In 2017, news of a “female virtue class” (女德班) taking place in Fushun, Liaoning province, triggered controversy in China when it was exposed that young women were taught to conform to sexist stereotypes. That “female virtue class” was ordered to shut down after it made headlines.
But now, the same class taking place in Wenzhou has become the talk of the day on Chinese social media, as footage from inside the class made its way around Weibo and Wechat. Chinese media outlet Pear Video reported the news.
The class, with 56 students from 5 up to 18 years old (44 female), reportedly took place in August of this year during a Summer Camp on “traditional culture.”
This is the video with footage from an insider attending the ‘Summer Camp’, by Pear Video (no subtitles):
Just as in Fushun, girls in Wenzhou were also taught that men are superior to women, that married women should obey their husbands and not talk or hit back, and that wearing revealing clothing will lead to rape.
The video also shows that ‘obedience’ was presented as being a core value for women, along with filial piety.
These views often pop up on social media. Also in 2017, a university lecture by Ding Xuan, an alleged expert on China’s women’s issues, stirred controversy on Weibo after her statements on female chastity went viral. According to Ding Xuan, “being a virgin is the best gift for a husband.”
Classes such as these are often presented as being “traditional culture” training.
On Weibo, the hashtag “Female virtue class for minors” (#未成年人女德班#) has received over 110 million views at time of writing, with thousands of netizens condemning the message that these students are being taught. “It’s 2018 now, how can you still have these kinds of fools?!”, a popular Weibo comment said.
“It’s scary that parents would let their children participate in these classes,” others wrote. “The worst part is that people actually believe this.” “What era are we living in?!”, many commented.
As this topic is currently going trending, it is yet unclear if these classes are still being taught to students, or if they, again, have been ordered to shut down.
By Manya Koetse
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