The #MeToo movement in China has sent shock waves through progressive circles as some of the men accused of sexual assault and harassment are prominent intellectuals and activists who have long advocated for equal rights. High-profile men accused of abusive behavior include anti-discrimination activist Lei Chuang, environmentalist Feng Yongfeng and journalist Xiong Peiyun. Lei and Feng admitted to the accusations, while Xiong denied them.
THE BAREFOOT LAWYER
A Blind Man’s Fight for Justice and Freedom in China
A sign was posted outside a jail cell in Yinan County, China, in 2006. Inside the cell, Chen Guangcheng could not read the sign because he was blind, but another inmate told him it was a list of prison regulations, printed on a poster. Peering through a small window in the cell door, the other prisoner read the rules aloud: “According to the Official Detention Center Regulations, the following types of people may not be detained: (1) Blind people; (2) Pregnant women.”
Absurd but very real, this brief moment goes to the heart of Chen’s riveting new memoir about his experience fighting for human rights in China. What Chen wants is nothing more than for China to obey its own rules and laws, not only for himself but for others who suffer injustice and brutality. The price for demanding that China do this is an unending series of beatings, house arrests and imprisonment. Over and over again, Chen finds that authorities in China don’t respect their own laws. What matters more is the arbitrary rule of the party and the thousands of people who carry out its wishes. In a very powerful way, he indicts the Chinese system not for its historical blunders or its socialist ideology, but rather for a very practical thing: not following its own rules.
