[404 Archives] Issue 189: Jingyao v. Liu Qiangdong Case: Behind the "Immortal Jump" Public Opinion War, the Unfinished Road of the Mi Rabbit Movement

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Author: Yuli

Welcome to the 404 Archives. Here, we go through China’s digital wall together.

On October 1, local time, news came from Minneapolis, the capital of Minnesota, that Liu Qiangdong and Liu Jingyao, the two parties in Liu Qiangdong’s alleged sexual assault case, reached a pre-trial agreement, marking the Mi Rabbit scandal that has attracted national attention. The case is legally closed. The truth of this case may never be made public again, but the discussion surrounding the case on issues such as male-dominated society, rape culture, media environment, and the Mi Rabbit Movement is far from over.

In this episode, let us review the entire process of the Jingyao v. Liu Qiangdong case, present the important details of the case through the perspectives of professional media and frontline feminist activists, and also consider the public value it leaves us.

Liu Qiangdong and Jingyao reached a pre-trial agreement

The alleged sexual assault case involving Liu Qiangdong, founder and chairman of JD.com, lasted more than four years. After the client Jingyao filed a civil lawsuit, after more than three years of preparation, the case was originally scheduled to be formally heard on October 3, 2022. But on the evening of October 1, local time, lawyers from both sides issued a joint statement stating that the two sides agreed to put aside their differences and reach a pre-trial agreement to close the case.

After the statement was issued, Chinese media, mainly interface news, immediately reported the Chinese translation. The translation said that the two parties had "a misunderstanding caused by an accidental incident, which occupied a large amount of social resources and also caused harm to each other's families." "We are deeply troubled..." and the two parties decided to "eliminate the misunderstanding, reach a reconciliation, and put an end to this incident."

But the statement quickly sparked controversy, with some netizens saying it was disappointing that the parties ended a case that had attracted public attention with a "misunderstanding." The Chinese translation of the statement has been questioned by many people, including some professionals who have lived in the United States for a long time. Dr. Cao Qizhen of Stanford University believes that the media was wrong to translate "misunderstanding" in the original text as "misunderstanding". The original English text said that this was a "disagreement" that attracted a lot of social attention. From the logic of this case, , it should also be "disagreement" that is more reasonable.

• Beida Fei: "Is the Jingyao case a "misunderstanding"? 》

The public account "A Science Popularization Garden of Biological Dogs", which is dedicated to the popularization of medical science, also published an article , arguing that many words in the translation are obviously biased, are quite different from the original English text, and are even made up of nothing. He also pointed out that since the emergence of this case, it has been common for domestic media to favor Liu Qiangdong or do public relations for him. This has incited stigma against victims and online violence, and should be condemned.

• A popular science garden about biological dogs: ""Accidental Incident"? "Eliminate misunderstanding"? A good translation method"

The North American feminist community "Support Jingyao Group", which has long supported Jingyao and supported her, also promptly issued a statement on the pre-trial agreement, giving a positive interpretation of the result, saying that it was Jingyao and her help. The result of years of hard work by her volunteers, and thanked Jingyao for her contribution to Mi Rabbit and the Chinese feminist movement.

As far as this case is concerned, reaching a pre-trial agreement may be Jingyao's best option and her right. By advancing judicial proceedings in the United States, Jingyao secured a public outcome. She could have accepted a private "reconciliation" when the case occurred in 2018, but she chose to make it public and contribute her efforts to the Mi Rabbit movement. In the past four years, we have witnessed Jingyao’s ordeal in judicial procedures and public opinion. We are glad that she does not have to endure a higher intensity of torture at trial and endless attacks and condemnation outside the courtroom for an unknown outcome.

During the course of the case, she opened up about herself and told her story. This opened up a public space for other women, allowing us to explore important issues such as the misogynist system, wine table culture, rape culture, and the hunting of women by transnational capital, and spread feminist discourse on a wide range.

