“I know I can’t explain it clearly, and even if it doesn’t, it won’t be considered important. I know that someone in your prominent position, Deputy Prime Minister Chang Kao-li, will say that he is not afraid. But even if it was just a pebble in a stone or a moth attacking a flame seeking self-destruction, I will tell the truth about you. “
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With these words, former Chinese tennis star Pcheng Shui gave her confession on November 2. The addressee of a message published on the Weibo social network is Chang Kao-li, who was one of the seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee as Deputy Prime Minister from 2013 to 2018, headed by Chinese President Xi Jinping as then.
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“I am a hypocrite. I admit that I am not a good woman, in fact I am a very bad woman. About three years ago, you retired, Chang Kao-li, Deputy Prime Minister. You contacted me again through the Tianjin Tennis Center and asked me to play tennis with you, ”she wrote, and it was immediately clear that the story did not end with tennis.
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“Why did you have to come back to me, take me home, where you forced me to have sex?” Foreign and Czech media quote a piece of the original contribution of a Chinese tennis player. After reading the whole story however, it turns out in Chinese that even this story is not black and white either.
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After that tennis exchange, the ten-year-old scenario was only to be repeated. “After we finished tennis, you brought me and your wife, Kchang Jia, to your house. Then you took me to your room. Just like ten years ago in Tianjin, you wanted to have sex with me, “Pcheng wrote in the original post.
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The story, according to which a young tennis player became a longtime mistress of a high-ranking politician who allegedly persuaded her to have sex after years, disappeared from social networks within half an hour.
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Even screenshots of her original post did not last long. “Tennis” has even been added to the long list of censored words for a while. The Chinese website Douban, which resembles the Czech CSFD, blocked the page of the Korean romantic television show “The Prime Minister and I”, under which users discussed the allegations in the reviews section.
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But it turned out that not only internet content disappeared. The faces of world tennis, journalists and friends, two weeks after the outbreak of the unparalleled case in Chinese society, ask – where did Pcheng Shui go?
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#WhereIsPengShuai
Chris Evert, a former American number one tennis player and winner of 18 grand slam tournaments on Twitter, said the “allegations were very worrying.” “I’ve known Pcheng since she was 14. We should all be concerned. This is serious. Where is? Is she safe? We will appreciate any information, “Evert wrote on Twitter. French professional tennis player Alizé Cornet added the hashtag #WhereIsPengShuai with the words: “Let’s not be quiet”.
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Yes, these accusations are very disturbing. I’ve known Peng since she was 14; we should all be concerned; this is serious; where is she? Is she safe? Any information would be appreciated.???? https://t.co/RH0aYCDqQm
— Chris Evert (@ChrissieEvert) November 14, 2021
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Journalists also tried to contact the Chinese tennis player. Unsuccessfully. Hong Kong medium South China Morning Post he replied one of her former colleagues from the advertising team. But Pcheng Shui does not communicate with him either. “When we found out about her contribution, we tried to call her several times, but she could not be reached,” the man told SCMP, who asked for anonymity due to the sensitivity of the whole matter.
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The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) also called for the worrying allegations on Sunday, calling for a “full, fair and transparent investigation”. The organization has called for an end to the censorship of China’s top doubles player.
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Statement from Steve Simon, Chairman & CEO, WTA
WTA seeks full, fair and transparent investigation into sexual assault allegations against former Chinese leader and also calls for end of censorship against Peng Shuai.
– wta (@WTA) November 14, 2021
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“These accusations of the former Chinese leader involving sexual assault must be taken with the utmost seriousness,” said Steve Simon, chairman and CEO of WTA. “Such behavior must be explored in every society, not tolerated and overlooked. Pcheng Shui deserves praise for his remarkable courage and strength to perform. It helps women around the world find a voice and redress injustice. ”
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The WTA does not specifically name the Chinese leader. The staff of the association’s offices in Beijing and Shenzhen on Monday declined to comment further.
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Love story without a happy ending
As Pcheng admits in the original post, he cannot provide evidence of rape. Although the world media describes the case as coercion to achieve sexual intercourse, the original post of a tennis player written in Chinese tells the story of a woman who left home at a very young age and lacked love due to her tennis career.
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According to her own words, she had to establish a long-term relationship with the politician, but due to his marriage and career, he did not have a chance to survive. In addition, the tennis player was troubled by the conscience and ridicule of the politician’s wife, who was said to be aware of her.
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“Because of all this, I never thought I was a good girl. I hate, I hate that I came to this world and experienced this catastrophe. You told me you loved me, you love me so much and you hope to meet in the next life, when you will be 20 and I am 18. You have claimed how lonely and sad you are inside. ” she remembered Before her disappearance for the period she had been going through ten years ago. Chang Kao-li was supposed to tell her that he could not divorce due to the circumstances.
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Unverified post from Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, taken down from Weibo within minutes, in which she claims (again unverified) that she was assaulted by former Vice premier Zhang Gaoli, before willingly becoming his mistress. Highest public #MeToo allegation in China pic.twitter.com/lPU8fQ9vbx
— Emily Feng 冯哲芸 (@EmilyZFeng) November 2, 2021
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“I have no evidence, none at all. You were always afraid that I would bring a dictaphone, for example. But there is no sound recording, no video recording, only my distorted but very real experience, “she wrote, adding that their” relationship “ended when Chang was promoted to a member of the Beijing Politburo Standing Committee. He remembered the old acquaintance after his retirement.
