Once a promising Master’s graduate in Engineering, Ms. Bu went missing for 13.5 years. Her return marks the end of her family’s long search, but it is the beginning of an online movement. Chinese netizens are not only demanding answers about how she could have remained missing for so long but also want clarity about the puzzling inconsistencies in her story.

Over the past few days, Chinese social media users have been actively spreading awareness about a case involving a Chinese woman who they suspect became a victim of human trafficking.

Netizens trying to draw attention to this story used the hashtag “Female MA Graduate Becomes a Victim of Human Trafficking” (#女硕士被拐卖#). Between December 6 and December 10, the hashtag garnered 150 million views on Weibo.

The case centers on a Chinese female Master’s graduate from Yuxi District in Shanxi Province’s Jinzhong, who went missing for over thirteen years. Now reunited with her family, netizens are demanding clarity and answers about how she could have disappeared for so long.

This case, which has sparked emotional and outraged responses online, brings back memories of another incident that became a landmark moment for online feminism in China: the case of the Xuzhou mother of eight children, who was discovered chained in a shed next to her family home. Her husband was later sentenced to nine years in prison for his role in her human trafficking.

 
A Niece’s Search into the Origins of Her Mysterious Aunt
 

The online movement to raise awareness about this case began well before it gained traction on December 6. It all started when a young woman named Zhang (张) from He Shun County (和顺县) contacted a volunteer group dedicated to reuniting missing individuals. On November 25 of this year, Zhang sought their help in tracking down the family of her somewhat mysterious “aunt.”

According to Zhang, her aunt—who suffered from mental illness—had been living with her uncle for over a decade. Despite this long history, the family knew almost nothing about her past. Wanting to know more, Zhang reached out to the group in hopes of learning about her aunt’s origins.

Zhang claimed that her “aunt” had wandered into their family home one day fifteen years ago. Although they reportedly informed the police, no action was taken, and they allegedly decided to “take her in.” After about two years, she ended up living with Zhang’s uncle, with whom she had two children.

When volunteers visited the family home, they found that the “aunt” was literate and appeared to be well-educated. As reported by the popular WeChat account Xinwenge (December 4 article), the volunteers gradually guided the woman into revealing her name, her family members’ names, and the university she attended.

After passing this information to the police, they confirmed her identity as ‘Ms. Bu’ (卜女士), a missing person from Jinzhong’s Yuxi, about a 2.5-hour drive from He Shun County.

On November 30, Ms. Bu finally returned home, where her 75-year-old father had prepared a welcome banner for her. She was accompanied by her “husband” and their two children, a 12-year-old son and an 8-year-old daughter.

A banner in Jinzhong’s Yuxi: “Welcome home, daughter.”

Although Bu initially did not seem to recognize her father, Chinese media reported that she eventually smiled when he brought out her glasses, which she had worn as a student.

 
From Doctorate Pursuit to Disappearance
 

Ms. Bu was born in 1979. As a bright young woman, she graduated high school, attended college, and earned her master’s degree in engineering in 2008. Bu planned to pursue a doctorate afterward. However, due to not renewing her ID card in time, she failed to register for her doctoral exam.

This caused severe stress, and she subsequently developed schizophrenia. Her brother recalled that it was not the first time she had struggled with mental health issues—she had undergone various treatments at multiple hospitals for mental illness between 2008 and 2011.

At the time, Bu reportedly received medical treatment. While recovering at home after being discharged, the then 32-year-old Bu suddenly disappeared in May 2011. Although she was reported as a missing person, her family did not hear from her for over 13 years.

But this is where the questions arise. According to Ms. Zhang, her “aunt” had first walked into their home fifteen years ago, which is impossible since Bu did not go missing until May 2011.

Other aspects of Bu’s disappearance also raise questions. How did she end up in He Shun County? Why did the Zhang family not seek help all these years? And how was she able to have two children with her “husband” despite her fragile mental state?