In 2018, feminism popularized the idea of ​​“rejecting the victim.” Today, feminists once again interpret it with actions - they do not require the victim to be perfect, they do not examine the victim, they do not expect her to be a "feminist hero", and they do not force her to make sacrifices for other people's obsessions. s hard work. Feminists cannot treat victims as tools. We believe she will continue to make the best choices for herself, and that is our expectation.

Thank you again Jingyao, thank you for walking this journey with us.

• Women's Generation: "Feminist Rights Statement on the Pre-trial Agreement on the Jingyao v. Liu Qiangdong Case: "Reconciliation" is Victory, Please Continue to Work Together with Us"

The case of Jingyao v. Liu Qiangdong has now come to an end legally, but this does not mean that she has received justice. Public opinion has still continued to humiliate and harshly criticize her, and the social problems exposed by the case have not been resolved or sufficiently reflected on. There are many more unknown women who are experiencing similar abuses from powerful people, and the MiTou movement is still moving forward.

Liu Qiangdong arrested on suspicion of sexual assault

On August 31, 2018, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the United States, Liu Qiangdong, the founder and then CEO of JD.com, was taken away by the local police on suspicion of "first-degree sexual offenses" after someone called the police and accused him of rape. Liu Jingyao, a 21-year-old Chinese student at the University of Minnesota. He was released the next afternoon (September 1) after a brief detention.

The relevant news was quickly reported by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and other American media, and spread on the Chinese Internet. Liu Qiangdong’s name was once a hot search on Weibo. JD.com issued a statement on Weibo on September 2, calling the news "false rumors" and claiming that Liu Qiangdong "encountered false accusations during his business activities in the United States."

• The Paper: "Liu Qiangdong’s suspected sexual crime case explained: Zero bail does not mean the crime is light, and he can return to the country now"

However, on September 4, the Minneapolis Police Department in Minnesota further disclosed the details of Liu Qiangdong’s alleged sexual assault case. The police report shows that Liu Qiangdong was charged with a first-degree felony of sexual crime, namely "attempted rape", and the case is still under investigation. After Liu Qiangdong was released, his personal freedom was not restricted and he immediately returned to China. During the police investigation, details of the case were gradually disclosed by some foreign media.

According to a confession provided by local police in the United States, Liu Qiangdong raped the woman involved. One of Liu Qiangdong's personal assistants, Alice Zhang, told the police that on the night of the incident, she took a car with the two clients back to the girl's residence and tried to sit between them, but was stopped by Liu Qiangdong, so she sat on the other side of the car instead. Front row. Liu Qiangdong stayed at the woman's residence for four hours and took a shower in the residence. The woman repeatedly refused Liu's approach and tried to make him leave, but was eventually pushed down and raped by him. On the second day after the incident, another assistant of Liu, Vivian Yang, contacted the woman and proposed that Li Hua, Liu’s classmate at Carlson College and chairman of the board of directors of Shenzhen Excellence Group, be the mediator, but the woman refused. The woman kept the bodily fluids on the sheets as evidence and also kept the recording of the phone call with her assistant.

• Caixin: "Details of Liu Qiangdong's sexual assault case revealed, his attorney accuses "media trial""

District Attorney decides not to prosecute, Jingyao files civil lawsuit

On December 21 of the same year, Freeman, the prosecutor of Hennepin County, announced that due to insufficient evidence in the investigation, he decided not to criminally prosecute Liu Qiangdong for sexual assault. This decision not to prosecute was interpreted by many domestic media as "innocent" ". Liu Qiangdong’s lawyer Jill Brisbois issued a Chinese statement ,

Liu Qiangdong completely denied Liu Qiangdong's sexual assault, saying that the woman was voluntary, but after the incident "repeatedly asked for money and threatened to make the matter public and sue Mr. Liu Qiangdong if her demands were not met", while Liu Qiangdong " We firmly refuse to negotiate with them."

