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Zhenzhen Liu

Prominent Chinese television anchor Zhu Jun appears to have made his way back to state-owned broadcaster CCTV, four years after his alleged sexual harassment of a female intern ignited a scandal.
Zhu posted a photo of himself with the CCTV headquarters in the background on Weibo on Thursday. It was accompanied by the text: “Counting down to the New Year, [I am] on my way to work at the TV station. There are traffic jams in Beijing again!”
Hashtags that translate to “Zhu Jun returned to work at CCTV” and “Zhu Jun came back to CCTV four years later” have been trending on Chinese social media platforms.
The Post was unable to reach CCTV on Friday to confirm whether Zhu would return.
Is #MeToo over in China after JD.com founder settles sex claims case?
In 2018, Beijing-based screenwriter Zhou Xiaoxuan, better known as Xianzi, accused Zhu on social media of forcibly kissing her while she was working as an intern in 2014.
Zhou’s accusations coincided with the growing momentum of the #MeToo movement in China and soon went viral, inspiring other women to share their stories of sexual assault.
Zhou connected with other women who alleged they had been sexually assaulted via the social media platform Weibo, and accompanied them to the police station to file criminal reports and seek justice.

Zhu and Zhou soon became symbols of the #MeToo movement in China. The case became the most prominent #MeToo case on the mainland because of Zhu’s prominence as a CCTV anchor.
Zhu, who was 50 at the time of the alleged incident, denied the accusations and sued Zhou for defamation.
She then countersued for infringement of “personality rights”, a broad term used in Chinese law to refer to personal dignity rights, though it does not specifically refer to sexual harassment. She demanded a public apology from Zhu and 50,000 yuan (US$7,167) in damages.
How Peng Shuai is fanning the embers of China’s #MeToo movement
After a first hearing in December 2020 and a second hearing in September 2021, the Haidian District People’s Court in Beijing ruled against Zhou, citing “insufficient evidence”.
Zhou responded by vowing to file an appeal. She said the court had disregarded procedural fairness by denying her repeated requests to retrieve evidence, such as security camera footage.
Following a closed-door trial in August, the Beijing No 1 Intermediate People’s Court eventually dismissed all of Zhou’s appeals and upheld the original judgment.


“The court concluded that the evidence submitted by the plaintiff Zhou was not sufficient to prove the claim that Zhu had sexually harassed her, and therefore ruled to dismiss the plaintiff Zhou’s claim,” the court said on its official Weibo account.
Zhou said the dismissal was probably “the last legal effort” she could make in the case, according to CNN.
“The judicial system does not have innate authority, nor is the court’s judgment inherently the truth … I hope that the next litigant who comes to this courtroom will gain more understanding from others.”


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Gender

Chinese TV host accused in #MeToo scandal trumpets return to state broadcaster

Prominent anchor Zhu Jun is trending on Chinese social media after announcing that he will resume work at state broadcaster CCTV. Photo: Reuters

Zhou Xiaoxuan, also known as Xianzi, became a feminist figure in China after making sexual harassment allegations against Zhu. Photo: AFP

Is #MeToo over in China with settling of JD.com founder sex claims case?

 Illustration: Brian Wang

Chinese feminist activist and lawyer Liang Xiaowen holds a sign supporting Liu Jingyao outside the Minnesota court where the civil case was to be heard, before the parties settled. Photo: Kinling Lo

#MeToo in China: court rejects appeal in landmark sexual harassment case

Zhou Xiaoxuan arrives to attend a hearing in her sexual harassment case against prominent state television host Zhu Jun at the Beijing No 1 Intermediate People’s Court on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Police cordoned off areas outside the court ahead of Zhou Xiaoxuan’s arrival on Wednesday afternoon, and officers logged details of passers-by. Photo: AP

‘A bed of nails’: China’s #MeToo accusers crushed by burden of proof and counterclaims

Illustration: Perry Tse

Group of Chevening scholars call on China to release detained #MeToo, labour activists

Sophia Huang Xueqin and Wang Jianbing were detained in Guangzhou three months ago. Photos: Handout

The global tennis community has raised concerns over the safety of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai. Photo: AP

Once China’s ‘golden flower’, tennis star Peng Shuai is now the centre of an international #MeToo storm

News

China

Politics


In Weibo post, Zhu Jun announces he will resume work at CCTV four years after sexual harassment allegations by former intern
The news comes months after accuser Zhou Xiaoxuan, who became a symbol of feminism in China, loses appeal in civil case against the anchor



Prominent anchor Zhu Jun announces he will resume work at CCTV four years after sexual harassment allegations by former intern went viral.


Women and gender

Feminism

Trending in China

Chinese TV host accused in #MeToo scandal trumpets return to state broadcaster

In Weibo post, Zhu Jun announces he will resume work at CCTV four years after sexual harassment allegations by former intern The news comes months after accuser Zhou Xiaoxuan, who became a symbol of feminism in China, loses appeal in civil case against the anchor

In Weibo post, Zhu Jun announces he will resume work at CCTV four years after sexual harassment allegations by former intern

The news comes months after accuser Zhou Xiaoxuan, who became a symbol of feminism in China, loses appeal in civil case against the anchor