Whatever possessed the female driver of a Land Rover to go against traffic, cut in line, and assault another driver?

A recent incident in Qingdao, Shandong, has gone viral on Weibo and other Chinese social media platforms. Various videos show a female driver in a Land Rover driving in the wrong direction on a congested road, nearly colliding with another vehicle (see full video here).

The woman drove a white Range Rover with a Chanel logo on the side of the car.

When the other driver refused to yield, the woman—wearing a face mask and summer hat—got out of her car and began verbally abusing and physically attacking him in front of his two children, who were in the backseat.

She initially stood in the middle of the street, screaming and arguing with traffic officers. After scolding the other driver, she approached his car, opened the door, and slapped him. Later, she walked around to the driver’s side, reached through the window, and struck him in the face.

The incident occurred on August 28th, with bystander videos quickly spreading across the internet. After slapping the man once, the woman continued screaming and struck him in the face six more times. She also kicked his car before taking off.

The other driver, bleeding from the face, tried to prevent her from leaving the scene, but she drove away anyway.

On August 29th, local authorities issued a statement about the incident. The woman, now known as “Land Rover Woman” (路虎女), is a 38-year-old resident of Laoshan District by the name of Wang. She was clearly in the wrong—driving against traffic and reacting violently when confronted. She has since been sentenced to 10 days of administrative detention and fined 1,000 yuan ($140) for her actions.

Many commenters, however, think the punishment is too light.

On August 30th, the injured driver, Mr. Lin (林先生), told reporters that he is a veteran. He did not fight back during the assault, because, as a former soldier and with children present, he felt it was more important to maintain his composure. He also mentioned that the incident has left him feeling unwell and that Wang has yet to apologize or compensate him for his medical expenses (#被逆行路虎女司机打伤男司机发声#).

Mr. Lin reportedly will not let the matter rest or accept a settlement. Not only is he feeling unwell, but he has also had to temporarily close the guest house he runs. He plans to pursue legal action against the woman.

On Chinese social media, Lin is receiving widespread support from people who not only condemn the female driver for her aggressive behavior but also criticize her for being “arrogant and despotic.” Many believe she comes from an affluent background and assume she can act this way due to her perceived privilege. They also praise Lin for staying calm and not stooping to her level, even when she hit him so hard that his nose bled. “That’s a real man (真汉子),” some wrote.

By now, some netizens have spotted the Land Rover with its Chanel logo parked on the side of the street. As people began livestreaming the car and its location, a man appeared and quickly drove the car away. On August 31st, a hashtag featuring the Land Rover’s license plate (#鲁BQP800#) had received over 120 million views. Although the ‘Land Rover Woman’ nickname is bound to stick with her, it might be a good time for the woman to get rid of her car.

Also read: Landrover Woman Controversy Explained

By Manya Koetse
(follow on X, LinkedIn, or Instagram)

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A court case involving a Chinese woman who was fired after announcing her pregnancy shortly after her probation period has become trending on Chinese social media.

The woman, referred to as Lili (莉莉, pseudonym), began working for the company in April 2023, signing a labor contract that was set to run until July 2026, with a three-month probation period.

However, after the probation period had ended, Lili unexpectedly received a termination letter citing “failure to meet probationary standards” and “unsatisfactory performance” as reasons for her dismissal. Just days before, Lili had informed her manager that she was pregnant. Believing the termination was unfair, Lili contested the decision.

The dispute first went to a labor arbitration board, which ruled in Lili’s favor. Unsatisfied, the company then escalated the case to court. Recently, a local court in Suzhou reviewed the case and found that the termination of Lili’s contract lacked legal grounds, as the company failed to provide sufficient evidence that her work was unsatisfactory. The notice of termination was also issued after the probation period had ended.

Although the company appealed the court’s decision to reinstate Lili’s employment, a second court also rejected the appeal, upholding the original ruling.

According to Chinese labor law, employers can only terminate employees during the probation period on valid grounds, such as failing to meet job requirements. The burden of proof lies with the company. Terminating an employee after the probation period is much more challenging (see: China Briefing), and certainly cannot be done because a female worker is pregnant.