She finally said: "Mr. Liu Qiangdong has never and will not agree to the woman's request for money to reconcile. Before this, all the rumors on the Internet about giving money to keep things private were just rumors."

In response to the prosecutor's office's decision not to prosecute, Jingyao's attorney said in a statement to Reuters: "These investigators never met the victim, never spoke to the victim, and never sought a meeting with her attorneys. . Her story will be told, and as her attorneys, we will not allow her dignity to be compromised."

• Caixin: "U.S. prosecutors elaborate on the reasons behind Liu Qiangdong's case without prosecution"
• China Business News: "China Business News Exclusive Interview with Minnesota Police: Liu Qiangdong's Release Does Not Mean Innocence"

On April 16, 2019, Liu Jingyao filed a civil lawsuit in the Minnesota District Court. The 28-page civil complaint was also released on the same day. The entire indictment was translated by the "Assist Jingyao Translation Team". According to her account: In August 2018, she participated as a volunteer in the University of Minnesota's business administration doctoral program. After the program, she was invited to a dinner with at least 15 middle-aged male executives. She was placed next to Liu Qiangdong and got drunk at the dinner. After the banquet, she was taken into Liu Qiangdong's luxury car and was molested by Liu Qiangdong in the car. Liu Qiangdong later accompanied Jingyao back to the apartment and raped him despite her refusal.

Her accusations against Liu Qiangdong include civil coercion and personal assault, illegal detention, sexual assault and sexual assault, and she advocated that JD.com Group should bear joint and several liability for the above-mentioned illegal acts. She asked the jury to award the defendant more than $50,000 in damages and legal costs.

• Help Jingyao translation team: "No royalties! Liu Qiangdong's full translation authorized by the parties to the indictment"

The edited video and audio were leaked, and Jingyao was subjected to large-scale online violence

Jingyao's name was exposed due to the filing of a civil lawsuit. A few days later, on April 22, a newly registered Weibo account "Mingzhou Chronicle" posted two edited, annotated and subtitled videos showing Liu Qiangdong and Jingyao in restaurants and apartments before the rape. Interactions inside and outside the elevator room on the first floor: "The video of Liu Qiangdong's Mingzhou dinner party was exposed, and the woman took the initiative to follow him even though she was not drunk." The video was intended to leave the impression that Liu Jingyao invited Liu Qiangdong to her apartment to have sex. Later, one of Liu Qiangdong's Chinese lawyers stated online that the content of the video "has been confirmed by the parties concerned to be true." It has been viewed more than 54 million times and has been cited in numerous articles.

In addition, Southern Metropolis Daily also published an edited audio clip, in which Liu Jingyao can be heard asking Liu Qiangdong's lawyer for an apology and money. The report about the recording was widely forwarded. These videos and audios incited netizens to humiliate Jingyao on Weibo, calling her a "girl hunter" and a "fairy jumper." Suddenly it seemed that the entire Chinese Internet was on the opposite side of Jingyao, and these attacks caused her great stress and trauma. This horrific experience was revealed in an exclusive interview with Jingyao in The New York Times :

"This woman is bitchy," one commenter said. "The woman looks so disgusting," another person commented. "The price has not been negotiated," a third person added. "Everything was designed by women." Someone else said that Liu Qiangdong was the real victim. He wrote, "Looking at the size of the woman, I absolutely believe that Liu Qiangdong was raped."

This is just a small part of the 8,500 comments on a Weibo post that has been retweeted 14,000 times and liked by 95,000 users. Imagine, again, the deluge of worse things to say, month after month.

A New York Times reporter asked Jingyao in an interview how many news users she thought believed in her. Jingyao said there are probably only three types of people who would side with her: "Women who have been sexually assaulted, feminists and people who know her. 'Definitely not 30 percent,' she said with some frustration, 'at most 10 percent.' "

• The New York Times: "She accused Liu Qiangdong of rape, then became a target of the Chinese Internet"

The fact that these edited videos and audios were reported and quoted by a large number of media also aroused the anger of media experts. In an article on his official account "News Lab", Fang Kecheng bluntly stated that this is "the corruption and corruption of institutional media." corruption".

