizens quickly invented code words to fill in the gaps. Peng’s Weibo account lingered for a day or two, before every last trace was wiped from social media. While the record of her athletic achievements remains, only the most veiled discussion of her trauma can continue. People are terrified that what they say could have consequences for Peng. Like a cipher, the simple words “I hope she’s safe” quietly circulate online. The Violence of the Powerful “I’m throwing eggs at the wall,” Peng Shuai wrote in her Weibo post. “I’m a moth to the flame. I am courting disaster.” She must have known the risk she was taking when she typed out Zhang Gaoli’s name. The upper echelons of China’s leadership keep up a false front. The public...