WhereIsPengShuai

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The correct title of this article is #WhereIsPengShuai. The omission of the # is due to technical restrictions.
In this Chinese name, the family name is Peng (彭).
Peng Shuai on the court hitting a tennis ball at the 2010 US Open
Peng Shuai at the 2010 US Open

#WhereIsPengShuai is a hashtag, used mainly in social media, and a grassroots campaign to raise awareness about the disappearance of Chinese tennis athlete, Peng Shuai.

Purpose of the hashtag[]

On November 2, 2021, Chinese tennis player, Peng Shuai, wrote in a social media post that politician Zhang Gaoli had sexually assaulted her three years previously.[1] Approximately 30 minutes later the post disappeared and references to Peng Shuai disappeared from China's internet.[1]

The hashtag, #WhereIsPengShuai (Where is Peng Shuai?), first appeared on Twitter on November 12, 2021.[2] The next day, French professional tennis player Alize Cornet tweeted, "Let's not remain silent #WhereIsPengShuai".[3] The hashtag was then quickly picked up and used by the tennis community and others to call attention to Peng Shuai's disappearance.[4][5] Among those who did this in the following couple of days were Chris Evert, Nicolas Mahut, Naomi Osaka, Stan Wawrinka and Serena Williams.

Australian Open[]

Four people wearing ‘Where is Peng Shuai?’ white t-shirts with black lettering at the Australian Open.
Four people wearing ‘Where is Peng Shuai?’ t-shirts at the Australian Open.

During the 2022 Australian Open, on 22 January, fans wearing t-shirts with the slogan "Where is Peng Shuai?" were asked to remove their shirts. A police officer at the scene was recorded saying, "The Australian Open does have a rule that you can't have political slogans ... it's a rule that it's a condition of entry."[6] Tennis Australia backed up the police response. Later, Martina Navratilova stated, "I find it really, really cowardly. I think they are wrong on this. This is not a political statement, this is a human rights statement."[6]

After an international outcry, Tennis Australian chief Craig Tiley reversed the decision and said fans are free to wear the t-shirts.[7] However, signs on poles or "mobs" would not be allowed.[7]

In response to the t-shirt controversy, a Chinese spokesman said, "The politicisation of sports will not succeed and will not gain support from the majority of people, including sportsmen and women, in the international community."[7]

Multilingual use of the hashtag[]

The hashtag appeared as #OùEstPengShuai[8] in French media and #DondeEstaPengShuai[9] in Spanish media.

China's response to the hashtag[]

The name Peng Shuai was censored in China within 30 minutes of a social media post authored by Peng Shuai accusing former vice premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual violence.[10] It is therefore assumed the hashtag, #WhereIsPengShuai remains unknown to Chinese citizens.[11]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "As concern grows for Peng Shuai, in China her story is barely a whisper". the Guardian. 19 November 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  2. ^ "https://twitter.com/marcotin12/status/1459297854456045571". Twitter. Retrieved 10 December 2021. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  3. ^ "Evert joins tennis chorus of #WhereIsPengShuai". France 24. 14 November 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  4. ^ "Evert joins tennis chorus of #WhereIsPengShuai". France 24. 14 November 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  5. ^ Kao, Paul Mozur,Muyi Xiao,Gray Beltran,Jeff. "China Unleashed Its Propaganda Machine on Peng Shuai's #MeToo Accusation. Her Story Still Got Out". ProPublica. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Aussie fans asked to remove Peng Shuai T-shirts". ESPN.com. 23 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Ganguly, Sudipto (25 January 2022). "'Where is Peng Shuai?' shirts welcome at Australian Open". Reuters. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  8. ^ "#OuEstPengShuai: ce que l'on sait sur la disparition de la joueuse de tennis" [#OuEstPengShuai: what we know about the disappearance of the tennis player]. moustique.be (in French). 18 November 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ "Incertidumbre en el tenis tras la desaparición de jugadora que denunció abusos sexuales" [Uncertainty in tennis after the disappearance of a player who reported sexual abuse]. Semana.com (in Spanish). 14 November 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ Zhong, Rui (5 December 2021). "The Case of Tennis Star Peng Shuai Reveals the Real Purpose of China's Censorship". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  11. ^ Wang, Kai; Song, Wanyuan (3 December 2021). "Peng Shuai: How China censored a tennis star". BBC News. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
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