Trial by Social Media? The Boundaries of Feminist Teaching in China

Por Lina Ma — The Diplomat

Read The Diplomat , Know The Asia-Pacific

A law school professor was dismissed after online controversy over her course on women’s rights.

On September 29, Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) announced the dismissal of a teacher surnamed Pei , widely identified in reporting as law school assistant professor Pei Yi. The university canceled her eligibility to supervise graduate students, revoked her eligibility to hold a teaching position at BIT, and terminated her employment. 

The university said a special working group had investigated allegations against Pei and found serious violations of teachers’ professional ethics and codes of conduct. Its public statement did not specify the conduct or disclose the supporting evidence.

The announcement followed an online controversy surrounding Pei’s elective course, “Protecting Women’s Rights in the Digital Age.” A message in a course group chat attracted accusations that she was insulting male students. Screenshots attributed to her subsequently circulated, broadening the backlash into accusations of “radical feminism.”

The case raises questions that BIT’s statement leaves unanswered: What conduct justified dismissal? How were the allegations assessed? And how should universities distinguish complaints about discriminatory teaching from opposition to feminist discussion itself?

The subject of Pei’s course is a legitimate field of legal inquiry. Women in digital spaces can face harassment, invasion of privacy, and discrimination; it’s important to know both their rights and their access to remedies. Teaching these subjects, however, requires examining unequal distributions of power, including inequalities that students may find uncomfortable or contest.

A video circulating online, purportedly from Pei’s classroom , featured her discussing the online harassment of law professor Lao Dongyan over her public positions on legal issues, including sexual consent. Pei mentioned that such harassment is difficult to counter because attacks come from dispersed individuals rather than a unified group with an identifiable leader. The discussion addressed a substantive question for a course on “women’s rights in the digital age”: how online hostility develops and what makes accountability difficult.

The initial dispute centered on Pei’s description of her course as having a “chocolate attribute” that might make some students uncomfortable. Critics interpreted this as a reference to an internet joke about chocolate being harmless to humans but dangerous to dogs, and therefore an insult to male students. Pei reportedly offered a different explanation , invoking the “Forrest Gump” metaphor of life as a box of chocolates.

The backlash was not simply a demand for clarification. Some commenters celebrated Pei’s dismissal , calling her a “女拳师” (“female boxer”), a derogatory pun on the Chinese word for feminism. Such responses suggest that, for at least some participants, the controversy became an opportunity to celebrate the removal of someone identified with feminism.

Other allegations concerned screenshots attributed to Pei expressing support for men being treated as inferior . Their authenticity and context, however, need to be established rather than inferred from their widespread circulation. Public approval of a dismissal cannot establish the truth of the allegations behind it. That distinction is especially important when hostility toward a teacher’s perceived feminist identity becomes entangled with complaints about her professional conduct.

The controversy surrounding Pei underscores the importance of distinguishing online hostility from substantiated complaints about professional conduct. BIT’s public statement leaves outsiders unable to assess how that distinction was made. For those teaching about women’s rights, that uncertainty may be enough to discourage difficult but necessary conversations.

A controversy in Hong Kong around the same time offers an imperfect contrast. According to students quoted in media reports , Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) academic Chong Tai-leung said that high grades were of little use to women, who would ultimately seek wealthy husbands. He reportedly also advised women against pursuing Ph.Ds, saying their youth was too precious. His presentation slides also discussed the “cost-benefit” of women marrying rich.

Chong later publicly apologized for his remarks. His college said it had reminded him to be mindful of his language and others’ feelings. 

Subscribe today and join thousands of diplomats, analysts, policy professionals and business readers who rely on The Diplomat for expert Asia-Pacific coverage.

Get unlimited access to in-depth analysis you won’t find anywhere else, from South China Sea tensions to ASEAN diplomacy to India-Pakistan relations. More than 5,000 articles a year.

Already have an account? Log in .

On September 29, Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) announced the dismissal of a teacher surnamed Pei , widely identified in reporting as law school assistant professor Pei Yi. The university canceled her eligibility to supervise graduate students, revoked her eligibility to hold a teaching position at BIT, and terminated her employment. 

The university said a special working group had investigated allegations against Pei and found serious violations of teachers’ professional ethics and codes of conduct. Its public statement did not specify the conduct or disclose the supporting evidence.

The announcement followed an online controversy surrounding Pei’s elective course, “Protecting Women’s Rights in the Digital Age.” A message in a course group chat attracted accusations that she was insulting male students. Screenshots attributed to her subsequently circulated, broadening the backlash into accusations of “radical feminism.”

The case raises questions that BIT’s statement leaves unanswered: What conduct justified dismissal? How were the allegations assessed? And how should universities distinguish complaints about discriminatory teaching from opposition to feminist discussion itself?

The subject of Pei’s course is a legitimate field of legal inquiry. Women in digital spaces can face harassment, invasion of privacy, and discrimination; it’s important to know both their rights and their access to remedies. Teaching these subjects, however, requires examining unequal distributions of power, including inequalities that students may find uncomfortable or contest.

A video circulating online, purportedly from Pei’s classroom , featured her discussing the online harassment of law professor Lao Dongyan over her public positions on legal issues, including sexual consent. Pei mentioned that such harassment is difficult to counter because attacks come from dispersed individuals rather than a unified group with an identifiable leader. The discussion addressed a substantive question for a course on “women’s rights in the digital age”: how online hostility develops and what makes accountability difficult.

The initial dispute centered on Pei’s description of her course as having a “chocolate attribute” that might make some students uncomfortable. Critics interpreted this as a reference to an internet joke about chocolate being harmless to humans but dangerous to dogs, and therefore an insult to male students. Pei reportedly offered a different explanation , invoking the “Forrest Gump” metaphor of life as a box of chocolates.

The backlash was not simply a demand for clarification. Some commenters celebrated Pei’s dismissal , calling her a “女拳师” (“female boxer”), a derogatory pun on the Chinese word for feminism. Such responses suggest that, for at least some participants, the controversy became an opportunity to celebrate the removal of someone identified with feminism.

Other allegations concerned screenshots attributed to Pei expressing support for men being treated as inferior . Their authenticity and context, however, need to be established rather than inferred from their widespread circulation. Public approval of a dismissal cannot establish the truth of the allegations behind it. That distinction is especially important when hostility toward a teacher’s perceived feminist identity becomes entangled with complaints about her professional conduct.

The controversy surrounding Pei underscores the importance of distinguishing online hostility from substantiated complaints about professional conduct. BIT’s public statement leaves outsiders unable to assess how that distinction was made. For those teaching about women’s rights, that uncertainty may be enough to discourage difficult but necessary conversations.

A controversy in Hong Kong around the same time offers an imperfect contrast. According to students quoted in media reports , Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) academic Chong Tai-leung said that high grades were of little use to women, who would ultimately seek wealthy husbands. He reportedly also advised women against pursuing Ph.Ds, saying their youth was too precious. His presentation slides also discussed the “cost-benefit” of women marrying rich.

Chong later publicly apologized for his remarks. His college said it had reminded him to be mindful of his language and others’ feelings. 

Lina Ma is a Chinese-born freelance journalist and research writer based in New York. She covers gender, digital culture, and social change in contemporary China, She is also a contributing writer to Global Voices. She holds an M.S. in Global Affairs from New York University and a B.A. in Translation from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. Get in touch with Lina by LinkedIn or email.

Get briefed on the story of the week, and developing stories to watch across the Asia-Pacific.

Fonte: The Diplomat