Women rise up against ‘toxic environment’

By
Fabian Peltsch

In January 2021, Chinese stand-up comedian Yang Li suddenly became famous for her statement that men are “普確信” Pǔ quèxìn: “mediocre, but self-confident.” On China’s social media, the phrase became a feminist slogan within hours. At the same time, a shitstorm broke out over Li, which also cost her some advertising contracts. The tenor: Li’s comedy was inciting “hatred against men”. Gender equality is generally a topic that quickly raises tempers in China. Most recently, the case of a mentally ill woman who was chained up by her husband in the city of Xuzhou caused nationwide outrage. Women were often not even treated as human beings, according to comments on Chinese social media channels such as Weibo.