NüVoices invites you to our London launch wanel (women panel) on feminism in China from generational, cultural and intersectional perspectives.
Years after Mao proclaimed that women “hold up half the sky,” capitalist reforms have increased gender inequality and presented new obstacles to feminists. Despite crackdowns and tightened censorship, China’s #MeToo movement sparked a feminist awakening that challenged attitudes towards sexual harassment and gender issues across the region. Meanwhile in seemingly “post-feminist” Hong Kong, gender minorities continue to suffer from discrimination, sexual harassment and domestic violence.
Through a discussion and Q&A, we will explore the changing role of women in China, feminist activism, gender-based violence and more in contemporary Mainland China and Hong Kong. There will be networking drinks at a TBA venue afterwards.
EVENT IS FREE, PLEASE RSVP VIA EVENTBRITE
WHEN: Friday, March 22. Doors open 18:15, event starts 18:30. Ends 20:00.
WHERE: Paul Webley Wing (Senate House) Room: Senate House Alumni Lecture Theatre (SALT). SOAS
SPEAKERS
Lijia Zhang: Lijia is a factory-worker-turned writer, social commentator and public speaker. She also serves as Editor and Board Member at NüVoices. One of the few Chinese who write regularly in English for international publications, her articles have appeared in The Guardian, The South China Morning Post, Newsweek and The New York Times. She is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir Socialism Is Great! about her rocket factory experience and her debut novel Lotus is on prostitution in contemporary China. Lijia has lectured at many conferences, institutions and universities around the world, including Harvard, Columbia, Stanford. She is a regular speaker on the BBC, Channel 4, CNN and NPR. She lives in Beijing. Website: www.lijiazhang.com Twitter: @zhanglijia64
Zhang Lelei: Lelei is an activist for gender equality and LGBTQ rights in China. She is a prominent and leading figure in China’s growing #MeToo movement. Lauded as a ‘weirdo’ in a recent BBC article, she is the brains behind a national billboard campaign against sexual harassment on public transport in 2017. (more info at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-39893284)
Jessie Lau: Jessie is Online Editor-in-Chief, Board Member and London Chair at NüVoices. A freelance journalist from Hong Kong, she is pursuing master’s degrees in international affairs at the London School of Economics and Peking University. She previously covered Hong Kong and China for the South China Morning Post, specialising in multi-platform and narrative features on social issues. Her writing has also been published by The Economist, Quartz, Zolima CityMag and others. Website: www.laujessie.com. Twitter/Instagram: @_laujessie
MODERATOR
Mary Hennock: Mary is a freelance writer, editor and journalist. She was previously Bejing correspondent for Newsweek and has also reported from China for The Guardian and the BBC. She covered the Sichuan earthquake, and has written about the economy, environment, science, healthcare, education, inter-generational differences and the financial and psychological challenges facing the current generation of graduates. Her work has also appeared in China Dialogue, The US Chronicle of Higher Education, and the Lancet.
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Questions? Email: nuvoiceslondon@gmail.com
Hosted by: Aki Elborzi (SOAS)