Recently a #MeToo scandal took China by storm after 30 year old Canadian-Chinese pop star and actor Wu Yi Fan, who is professionally known as Kris Wu and formed part of K-pop group EXO from 2012 to 2014, was accused of sexual misconduct by 19 year old Du Meizhu in July 2021. Posting her testimony to the Chinese social media site Weibo, the handle “Du Meizhu” alleged that Wu sexually abused her when she was only 17 years old and a student at the Communication University of China in Beijing; she claims that during their first date Wu and others took her phone, pressured her to drink, and that she eventually woke up in his bed. When asked how he found his targets, Du alleged that Wu often picked victims from his pool of fans, using his influence over them to invite the girls to hotels or take them to bars and get them drunk (despite many being minors), and then assault them. She also stated that Wu asked the heads of his fan communities to arrange meet-and-greets with “young and pretty” followers, and would ask women who he had relationships with to bring other girls into his “network,” rewarding them with gifts and payments when they obeyed.
Following Du’s interview, over 20 women have come forward about their experiences with Wu’s predatory and manipulative behavior. Among them is Zhāng Dānsān, a member of Chinese girl group SNH48, who wrote on Weibo that Wu repeatedly asked her about her dating history and suggested they meet up in person, even sharing a screenshot of their conversation in which Wu asked her if she was a virgin. Questions that appeared often in conversations released by Wu’s victims include “How old are you?” “Are you a good girl?” and “You haven’t given yourself away, right?” Chat histories also show Wu mentioning that he likes girls who are “innocent,” “clean,” and “untouched,” fueling the claims that he has pedophilic tendencies. One long time EXO fan who came forward about her own experience confirmed that Wu’s agents would seek out young fans for him, saying she was contacted by his agent offering her a work opportunity alongside the accused, but that she did not pass the screening because she was over 18.
This is not the first time Wu has been caught up in a scandal of this nature. In 2016 a 19 year old publicly accused him of manipulating her, and “using her for sex” while seeing other women. However, this time the case has gone far enough to have him apprehended, and on July 31 Wu was placed under criminal detention by police in the Chaoyang District of Beijing on account of the rape allegations against him. Multiple streaming services, including QQ Music and NetEase Music, have removed Kris Wu’s music from their platforms, and brands have terminated endorsement deals with the perpetrator. Louis Vuitton, Porsche China and Bulgari were amongst these brands, and companies such as Lancome, Kiehl’s and Bestore removed social media posts featuring Wu. Further, a number of Wu’s social media accounts have been taken down following the police statement.
During an interview, Du Meizhu stated that Wu was known for preying on aspiring young women and tended to use work opportunities as a pretext to get them alone with him. She alleged that he assaulted over 30 women, including at least two minors, and that she and Wu dated for several months before he paid her 500,000 yuan (approximately 77000 USD) to keep quiet. However, Du never agreed to the settlement and is in the process of returning the money to Wu in her effort to bring him to justice. Despite dozens of women coming forward against him, Wu denies the allegations and claims that “If I really did something like this, please know that I would put myself in jail.”
Du’s testimony has foreforented the importance of #MeToo in China, and led to an outpouring of solidarity through hashtags such as “WithDuMeizhu and GirlsHelpGirls. However, many users have also expressed surprise that Wu was apprehended at all, shining light on the frequent failures of the Chinese legal system when it comes to holding sexual predators accountable. This is unfortunately the case in much of the world, and demonstrates how the struggle to ensure justice for victims is a global struggle. In 2017 the #MeToo movement was catapulted by Hollywood actresses’ accusations against Harvey Weinstein, and soon spread to the rest of the world. However, China began censoring its media and prevented citizens from engaging in the feminist movement online. This led Chinese women to use the rice and bunny emojis in lieu of the phrase “me too,” since “rice bunny” is pronounced “mi tu” in Mandarin. Not only has Kris Wu’s case shone light on the failures of the legal system in holding perpetrators accountable and reminded Chinese women of how the state has censored their voices in the past, it also demonstrates a pattern that is all too present everywhere: powerful men, often in the entertainment industry, abusing their power and then using it to cover their tracks. Similar to the way in which Du was offered so-called “hush money,” Harvey Weinstein negotiated numerous settlements with his victims in exchange for their silence, and countless other men in power have taken similar action. The need to bring sexual abusers to justice, regardless of their fame or power, is a universal struggle for women.
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