If forwarding videos released by unknown accounts without verification is the depravity of institutional media, then a newspaper that was once one of the best newspapers in China directly released unverified recordings is really low. All are completely gone.

Without knowing whether it is true or false, whether it is complete or not, and without any response from the person involved, an important media company completely regards itself as a mouthpiece for one party.

After the audio leaked out, Sina Technology quickly followed up. However, this follow-up is also disappointing - the only additional information is this sentence: "Sina Technology verified people close to Liu Qiangdong and said that the audio content is true.

• News Lab: "Audio and Video of the Liu Qiangdong Case: The Decline and Collapse of Institutional Media"

Soon, Jingyao's supporters "Support Jingyao Group" and some media restored a relatively complete video, and the "Presentation Group" restored the complete audio, and pointed out which parts of the video and audio had been edited to mislead the public and slander Jingyao. Effect.

The full version of the audio shows that in both calls, Liu Qiangdong’s attorney Jill Brisbois took the initiative to call the girl after obtaining the mobile phone number of the girl from the police; in both calls, Liu Qiangdong’s attorney took the initiative to ask about the compensation plan that the girl wanted; Nandu The anonymous audio released completely cut out the second call. When Jill Brisbois, Liu Qiangdong's attorney, asked the girl involved about the compensation plan she wanted, the girl was on the verge of collapse, sobbing, and silent. She repeatedly emphasized that she didn't know. The 52.2-second answer that failed to provide a solution was also deleted.

• New Media Women: "Liu Qiangdong Case: This is how "Fairy Jump" was originally edited"
• Presentation group: "Complete recording of lawyer Liu Qiangdong's cliche jingyao"
• New Media Women: "The woman involved in Liu Qiangdong's rape case released a video of the dinner: it is different from Liu Fang's edited version"

On April 26, Caixin published an exclusive interview with the client Jingyao , "Female Victim of Liu Qiangdong Case Responds: "I Keep Rejecting"" . Jingyao said that she had never agreed to have sex with Liu Qiangdong and repeatedly resisted throughout the process. , and explained his fear, hesitation and ambivalence during the two calls to the police.

JY said that after the incident, her initial mentality was to admit that she was unlucky and to make peace with the situation. So after her friend called the police for the first time, she first told the police that she had been raped, but because she was afraid of causing trouble to herself, she changed her story and said that it was voluntary. The call ended with the police sending Liu Qiangdong back to his hotel in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was worried about Liu Qiangdong's revenge, and even took the initiative to explain to the police when they took him away that she was not the one who reported him.

She had only met Liu Qiangdong before, and had no direct contact until the dinner on August 30. At the dinner that night, Liu Qiangdong said to her, "He likes me very much and asked me to go to New York with him the next day and spend a few days with him, and then he flew back to China." He said, after graduation, you can come directly to JD.com to be a management trainee. When Liu Qiangdong's assistant contacted her the next day to ask for her passport number and make arrangements to go to New York, JY was irritated and felt that her previous refusal was in vain. With the encouragement of her school teacher, she decided to call the police for the second time. This eventually led to Liu Qiangdong being briefly detained for 16 hours from August 31 to September 1.

• Caixin: "The female victim in Liu Qiangdong's case responded: "I have been refusing"

However, after this article was reprinted without authorization by Ifeng Technology and Sina Weibo, the title was changed to "The girl in Liu Qiangdong's case admitted to consensual sex", and partially quoted the content of the police inquiry to strengthen the title "Admitted to consensual sex" The conclusion of "relationship" was widely commented and forwarded.