However, there is often a gap between what the law states and how it is implemented in practice.

“If you get pregnant, you will take maternity leave, then I will certainly hire others, and you will be replaced”

Since the two-child policy went into effect in 2016, pregnancy-related discrimination has become more prevalent.

In 2021, Yaqiu Wang of Human Rights Watch authored a report titled “”Take Maternity Leave and You’ll be Replaced”: China’s Two-child Policy and Workplace Gender Discrimination” (link), which found widespread discrimination against pregnant women in the workplace.

The national policy for maternity leave in China is 98 days, including a period of 15 days before the birth.

According to women surveyed by various Chinese companies and women’s groups, women in China are often demoted, sidelined, or fired after becoming pregnant. Companies use discriminatory job ads favoring men or women who have already had children, or ask prospective female employees intrusive questions about their marital and childbearing status during job interviews. Some are even forced to sign contracts promising not to get pregnant during certain periods.

One human resources staff member reportedly told a female interviewee during a job interview in September 2020: “After you get married, you don’t have the final say about whether you have a child or not..If you get pregnant, you will take maternity leave, then I will certainly hire others, and you will be replaced.”

“Being overly clever and taking advantage of the situation may benefit one person, but it ends up harming everyone else.”

Despite the existing laws designed to protect women’s rights in the workplace, companies often find ways to avoid paying for maternity leave, or they simply choose not to hire female workers at all (also read: Pregnancy Discrimination in the Workplace by Ruixin Zhang).

Pregnant employees and working mothers sometimes also face harassment in the workplace, as some companies hope to push them to resign by making their work life unbearable. In Chinese, this kind of ‘maternity harassment’ is referred to as “chuān xiǎo xié” (穿小鞋), which literally means giving someone tight shoes to wear, making them uncomfortable.

With low fertility rates and a rapidly aging population, boosting birthrates has become a priority for Chinese authorities. While experts explore ways to encourage couples to have (more) children earlier, combating pregnancy discrimination in the workplace is more critical than ever.

In recent years, it is evident that Chinese official media have increased awareness about the illegality of terminating female employees due to pregnancy.

However, Lili’s story has not garnered much sympathy on social media.

While most commenters acknowledge that the woman is legally in the right and that the company was at fault, they still feel that the situation is unfair and does not help improve the position of women in the workforce.

Lawyer Zhuang Zhiming (庄志明) mostly highlighted the viewpoint of the company, and wrote on Weibo: “For the company, hearing about the pregnancy right after the probation period can feel like a thunderbolt—it’s nothing to be happy about and might even leave them feeling deceived. While childbirth is a citizen’s right, so is the right to work, and the right to work requires mutual effort. You choose the company, and the company chooses you. If the collaboration starts off on the wrong foot, even if the employee wins the lawsuit, the company can still terminate the contract once it expires.”

Another commenter on Weibo blamed ‘Lili’ for exploiting the rules: “This is not about not not providing a good working environment for women. It’s about her as a person. Her plan was to abuse the system and get paid during her maternity leave without contributing. That’s the problem. It’s not about sympathizing with the boss either. If it happened to you, you’d understand and be reasonable about it.”

One Weibo user even shared how her father, who runs a business, has become more cautious in monitoring the behavior of female workers during their probation period to see if they might be pregnant. Instead of condemning these practices, many believe that people like Lili are to blame, as they don’t expect female employees to become pregnant within the first year of their new position.

Other commenters also blame Lili for taking this route only for her own good, as it does not help improve the position of women in the workplace at all: “‘Little schemes’ and ‘clever tricks’ [like this] will only dig more holes in the path of other women. Mutual respect is what really matters; being overly clever and taking advantage of the situation may benefit one person, but it ends up harming everyone else.”

By Manya Koetse
(follow on X, LinkedIn, or Instagram)

Spotted a mistake or want to add something? Please let us know in comments below or email us. First-time commenters, please be patient – we will have to manually approve your comment before it appears.

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