 
Authorities Get Involved
 

While the story of Ms. Bu has received considerable online attention over the past few days, a joint investigation team was set up in Shanxi’s He Shun County to investigate the case. While investigations are still ongoing, new reports suggest that, after her disappearance in May 2011, Bu spent some time wandering alone in multiple nearby villages for over ten days in July and August of that year, exhibiting signs of mental illness.

She was later taken in by Mr. Zhang, a 45-year-old villager, who is now the target of an active criminal investigation. Zhang was aware of Ms. Bu’s mental condition yet engaged in relations with her, resulting in children.

Bu has now been hospitalized for treatment, and authorities are providing support to her children. It is unclear if they will remain with their father—custody arrangements will be determined based on the outcome of the case.

On social media, interest in the case is only growing. On Tuesday, a Xinhua post detailing the latest updates on the case received over 433,000 likes and 44,000 shares shortly after it was posted.

Despite the official updates, questions continue to surround the case of Ms. Bu, nicknamed ‘Hua Hua’ (花花). Given that her mental illness was apparent to so many, why did local authorities fail to intervene earlier? Particularly during the strict social controls and widespread testing of China’s ‘zero-Covid’ era, it is hard to believe that local authorities were unaware of her existence and her mental state. These criticisms and questions are flooding social media and growing louder as more details about her past emerge.

Ms. Zhang, the family niece, further revealed in a livestream that ‘Hua Hua,’ who was reportedly sleeping under a bridge before being taken in by the Zhang family, actually had more than two children. However, as of the time of writing, the fate of these additional children remains unclear.

This case also brings back memories of the Xuzhou mother of eight, another victim of mental illness who was nonetheless “married” to her “husband” and gave birth to eight children. Her story sparked a massive online outcry over how local authorities were complicit in enabling such abuses.

“From the Xuzhou chained woman to the missing Ms. Bu, these women’s tragedies cannot remain incomplete stories,” author Ma Ning (麻宁) wrote on Weibo. “Women are not commodities for marriage and reproduction (…) Let’s continue to follow this case, not just to seek justice for Ms. Bu but also to protect ourselves.”

By Manya Koetse, with contributions by Miranda Barnes
(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.

©2024 Whatsonweibo. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com.

Follow What’s on Weibo on

PREMIUM NEWSLETTER | ISSUE #40

This week’s newsletter:

◼︎ 1. Editor’s Note – China’s Online Feminism Is Everywhere
◼︎ 2. What’s New – A Closer Look at Featured Stories
◼︎ 3. What Else to Know – South Korea and Syria Trending on Weibo
◼︎ 3. What’s Noteworthy – Dutch Woman Searches for Chinese Roots in Anhui
◼︎ 4. What’s Memorable – About the Notre Dame Fire and the Old Summer Palace
◼︎ 5. Weibo Word of the Week – 飘然 (Piāorán)

Dear Reader,

Hello again! After a brief hiatus, I’m happy to reconnect with you all. My time away was spent traveling across China to deliver addresses at the Embassy and Consulate of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Preparations and travel left less time for the site than anticipated, but it was well worth it. It was an honor to serve as the Cleveringa speaker in both Beijing and Shanghai and to meet so many of you who have been reading and supporting What’s on Weibo.

Cleveringa (1894–1980) was a distinguished Dutch professor and dean of law at Leiden University. In 1940, he gave a historic speech protesting the dismissal of two Jewish colleagues under Nazi policies. His bold act is commemorated annually through Cleveringa Lectures, not only at Leiden University but also at Dutch embassies worldwide. This year, the Cleveringa Lecture series extended to Beijing, where I had the opportunity to contribute to this meaningful tradition.

The topic of my lecture was “Fifteen Years of Weibo: New Voices Shaping Social Power in China,” in which I discussed how Weibo has become much more than just another social media platform. It has turned into a space where state media channels, brands and businesses, everyday citizens, meme creators, and unlikely heroes ignite national conversations and even drive social change. In the lecture, I explored the various stories that went viral and left a lasting impact over the years, further diving into the unique power of Chinese social media to shape public discourse and connect a diverse nation in unprecedented ways.