On the same day, Caijing magazine also published an exclusive interview with Jingyao, in which Jingyao responded to the edited video and audio and explained some controversial details in it. She also mentioned that Liu Qiangdong’s lawyer repeatedly called her to discuss the details of the settlement: “My parents and relatives received calls from the intermediary many times and were invited for interviews. The content of the talks was about whether money could be given to withdraw the lawsuit, and they were all rejected by the family. Rejected. The family requested an apology in person, but the request was rejected.”

• Finance: "Girl in the Mingzhou case: Parents have been asked many times by intermediaries whether they can give money to withdraw the lawsuit"

Feminists support Jingyao, fight against rape culture

Due to the online violence against Jingyao and his supporters triggered by the edited video, women's rights activist Lu Pin immediately published an article "Have Feminists Really Been Slapped in the Face?" Liu Qiangdong Case "Immortal Jumping Real Hammer" video review "Reflections" questioned the compliance of the video and the publisher's malicious mobilization of the public, and helped Jingyao's supporters analyze and consolidate the foothold of "We believe in Jingyao", not for " The whole guarantee of "facts" lies in resisting the invisible colonization of rape culture in a patriarchal society.

Let me reiterate, trusting Jingyao does not mean that you have reviewed or can guarantee all the "facts". It's because we understand the limitations and poisons set by this patriarchal society. Not because she has done everything well enough, not because she has proven everything to me frankly. It’s not because she didn’t avoid, conceal, or downplay the various circumstances that she might not want to face yet. It’s not because I believe that the laws of the world will definitely give her a fair judgment. It’s not because I claim to be God’s acting judge who can judge her. Purity.

However, when I saw her self-narration, it still has a real power, because it is something that every girl in this society may encounter. So it evoked a lot of resonance, and many girls told their own similar experiences of escaping or failing to escape, and each one was very similar. Can this be ignored? Gender oppression treats different women equally, thus shaping the homogeneity of their experiences and thus laying the groundwork for women to recognize and support each other.

• Diary of the Goddess and Cousin: "Lu Pin: Are women's rights activists really "slapped in the face"? The case of Liu Qiangdong" Immortal Jumping Real Hammer" Video Viewing Reviews"
• "Xiao Meili: Support Jingyao or Liu Qiangdong?" Can it be neutral? 》
• Duan Media: "Sun Jinyu: Liu Qiangdong Case - The "Immortal Jump" Narrative that Dispels Empathy, Where is the "Neutral" Ground? 》

On April 30, feminist activists supporting Jingyao launched the social media campaign #我是不perfectvictim# , expanding the public agenda from the individual cases themselves to more women’s accounts of victimization experiences and reflections on rape culture. and resistance on. Activists collect self-reports from women on various social media platforms and publish them publicly to spark public discussion. Just two weeks later, the Weibo topic #我是不perfectvictim# had more than 16 million views, more than 20,000 discussions, and was reported by the British "Guardian" and "The New York Times".

A victim, even if he is an imperfect victim, is still a victim, but through the narrative of "Fairy Jump", he can be turned into a perpetrator. Even the real power gap between the two parties, the objective data on the success or failure of sexual assault cases, the accounts of women who have had similar experiences, and the prejudice against rape victims in culture, law, and public opinion in real society all tell people what a loss outweighs the gain. "Business", they still firmly believe that women will take desperate risks, and then base this unreasonable story on the fact that she is a "bitch". Because only a "bitch" is stupid enough to gamble everything for money.

…Rape culture is parasitic on our language, and it uses this discourse system to isolate victims, deprive them of space in the public sphere, fragment women’s shared experience, and prevent sexual violence from rising to the public agenda. "Fairy Jump" is like a conspiracy theory smoke bomb. It covers up unequal power relations, obscures public common sense, and reverses the subject of responsibility, thus making the real perpetrator invisible.

