The Feminist Five

The Feminist Five (女权五姐妹) are a group of 5 women's rights activists: Li Maizi (Li Tingting), Wei Tingting, Zheng Churan, Wu Rongrong, and Wang Man ("女权五姐妹”). In the post-2000 era, they used street guerrilla tactics as a form of resistance. They are known for two movements: "Occupy the Men's Room" and "I Can Be Slutty, You Cannot Harass Me". However, they were arrested in 2015 for participating in the latter movement, in line with the general government crackdown on feminist activism. Ultimately, their arrest and detention are what made a name for themselves, paving the way for the #MeToo campaign. They even gained a hashtag for themselves: #FreeTheFive. Additionally, the government crackdown and their detention were considered signs that the 1995 UN World Conference on Women held in Beijing was a failure.

The Feminist Five ("女权五姐妹").

A tweet from Hillary Clinton addressing the detainment of the Feminist Five, among other women across the world (Ap and Yu 2015).

They were released on bail after extensive international and domestic protest. Interestingly, one of the members, Li Maizi, published an article in The Guardian in 2017, two years after her release. She remains hopeful for the Chinese feminist movement, but acknowledges that state surveillance has become more intense. Domestic violence legislation was passed. Women's rights groups are able to provide support. Li Maizi herself continues to be an activist. As long as there is still a discussion, there is still hope (Li 2017).

References

Ap, Tiffany, and Elaine Yu. “China Calls Hillary Clinton a ‘rabble Rouser’ over Xi Tweet.” CNN, Cable News Network, 29 Sept. 2015, www.cnn.com/2015/09/28/world/china-xi- clinton-womens-rights/index.html.

Li, Maizi. “I Went to Jail for Handing out Feminist Stickers in China | Li Maizi.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 7 Mar. 2017, www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/mar/08/feminist-stickers-china-backash-

women-activists.

“女权五姐妹.” China Digital Space,

https://chinadigitaltimes.net/space/%E5%A5%B3%E6%9D%83%E4%BA%94%E5%A7%90%E5%A6%B9.