Zheng Churan
A portrait of Zheng Churan.
Born1988 or 1989 (age 34–35)[1]
Guangzhou, China
NationalityChinese
Occupation(s)Writer, activist
Known forFeminist activism

Zheng Churan (Chinese: 鄭楚然; pinyin: Zhèng Chǔrán) is a Chinese women's rights activist and feminist. Together with four other activists, she was detained, in March 2015, shortly before events planned for International Women's Day.[2] They are collectively known as the Feminist Five. In November 2016, she became one of the BBC's 100 Women 2016.[1]

Protest

In 2015, she and four other activists (Wei Tingting, Wang Man, Wu Rongrong, and Li Tingting, collectively known as the "Feminist Five"[3]) were detained by the Chinese government just prior to International Women's Day, the day they planned to execute a campaign against sexual harassment on public transportation.[4] All five women were released on bail after 37 days of detention.[5] Had they been convicted, the women could have faced up to three years in prison for "creating a disturbance".[6]

The BBC News highlights Zheng's contributions to organizing events, her support for women's rights. She is also reported to have fought for women to be given menstrual leave.[1]

In December 2016, Zheng wrote an open letter to Donald Trump warning him to avoid sexist behaviour in the future.[7]

She and Xiao Meili operate an online store selling original designs about feminism on Taobao called Dúpǐn Shāngdiàn (独品商店).

In 2018, she was the plaintiff in a defamation case against Kù Wán Shíyànshì (酷玩实验室), a Chinese independent media platform. They had previously accused Zheng Churan of running an international sex trafficking operation.[8] The case remains ongoing.

Zheng Churan continues to be an outspoken activist and prolific writer on feminist and human rights issues.[9][10]

Arrest of Wei Zhili

On March 20, 2019, at around 2 a.m., Zheng's husband Wei Zhili was taken away by the police. As a journalist and a labor activist, Wei was accused by the police of "disturbing public order" and needing "education" after being "brainwashed".[11] He worked with Chinese laborers to obtain government compensation after they had been stricken with pneumoconiosis from unsafe working conditions.[12] For days after Wei's arrest, his wife and parents were not informed of his whereabouts.[13]

After her husband's incarceration, Zheng began an online campaign to bring attention and raise awareness to Wei's case. She plans to run 10,000 kilometers and post a daily update of her progress on Twitter.[13][14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "BBC 100 Women 2016: Who is on the list?". BBC. 21 November 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  2. ↑ "China releases 5 female activists". CNN. 14 April 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  3. ↑ Murdoch, Scott (6 May 2015). "Wei Tingting vows to continue protests in China". The Australian. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  4. ↑ Jiang, Steven (14 April 2015). "Released Chinese feminists: Out of jail but not free". CNN. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  5. ↑ Jacobs, Andrew (5 April 2015). "Taking Feminist Battle to China's Streets, and Landing in Jail". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  6. ↑ "Chinese police release feminist activists". The Guardian. 13 April 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  7. ↑ "Chinese activist Zheng Churan: 'Hey Trump, feminists are watching you". BBC News. 15 December 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  8. ↑ "大兔：郑楚然诉酷玩实验室名誉侵权一案已立案" [Big rabbit: Zheng Churan v. Cool play laboratory reputation infringement case has been filed]. China Digital Times (in Chinese). 28 March 2018.
  9. ↑ "Zheng Churan, Author at SupChina". SupChina. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  10. ↑ "为什么我看见SK-II的相亲角广告后，害怕得迟迟不肯转发-尖椒部落". www.jianjiaobuluo.com. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  11. ↑ "Police detain labour activist Wei Zhili in southern China, wife says". 21 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  12. ↑ "Pneumoconiosis workers prevented from showing support for detained labour activist Wei Zhili".
  13. 1 2 Jha, Natasha; Lee, Chermaine (7 June 2019). "This Woman Is Running To Save The Love Of Her Life". Buzzfeed News. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  14. ↑ Han, Jie (30 April 2019). "Labor Editors 'At Risk of Torture', Dozens of Labor Activists Behind Bars". Radio Free Asia. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
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