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At a meeting after years, Pcheng Shui first settled the proposal to return to the old dormitories, and Chang refused. “But you said you hated me. You said you had never forgotten in those seven years and that you would be nice to me. I was scared and anxious. Given the affection I had for you seven years ago, I finally agreed. And yes, we had sex, “the tennis player wrote, and in the text she admits that she understood the politician very well and that their time together was once only filled with sexual activities.
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“What I feel for you is very complicated. From that day on I found my love for you again, for the days I spent with you. You are a very nice person. You treated me well, we discussed topics from modern history to antiquity. You shared knowledge from economics to philosophy with me. We played chess, sang, played table ping pong, billiards and also tennis. We’ve always had endless fun. “
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However, just as it is not possible to find out where Pcheng Shui is, it is difficult to verify how realistic the printscreens of the original contribution are. However, passages on coercion cited by other media also appear in the text.
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Late, but still #MeToo
Last but not least, Pcheg Shui came across a long-taboo topic with her confession. The MeToo wave, which toppled many famous men from the pedestal, arrived in China relatively late compared to the rest of the developed world – the first woman spoke of sexual harassment three years ago. Although dozens of women of various professions have since begun to share their stories, the Chinese Communist Party seemed obligated. Until last month.
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China’s MeToo case system has not been able to “chew” even in cases where the allegations do not involve high-ranking party members.
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He, Zhu Jun, is one of the most famous faces on China’s CCTV, and she, Zhou Xiaosuan, a 21-year-old intern, helped create his show. Unsolicited touching and kissing was supposed to take place seven years ago in the dressing room of a prominent moderator. According to her, the young intern (known under the nickname Sien-c ‘) entered the “lion pit” with the vision of an interview.
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Instead, he had to touch her repeatedly for 50 minutes, even though she resisted him. The interaction was interrupted several times by employees entering the room. Sien-c ‘was so immobilized by fear and shame that she could not speak. She left the room when Chua was busy talking to another staff member.
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In 2018, which dates back to the beginning of the MeToo movement in China, Sien-c ‘published an essay of three thousand words. She described the day in detail, as well as the subsequent police interrogation.
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“I was afraid that Chu Tun’s insult would affect my studies, so I didn’t dare defend myself,” she wrote in the essay. Nevertheless, she dared to report the incident to the police. There, however, she was to be advised to keep the story to herself, because Chu is a national example of “positive energy” – a designation for a state campaign aimed at promoting good behavior. And so the moderator was someone whose reputation simply cannot be tarnished. So Sien-c ‘remained silent for several years. Until the MeToo movement arrived in China.
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She demanded a public apology and compensation of 50,000 yuan (about 166,000 crowns) for the sexual harassment she accused Chua of in 2014. The moderator denied any wrongdoing. In his defense, he filed an unsuccessful lawsuit against the woman for reputational damage and mental health damage.
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There are similar cases in which a harassed woman takes a case to court in Saffron. That is why the case of Zhou Xiaosuan and Zhu Jun was to be a barometer of China’s progress deeply rooted in gender inequality.
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Prior to the inaugural hearing, Sien-c ‘told the BBC that no matter how it turned out, she would not regret it. “If I win, it will encourage many women to come out and tell their stories. If I lose, I will appeal until justice is done. “
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Sien-c ‘heard the verdict in September this year. However, a Beijing court ruled against it because of “insufficient evidence.” But the process did not go as expected. Sien-c ‘told the BBC that she had been given minimal opportunity to testify, as well as a slim chance of presenting supporting evidence – videos from the locker room and photos of their meeting.
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In addition, she presented the evidence in 2014, when she brought the police the clothes she was wearing that day. The initial investigation found no traces of DNA. When she asked the court for a check, she was told that “the dress is nowhere to be found.” The court was also supposed to say that forcing the moderator to testify was “unnecessary”. After a ten-hour hearing behind closed doors, she left the courthouse as a loser. She told dozens of supporters waiting for Sien-c ‘until midnight that she planned to appeal.
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“I’ve exhausted all my efforts,” she said in tears. “I’m very sorry I couldn’t bring everyone a better result.” But she got support from the fans. “You did great! You’ve done so much already, “people shouted from the videos.
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According to Chinese law expert Dario Longarin, quoted by the BBC, the court’s reasoning was “unconvincing”. Some in China believe that there were political motives behind these court decisions.
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Chu, 57, is a former member of the China People’s Political Consultative Conference, the Chinese government’s top political advisory body. He became best known for moderating two dozen CCTV gala dinners for the Lunar Year, the most watched television show in China with more than 700 million viewers.
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Chu did not comment directly on the case. He denied all the allegations through his lawyer. In addition, the 28-year-old woman was cut off from court contact with her supporters on social networks. “Accounts are blocked at all times. I have no way to contact them, I have no chance to thank them. The last three years have been all about trying to separate Chinese feminists, “she told the BBC.
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