Zheng Churan

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]

In this Chinese name, the family name is Zheng.
Zheng Churan
A portrait of Zheng Churan.
Born1988 or 1989 (age 33–34)[1]
Guangzhou, China
NationalityChinese
Occupation(s)Writer, activist
Known forFeminist activism

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. "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. 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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