Sexual harassment allegations lead to two professors fired from Chinese universities

Two professors, from reputable Chinese universities, were dismissed over sexual harassment allegations made by students online.

Qian Fengsheng was dismissed from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (SUFE), after a student alleged that he had assaulted her in a locked car.

Feng Renjie was fired from Peking University after sexual harassment allegations were made against him on social media. According to China Daily, his wife claimed that he had attempted to seduce young girls, including his students, throughout his career.

A spokesperson from SUFE said: “Our investigation concluded that Qian Fengsheng seriously contravened professional ethics as a teacher, and caused an extremely bad social influence.”

The two dismissals have been seen as a turning point in the #MeToo movement on university campuses.

The cases were noted for the speed at which they were dealt with by the universities and the prominent media coverage of both by state media.

The cases were spread quickly through social media sites such as WeChat and Weibo, both popular in China. The use of social media provided a platform for students to be able to talk openly about their claims. Mainland Chinese universities lack formal channels for student complaints of this nature, leading to many cases going unreported.

Universities around the world get complaints from students about sexual predators, and often do not address them until they are forced to do so

– Leta Hong Fincher

Lü Pin, a Chinese feminist writer and graduate student at the State University of New York Albany (SUNY), told Times Higher Education (THE) that the firing of Professor Qian was “unusual” because his position would usually provide an “iron rice bowl”, or a secure job until retirement.

Ms Lü said that some social media posts related to the case were still blocked in China. She concluded that, as a result of the censorship, it was “hard to say” how far progress had been made within the movement.

Leta Hong Fincher, a research scholar at Columbia University and author of Betraying Big Brother: The Feminist Awakening in China, told THE that the failure to address sexual harassment claims on campuses was a problem across universities globally.

“It’s not like Chinese professors started harassing students this month. Universities around the world get complaints from students about sexual predators, and often do not address them until they are forced to do so.”

Sexual harassment is seen to be a major problem in universities in China. A 2017 poll of 6,500 students by the Guangzhou Gender and Sexuality Education Centre (GSEC) found that almost 70% had suffered sexual harassment at one point during their university experience.

China’s #MeToo movement has emerged in many public institutions, such as universities, religious temples and non-governmental organisations, but not many of the allegations have resulted in prosecutions.