Meeting many of you—embassy staff, journalists, and students—at these events was a highlight. It’s heartwarming to know What’s on Weibo is a valuable resource to many of you for staying tuned into digital China’s trends.

 
Clashes and Controversies over Feminism
 

A recurring topic during discussions was Chinese feminism, especially as the Orange the World campaign began on November 25, marking 16 days of global action against gender-based violence. In honor of this, the Embassy of the Netherlands glowed orange to support #OrangeTheWorld.

One of the major stories I explored in my lecture is also strongly connected to feminism: the Xuzhou chained mother in 2022. This case was a pivotal moment for China’s online feminist movement, spotlighting issues such as human trafficking and the silent complicity of local village or county authorities that allowed such tragedies to unfold. I went on to discuss the evolving nature of online feminism in China.

This topic of online feminism has resurfaced on Weibo multiple times in recent weeks—though not always in a positive light.

In November, Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com canceled its “Singles Day” collaboration with comedian Yang Li following male backlash and boycott threats over her critiques of male confidence. While some celebrated the decision, many women vowed to boycott JD in protest, calling out misogyny and double standards. This incident reflected how anti-feminist sentiments in China not only influence public discourse but also shape business and marketing dynamics.

Over the past two weeks, the Chinese hit film Her Story, directed by young female filmmaker Shao Yihui (邵艺辉) and released on November 22, also triggered online discussions. Some critics labeled it a “boxer film” (拳师电影). As explained in Wendy Huang’s article, in China, the term “boxer” (拳师) is sometimes used to critique certain feminists. The second character in the word for feminists (“权” quán) is pronounced the same as the first character in “boxer” (“拳” quán). This term has therefore become used to mock feminists who are seen as overly aggressive.

These examples—and there are many more recent ones—highlight the negative connotations of ‘feminism’ in China. Not too long ago, the Communist Youth League of China even called “extreme feminism” a “malignant tumor on the Internet.”

Over the past ten years, there have been many discussions on the state of feminism in China today. During this time, feminism has seemingly become an increasingly uncomfortable term.¹

“Feminism was never a taboo topic in China,” women’s rights activist Meili Xiao wrote in the New York Times in 2015. She explained: “Before, our messages were consistent with those of the government, which calls itself an advocate of women’s rights.” That sentiment started to change, especially over the past decade, as many women perhaps no longer want what the government wants for them.

In 2018, while the Me Too Movement dominated Western media discourse, various renowned feminist Weibo accounts, including Feminist Voices (女权之声), were pulled offline. In the years that followed, feminist groups were also censored on other platforms, from WeChat to Douban.

In recent years, feminism on the Chinese internet has grown increasingly controversial—not just because of censorship, which ties more to politics and the repression of grassroots activism—but also due to social disagreements over what Chinese feminism is or should be.

It is not uncommon for Chinese feminists of various generations and backgrounds to clash (read about one famous clash here). Some popular online groups of vocal women are sometimes degradingly called “countryside feminists” (中华田园女权), a term used to describe women who label themselves as feminists but cherry-pick the rights they think they should have. Some mainland liberals argue that feminism in China should not focus solely on gender differences but raise voices for broader civil rights activism.

Perhaps most important to realize is that Chinese feminism is not Western feminism. Western feminism, influenced by the sexual revolution and movements like gay liberation, brought forth academic studies on gender and sexuality that were heavily dominated by Western cultures, histories, and voices. These ideas often emphasized resistance against male dominance alongside liberalism and capitalism.²

While there is an ongoing effort in China to adapt and reinterpret Western feminist discourse to align with local cultural realities, many believe that the liberation of women cannot be separated from broader societal emancipation and should transcend the Western binary division of the sexes.