• Mimiana: "Words can kill a person, but they can also protect a person | Me and #我是不perfectvictim#"
• Support Jingyao Group: "I'm Not a Perfect Victim either"
• New York Times: "Liu Qiangdong case sparks discussion of rape culture in China"

On July 24, 2019 local time in the United States, the Minnesota police released the entire 149-page file on Liu Qiangdong’s alleged sexual assault case, which contained multiple information including Liu Qiangdong’s testimony, the plaintiff’s girl’s testimony, and witness testimony. There are huge differences. However, many self-media, including the North American International Student Daily, unilaterally intercepted Liu Qiangdong's testimony and concluded that "the woman took the initiative" and "Liu Qiangdong is innocent" and used topics such as "passionate kissing, naked sleeping, and mandarin duck bathing" to attract attention. In an exclusive interview with Caijing, Jingyao expressed his anger at these self-media actions.

• Finance: "Details and Controversies of the "Mingzhou Case""
• Look at ideals: "Liang Wendao: Liu Qiangdong's case shows us that the media environment is still "smoky"
• Seven little monsters: "Sexual violence is the complicity of the entire society"

The three-year trial journey of Jingyao v. Liu Qiangdong case

On September 11, 2019, Jingyao’s civil case against Liu Qiangdong and JD.com will be heard in court on September 11. In this motion, Liu Qiangdong and BOE wanted to try to prolong the litigation and make the litigation more time-consuming and labor-intensive by questioning the domestic service procedures, delaying the time to review the facts of the case, while Jingyao hopes to hear the facts of the case as soon as possible. Feminist activist and New York lawyer Liang Xiaomen went to the local court in Minneapolis to support Jingyao and report on the scene. After that, she continued to organize volunteers to participate in offline and online court hearings and support Jingyao, and became the main first-hand information source on the Jingyao case in the Chinese world. Volunteers also set up the @wesupportjingyao account on Weibo and other major social media platforms to pay long-term attention and follow up on the progress of the case.

On April 6, 2020, within a week of his resignation as CEO of JD.com, Liu Qiangdong officially acknowledged receipt of the indictment and entrusted a lawyer to submit a notice to the court to appear in court to respond to the lawsuit.

On April 27, 2020, the U.S. federal district judge in Hennepin County, Minnesota, USA, based on the hearing on January 28, rejected JD.com’s motion not to assume liability, holding that “it is now up to the court to decide the alleged infringement.” Whether it is at the time and place related to defendant Liu’s work is too early.” This means that if Jingyao’s accusation is true, then JD.com should be held responsible for Liu Qiangdong’s infringement. Volunteers supporting Jingyao translated the full text of the court's judgment .

• Caixin: "New developments in Liu Qiangdong's "Mingzhou Incident" civil lawsuit: The court rejected JD.com's motion not to assume liability"
• Echo Huisheng: ""I hope that the next time I participate in translation, it will be Jingyao's winning letter""

After several online hearings during the epidemic, on June 24, 2022 local time, the Jingyao sexual assault civil lawsuit against Liu Qiangdong held an offline public hearing in Minneapolis. Jingyao himself attended the entire court hearing. Many spectators wore purple ribbons to show their support for Jingyao. Previously, this case had been undergoing a closed trial related to evidence collection for more than a year. This trial has released a large amount of video materials, videos and written testimonies of multiple witnesses to the public. This trial once again aroused the attention of domestic public opinion. Liang Xiaomen and the observing volunteers sent back reports from the court hearing.

Testimony of an American driver hired by JD.com (to the general effect): In the car, the driver saw Jingyao hiding in the corner of the back seat through the rearview mirror. The driver said that in the past few days when he was working as a driver, he saw that Liu Qiangdong was a very powerful person, and everyone bowed to Liu Qiangdong. When asked if he thought Jingyao had been sexually assaulted in the car, the driver said: "I wasn't thinking about it at the time. What I was thinking about was that this powerful man was determined to get her (Jingyao).

Liu Qiangdong’s written testimony: He admitted that at the dinner and in the car, Jingyao never made any behavior to indicate that she wanted to have sex with him. He just felt that Jingyao was very friendly to him.

