(CNN) – The explosive #MeToo accusation by a Chinese tennis star against a former state leader has been silenced by widespread censorship, and authorities are rushing to remove any mention of a politically sensitive scandal that has resonated across China’s internet.
Peng Shuai, 35, a former French Open and Wimbledon doubles champion, on Tuesday accused retired Vice Prime Minister Zhang Gaoli of pressuring her to have sex, according to screenshots of a recently deleted post from Peng’s verified account on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social media platform.
CNN has not been able to independently verify the authenticity of the 1,600-plus-word post, and has contacted Peng for comment, as well as the Information Office of the State Council of China, which handles the central government press inquiries.
In the post, which reads like an open letter to Zhang, Peng alleges a relationship for an intermittent period spanning at least 10 years. Peng says she opened her heart to Zhang, who is now 75 years old.
“Why did you have to come back to me, take me to your house to force me to have sex with you? Yes, I had no proof, and it was simply impossible to have it,” she wrote.
“I couldn’t describe how disgusted I was, and how many times I wondered if I’m still human. I feel like a walking corpse. Every day I asked myself, ‘Who is the real me?’
CNN could not contact Zhang, who was part of the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the ruling Communist Party – made up of seven people and which is the supreme governing body of the country – between 2012 and 2017, during the first term of Chinese leader Xi Jinping in the power. He retired as deputy prime minister in 2018.
In China, the senior leaders of Zhang’s category remain unapproachable and private even after his retirement, making it virtually impossible to reach him for comment for this story.
The China’s emerging #MeToo movement has previously targeted academic, NGO workers and celebrities, with variable results. But this is the first time he has reached the upper echelons of the Communist Party.
“We must realize how extraordinary it is that Peng Shuai decided to speak out. Few people would have the courage to do so, because it could be at the cost of her safety and that of her family,” said Lv Pin, a prominent Chinese feminist who now resides In New York.
The scandal also came just days before a crucial meeting of party elites in Beijing, which is expected to pave the way for Xi Jinping get a third term.
Widespread censorship in China
When Peng’s allegations were made public on the internet, the censorship was launched with a speed and ferocity never seen in any of the previous #MeToo cases in the country.
His extensive post, which took place shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday, was removed in less than 30 minutes. Screenshots of the message had initially circulated on social media and in private chat groups, but were soon censored as well, along with other messages about the case.
Peng’s verified account, which has more than half a million followers, remains on Weibo through Wednesday night. But they blocked her from searches. All comment sections of your previous posts were also closed.
In a display of the unprecedented level of censorship, comments on a Weibo talk page about tennis were even shut down. And obscure references to the scandal were also removed.
On Douban, the IMDB-like Chinese movie review website, the page for the Korean romance series “The Prime Minister and I” was censored after users discussed Peng’s case in its review section.
The swift and thorough censorship contrasts with the response to other recent high-profile #MeToo cases, such as rape allegations against the Canadian-Chinese pop star Kris Wu.
That scandal had a huge impact on social media, dominating the trending topics on Weibo for days, while state media amplified the accusation, criticizing Wu for his moral decline.
Subsequently, Wu was stopped as suspected of rape. Before his arrest, Wu denied the allegations on his personal Weibo account. His company said it was taking legal action against its whistleblower, calling the allegations “malicious rumors.”
Soon after, the government unleashed a wide offensive against the entertainment industry, canceling a number of “celebrity misconduct.”
The accusations of the tennis player
Peng claimed in her post that the first time she had sex with Zhang was more than 10 years ago, when he was the head of the Communist Party in Tianjin, a coastal city southeast of Beijing. But Zhang broke off contact after being promoted to the Politburo Standing Committee in Beijing, according to the publication.
It did not explain the circumstances of their first sexual encounter.
Then one morning about three years ago, after Zhang had retired, the publication alleges that he suddenly invited Peng to play tennis in Beijing. Afterward, she writes, Zhang and his wife took her to their home, where Peng claimed they pressured her to have sex with Zhang.
“That afternoon I did not agree at first and was crying the whole time,” Peng wrote. After having dinner with Zhang and his wife, and after much persuasion from Zhang, she relented, according to the post.
Like Zhang, his wife, Kang Jie, remains protected by the government and has not been reached for comment.
“I was panicky and afraid, and I agreed with my feelings for you for seven years,” the post said.
Peng said she then began an extramarital affair with Zhang, but suffered “too many injustices and insults.” She claimed that they had a fight last week, and that Zhang refused to meet with her and disappeared.
Peng said she had no evidence to prove her allegations, and claimed that Zhang was always concerned that she would record things.
“I know that to someone of his eminence, Deputy Prime Minister Zhang Gaoli, you said you were not afraid. But even if it was just me, like an egg striking stone, a moth flying in flames, courting self-destruction, I would tell the truth about us, “he wrote. CNN cannot independently verify Peng’s claims.
Information surrounding the personal lives of top Chinese officials is often shrouded in secrecy, and even some of the most basic biographical details are considered taboo. However, under Xi’s tenure, the alleged extravagances and misdeeds of some disgraced officials caught up in his anti-corruption campaign have been made widely public, providing a rare window into their private lives.
“She is an exceptional woman”
Despite the censorship, many social media users expressed their support for Peng, often in vague terms.
“How desperate and helpless she must have been,” posted a popular tennis blogger with more than 200,000 followers. “I hope he stays safe.”
“I don’t know what else I can say apart from praying that he is safe. We have accepted by default that this incident will disappear from the internet: the post will disappear, the account will disappear, justice will disappear; only the pain that torments the victim will not disappear, only the fear of the next victim will not go away, “read another comment.
Both comments were subsequently deleted.
Survivors of sexual assault have long faced strong stigma and resistance in China, both officially and among the public. But in recent years, a growing number of women have joined the victims who spoke out, as the #MeToo movement gathered steam.
Lv, the New York feminist activist, said Peng has attracted wide public sympathy in part because of the success she has had in her professional career.
In 2013, Peng won the doubles championship at Wimbledon with her partner from Taiwan. In 2014, the duo won the French Open doubles title. Peng was also a semifinalist at the US Open.
“She is a truly exceptional woman, the glory of China, a world famous person. Even women like her would be caught in a problem like this,” said Lv. “This shows how many obstacles Chinese women have to jump in their quest for equality and independence.”
“Everybody is worried about her. Nobody knows what can happen to her. I believe that public attention to the case is her greatest protection,” he added.
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