The Irrepressible Strength of Peng Shuai

Peng's case is by far the most explosive of China's #MeToo movement, which has managed to gain momentum in spite of an intensifying government crackdown on feminist activism and social media accounts. In a long post to her verified Weibo account, evidently published without much thought as...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Dissent (New York) 2022-03, Vol.69 (2), p.42-47
Main Authors: Pin, Lü, Fincher, Leta Hong, Henochowicz, Anne
Format: Magazinearticle
Language:English
Subjects:
Activism
Censorship
Cognitive dissonance
Compensation
Coping
Feminism
Peng Shuai
Power
Propaganda
Sex crimes
Social media
Social networks
Tennis
Testimony
Violence
Women
Zhang Gaoli
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Summary:Peng's case is by far the most explosive of China's #MeToo movement, which has managed to gain momentum in spite of an intensifying government crackdown on feminist activism and social media accounts. In a long post to her verified Weibo account, evidently published without much thought as to the consequences, Peng Shuai revealed that former Politburo Standing Committee member and vice premier Zhang Gaoli had forced her into a sexual relationship, setting in motion a three-year lovehate affair. The public can only guess what's really going on beneath their dyed-black heads of hair and their dark suits, their dull faces and their stock speeches. "Love" in this case was psychological compensation for the loss of power, a coping mechanism for the cognitive dissonance of her situation, a balm for her self-perception through the days of forced companionship.
ISSN:0012-3846
1946-0910
1946-0910
DOI:10.1353/dss.2022.0021