The story of a decade-old abuse case is causing an uproar on Chinese social media since it was first reported by The Paper (澎湃新闻) and other Chinese media outlets in late January. Many netizens on Weibo are outraged, as they believe reporters of the story are biased and have harmed the privacy of Tang Lanlan, the alleged victim in the case.
The story that is at the center of this ‘online war’ between media and netizens starts in October of 2008, when a then 14-year-old girl named Tang Lanlan (汤兰兰, pseudonym) wrote a letter to the local police station in Longzhen town in Wudalianchi, Heilongjiang Province, declaring that she had been raped and sexually abused by her own father, grandfather, uncles, teachers, the rural director and neighbors since she was seven years old.
Photo of the letter written by Tang in 2008, pulished by various Chinese media outlets.
The letter was the beginning of a police investigation into the case, leading to the arrest and prosecution of more than a dozen people, Chinese online news outlet The Paper reported. Throughout the prosecution period, Tang’s teachers and custodian parents supported the young girl.
In 2008, 16 people from the town were arrested on sex assault charges against a minor. Four years later, 11 of these suspects were sentenced to prison for rape and forced prostitution. Amongst them were Tang’s parents, who were also found guilty of forced prostitution.
Various Chinese media outlets report that although all of the 11 suspects sought to appeal the judgment against them and denied all allegations, the court remained with its original verdict during a second trial that took place by the end of 2012.
At present, five of the 11 suspects have been released, including Wan Xiuling, Tang’s mother, who was released from prison in 2017 after serving a sentence of almost nine years. Wan and the others are now asking lawyers to appeal, Global Times reports, claiming the 14-year-old Tang had been instigated by others to fabricate the story.
However, the only one able to verify the alleged falsity of the whole case, Tang Lanlan herself, now 23 years old, has changed her name and has moved to another place.
“Where is Tang Lanlan?”
Although the case was already reported on January 19, it caught the attention of Chinese netizens when The Paper (澎湃新闻) published its article about the case on January 30, which was titled “Looking for Tang Lanlan” (“寻找汤兰兰”*).
The article, for which a reporter traveled to Longzhen with Tang’s mother to interview the relatives of the other convicts, caused so much uproar online that it has since been removed from the website.
Many netizens criticize The Paper and its journalists Wang Ruifeng and Wang Le for their alleged bias in reporting about the case, and for posting a photo with the article that – although blurred – showed details about Tang’s possible new address and identity. Reporters were allegedly able to get their hands on the document upon a visit to the local police station.
The photo of a document regarding Tang, which, according to netizens, reveals too much information. (Blurred by What’s on Weibo).
Some Weibo users especially blame reporter Wang Le (王乐) for the controversial reports and claim that because she is female and around the same age as Tang, she should protect the victim instead of choosing the suspect’s side.
Although reports by The Paper and other media, such as BJnews (新京报), emphasize the lack of evidence in the case – suggesting the 14-year-old Tang fabricated the story – many commenters on Weibo say that it is normal for authorities to not disclose any information about a minor in an abuse case to protect the privacy of the child.
Some angry netizens felt so wronged about the reports on the matter that they even came forward and posted personal details of The Paper‘s reporters on Weibo in an act of ‘revenge.’
The Paper, or Pengpai (澎湃) in Chinese, was launched in 2014 as a new online media outlet, backed by government funding, aimed at young, mobile-focused people.
“Keep a clear mind”
Since the online commotion over the case and its reports, authorities in Wudalianchi city issued a notice on Thursday that urged netizens to “keep a clear mind,” Chinese state media outlet Global Times reports, writing: “We urge netizens not to believe in some people who deliberately create confusion.”
Despite the notice, the hashtag “Tang Lanlan Sexual Abuse Case” (#汤兰兰性侵案#) was already viewed over 49.8 million times on Weibo by Thursday night, proving the case has caught the strong interest of Chinese netizens.
“The public security authorities change the name and identity of the child, and then it’s the media who start a ‘human flesh search’ and reveal her identity, who would have expected this,” some netizens write.
“F*ck this, why turn this into a public trial now instead of going through the official legal channels?” others write.
By now, Tang Lanlan’s story has also attracted the attention of some of Weibo’s ‘big V’s,’ online influencers with a major following, who have shared their sympathy for the young woman.
Micro-blogger @Yijinyexing (@衣锦夜行的燕公子), who has nearly 4 million fans on Weibo, pointed out that the private information about Tang, released by the media, reveals that she is studying for her Bachelor’s degree. Yijinyexing wrote: “That’s good. I hope you can go abroad after your studies and see the world. We never need to know who you are, or who you’ll be. You can live the life of an ordinary person, and you’ll be just fine.”
By Boyu Xiao and Manya Koetse
Follow @whatsonweibo
*Full title of the controversial article is “Looking for Tang Lanlan: Girl claims she is the victim of sexual assault by relatives and their friends, 11 people jailed for years, now she’s gone ‘missing'”《寻找汤兰兰：少女称遭亲友性侵，11人入狱多年其人“失联”》
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