• Echo sound:
• "Latest developments in Liu Qiangdong's sexual assault case: Public testimony shows "no indication of sexual consent" (includes interview video)"

On the evening of June 26, the Chinese media "Peninsula Metropolis Daily" released a video, which included footage of Jingyao captured by the Mingzhou police's law enforcement recorder. It said, "Multiple police videos show that the plaintiff told the police that she was not arrested." Rape was consensual,'" citing lawyer comments that Jingyao's "substantial evidence submitted was inconsistent." Subsequently, the topic #Liu Qiangdong Incident, the woman repeatedly claimed that the relationship was voluntary, became a hot search on Weibo, and many mainstream media forwarded the video.

In response to the domestic media that once again tried to guide public opinion, Liang Xiaomen released a response video , pointing out that the other party had illegally leaked trial materials, and criticized the media for repeatedly hyping some old information, the privacy of the parties, and fragmented videos, once again successfully setting off a stir. The slut-shaming of those involved in sexual assault cases on the Chinese Internet.

• Echo Sound: "Response to the illegal leakage of video in Liu Qiangdong's case: The parties involved were "volunteered"
• Echo Sounds Sound: "We Support Jingyao: Discussing the Details of Liu Qiangdong's Case and Public Opinion's Tolerance of Power"

On September 24, 2022, one week before the official court session on October 3, photos of Liu Qiangdong and his wife Zhang Zetian visiting a shopping mall in Mingzhou suddenly circulated on the Internet. In the picture, Zhang Zetian was suspected of being pregnant. The person who posted this information was an account on Twitter that had almost never posted text content before and had zero interactions. Feminists questioned that this was another public relations method used by Liu Qiangdong to divert public attention. Compared with this kind of "gossip", some positive reports on the case were blocked. The support group Jingyao used the article "Pay attention to Liu Qiangdong's October trial and refuse to "whitewash" the sexual assault case into cheating" to call on the public to pay attention to the facts of the case and participate in dissemination.

This tweet, which had only a few followers, was widely cited by different Chinese accounts and reported by media such as Phoenix Technology and NetEase Finance. #张泽天conceived二子##张泽天conceived and went to the supermarket with Liu Qiangdong in Mingzhou# and immediately became a hot search on Weibo. Popular discussions began to focus on Zhang Zetian's choice to "tolerate her husband's cheating" and the judgment of her appearance and experience, as well as speculation that Liu Qiangdong's wife's support and "stable relationship between husband and wife" showed that he was "determined to win" the lawsuit.

Through a vague message and several "encounter" photos full of staged traces, a woman was pushed to the media to "stop the gun" in the image of a wife and pregnant woman. This strategy successfully built momentum for Liu Qiangdong's trial in Mingzhou in October, "clearing" the alleged sexual assault as marital infidelity, and shifted the public focus to celebrities' marital gossip.

• Mitucao: "Pay attention to Liu Qiangdong's October trial, refusing to "whitewash" the sexual assault case into cheating"

A few days before the trial, feminist activists supporting Jingyao organized an online discussion about the case and talked about the difficulties Jingyao faced in the case, including the patriarchal and ultra-nationalist attacks that Jingyao has been facing, and her relationship with Liu Qiang. The vastly different communication and public relations resources of Dong Dong, the mature anti-MeToo rhetoric of the opposing lawyer in the US trial, etc. were also discussed. The strategies of feminist activists to confront Liu Qiangdong and JD.com’s “luxurious public relations” were also discussed. Feminist activists supporting Jingyao produced "Liu Qiangdong's Sexual Assault Case Revealed".