However, some Chinese feminists continue to incorporate Western feminist frameworks to advance feminism in the Chinese context, which often leads to resistance and even online hate from those who view these efforts as ‘disruptive’ or as ‘promoting opposition between the sexes.’

 
Scattered Revolutions
 

The insightful work Weibo Feminism: Expression, Activism and Social Media in China (2022) by Xue and Rose explores how Weibo serves as a platform for diverse feminist discourses. These include questioning traditional values like Confucian filial piety, examining the one-child policy, and engaging in broader discussions on reproductive autonomy among feminists from different social, ethnic, and professional backgrounds.

Weibo Feminism by Xue and Rose.

Despite tensions between Western-influenced feminists and those more aligned with communist ideals, Weibo has also allowed for more independent feminist voices to emerge. These voices focus on systemic change and collective solidarity, reinterpreting global feminist ideas to fit China’s unique socio-cultural context.

Facing censorship and pressure, Weibo feminists have adopted decentralized strategies—what Xue and Rose call “scattered revolutions.” Instead of building massive accounts, they create smaller, distributed communities to impact larger debates: “You forbid us to gather anywhere, so we will be everywhere.”

Every now and then, these voices can be heard all over Weibo. Recently, these voices surfaced in online conversations about misleading sanitary pad advertisements, which expanded into broader discussions about women’s health, safety, and rights.

Ruixin Zhang wrote about grassroots efforts to combat menstrual stigma and hold Chinese companies accountable here. Wendy Huang covered the discussions surrounding Her Story here.

There is much more to say about China’s online feminism, a topic that will undoubtedly come up more often in the time to come.

 
Looking Ahead
 

For those I didn’t meet but who are interested in the topic of my Cleveringa speech, I’ll dive deeper into Weibo’s 15-year anniversary on What’s on Weibo early 2025. There are also exciting changes coming to the site, allowing for deeper insights into special topics—more on that soon!

If you appreciate What’s on Weibo and want to stay up to date, please continue as a premium member, tell colleagues and friends to subscribe, or explore group accounts for your office (email me for group discounts). To maintain independence, I still don’t do advertisements or sponsorship deals, so your support is what keeps everything going.

Meanwhile, if you’d like to connect on social media for more frequent updates, follow Whatsonweibo on Instagram here or follow my personal account on X. I’ve also recently joined Bluesky, please find me here.

Warm regards,

Manya Koetse

¹ FYI: The term ‘feminism’ in itself is a Western term, which is translated in Chinese as 女权主义 (nǚquán zhǔyì), meaning “women’s rights ideology” as the term 女权 (nǚquán) combines 女 (nǚ), meaning “woman,” with 权 (quán), meaning “rights” or “power.” 主义 (zhǔyì) translates to “ideology” or simply “-ism.”

² More on this: Zhou Huashan (周华山). 2000. Xingbie yuejie zai Zhongguo (性别越界在中国) [Crossing the Borders of Gender in China]. Hong Kong: Xianggang Tongshi Yanjiushi (香港通识研究室), 16–18.

What’s New

Shortcomings in Menstrual Pads | Sanitary pads have never been a bigger topic of debate on Chinese social media as it’s been over the past few weeks. What began with one blogger’s discovery of menstrual pads falling short of their advertised size has grown into a broader movement, demanding better-quality products and greater awareness of menstrual health. Insightful article by Ruixin Zhang 👇

Good Stuff | The Chinese comedy-drama Her Story (好东西, literally “Good Stuff”), directed by Shao Yihui (邵艺辉), has been gaining attention and sparking discussions on Weibo since its late November release in mainland China. Beyond the discussions of plot and central themes, Her Story reflects the increasing success and influence of women filmmakers in the Chinese film industry.

A Caravan of Cyclistst | From city marketing to the spirit of China’s new generation, there are many themes behind the recent Zhengzhou trend of thousands of students cycling to Kaifeng overnight.