Speak in Women’s Way: Online Feminist Movements and Social Media Impact of #MeToo China 2018

Since 2017, an online feminist movement sparking debates against sexual harassment has been launched on Twitter using the hashtag “MeToo”, soon going viral from online platforms to the offline world. Starting in the United States, the #MeToo movement has influenced more than 85 countries. Among these, #MeToo China stands out due to its distinctive developmental characteristics and context. This study aims to investigate women's narratives that emerged from #MeToo China in 2018, underlining the significance of these narratives and associated issues from a Chinese perspective in the context of the social media age. Through comprehensive and in-depth analysis and discussion, this study highlights two main findings. First, ordinary participants, who constitute a significant part of #MeToo China, construct narratives that challenge existing gender power structures, reassess gender issues, and break free from the chains of nationalism and collectivism. Second, the “black box” created by the censorship process of #MeToo China becomes an invisible power mechanism that continuously strengthens and guarantees the government's authority. The contribution and significance of this study lie in its filling the gap in #MeToo China studies by offering both a comprehensive and in-depth exploration of the movement from a non-Western perspective. Additionally, it provides a distinctive perspective of the Chinese #MeToo movement within the academic context of East Asia and the Global South, offering valuable references for related research.