• Mitucao: "How should growing feminists deal with JD.com's "luxury public relations"｜Liu Qiangdong's sexual assault case"

After pretrial agreement, MeToo movement still needs to move forward

On October 1, 2022, two days before the official trial, Jingyao and Liu Qiangdong reached a pre-trial agreement. This Chinese MeToo case in the United States has been accompanied by a melee of public opinion on the Chinese Internet since it was exposed in 2018 and Jingyao initiated a civil lawsuit. It then entered a lengthy civil legal process in the next three years. During this period, young feminists, mainly international students in North America, formed a community to support Jingyao. In order to promote effective discussions on the case, they launched several influential actions and also made a lot of unknown efforts. .

Behind all this is the work that volunteers put in day and night. Qiqi described "it was absolutely crazy at that time." She often worked almost all day without eating or drinking until four or five in the morning. After she fell asleep, volunteers from another country immediately took over her work. This went on for a whole month. In Qiqi's eyes, they were forced to constantly deal with the chaos created by Liu Qiangdong and his interest groups, but this also made her feel for the first time that the unity of the feminist community 'regardless of time zones and national boundaries'.

• Women in the House: "Behind the pre-trial agreement in Jingyao's sexual assault case against Liu Qiangdong: Three years of "clear conscience" for MeToo supporters"

In order to continue to express care and support for Jingyao after the pre-trial agreement, the support group and volunteers immediately held a "Stand with Jingyao" on October 2 in front of the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis, where the court was originally scheduled to be held. "Together" rally, and the original support event before the trial on October 3 was changed to a "Thank Jingyao" rally. About twenty participants came to the scene, including University of Minnesota students, alumni, and volunteers from all over North America.

At the event, participants jointly made slogans and shared their reasons for supporting Jingyao and coming to the event. Many people have expressed their empathy for Jingyao, because this is not just her personal experience, but it can happen to everyone. A Ming Dynasty student said: "There are many people around who don't understand the case at all and haven't bothered to understand the case, but they are commenting on it. He participated in this rally in the hope of learning more about the case and developing his own understanding."

• MiTucao: "Support Jingyao Group Mingzhou Offline Rally: Thank you for having you in the past 4 years, MiTu will accompany you all the way in the future"

Online, the feminist activist community launched a discussion about this "pre-trial agreement" and responded to some questions and comments about this agreement from the community and the public. He also recognized the efforts and achievements of the supporters and looked forward to the future of the Mi Rabbit movement.

Anyone who says "nothing money can solve" is an accomplice in perpetuating rape culture. In their eyes, women's wishes, bodies and dignity are not important, and having money and power is linked to doing whatever they want. These people are also part of a society where the jungle prevails, and they may suffer from it, but instead of sympathizing with the weak, they move closer to the strong and become their accomplices. Sexual violence is a complicity of society as a whole. Although this case has come to an end, the reflection on the power structure and legal system has not ended. Everyone needs to think about how to break the chain of gender violence.

In the process of advancing the Jingyao case, transnational feminist cooperation has been practiced and developed as never before. Nowadays, the word "transnational" is taboo. But the dualistic, separated and oppositional environment we face is not a state of spontaneity, but the result of ideological limitations. Feminists refuse to be closed by binary oppositional discourse, use common words and actions to penetrate barriers, and flexibly use our small and precious resources. Despite scrutiny and resistance, such practices are still very important and should be upheld.

People are witnessing the collapse of public space in China. Everyone has made various attempts to speak out on the open Internet, and some people have been punished for it. This case once again shows how supporters can use a diverse, fragmented, and constantly changing space to use pictures, videos, long and short articles... to strive to convey our voices. Our strength is so meager, but we carry such huge expectations. Darkness cannot cover us forever, and people are always looking for opportunities.

• The Generation of Women: "Seeing Mitu from the Jingyao Case: Practice, Reflection and Development of Transnational Feminist Communities"

On October 7, feminist activists supporting Jingyao left a banner with the words "solidarity with jingyao, the #metoo movement will always move forward" in front of the famous Gopher statue on the campus of the University of Minnesota. An initiative to teachers and students: schools should support and protect victims/survivors, not perpetrators.