When China's best-known me-too activist Zhou Xiaoxuan appeared in front of the courthouse in western Beijing on Tuesday half an hour before the start of the trial, it was initially about powerful images and symbolism.

She headed straight for the waiting journalists and supporters and allowed herself to be surrounded by a crowd, which gave her enough time to give a short speech in front of the cameras before the police intervened.

She thanked everyone who came and who had accompanied her through this exhausting process.

“It's been three distinctive years for me,” she said.

Friederike Böge

Political correspondent for China, North Korea and Mongolia.

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Inspired by the MeToo movement, Zhou had accused one of the most famous presenters of the Chinese state television in 2018 of having sexually molested, kissed and groped her as an intern in his dressing room four years earlier.

Immediately after the incident, she went to the police, but she got rid of them because of the prominence of the alleged perpetrator.

It was not until the moderator, Zhu Jun, reported her for defamation that Zhou Xiaoxuan sued him for damages of around 6,500 euros and a public apology.

The now 28-year-old screenwriter has become a symbol because few women in China have the courage to go to court for sexual harassment.

Invited by the police "to drink tea"

"It doesn't matter whether we win or lose," Zhou said on Tuesday - the rest of her sentence was drowned out in the crowd. A group of elderly women called "Ayis" (aunts) in China had crowded into the crowd shouting "Stop the meeting". They belonged to the ordered contingent of the state power, which should take the stage from the activist if possible. One of the women later confirmed to a ZDF journalist that she had been paid for the mission.

On the first day of the trial in December, the crowd gathered right in front of the courtroom and held up posters with slogans such as “We are not genitals on two legs”. Images of it were shared on social networks and celebrated as a success in feminist circles. This time, on the second and probably last day of the trial, the police were prepared. The area was cordoned off over a large area. Dozens of uniformed men and at least as many men in civilian clothes were scattered around the area. Some tried to disguise themselves as passers-by, others were easy to recognize by their black T-shirts and muscular upper arms.

The police did not resort to violence, they focused on intimidation.

All those present were permanently filmed and their identity cards were photographed.

Many who had previously arranged to meet on social networks had already been summoned by the police in advance.

"For drinking tea", as it is called in China.

The feminist movement is so well connected on the internet that it is viewed as a threat by the security apparatus.

A trans woman named Wang Heting tried unsuccessfully to hold up a poster and it was immediately snatched from her.

“Of course I'm scared.

I will probably be invited to tea and put on a list, ”Wang said afterwards.

But she is ready to face the consequences.

Some of the supporters described themselves as "witnesses to history" because they judged the importance of the trial to be so great.

Hardly anyone expected that Zhou, who is known in China by her nickname Xianzi, would win the trial.

"There are so many conservative backlashes that I don't think so," said one student with long hair and earrings.

“But in any case, the process is a milestone for the feminist movement in China.” With her step in public, Zhou paved the way for many other women to speak about their own experiences of harassment and abuse.

Even if these women did not go to court, the social pressure on the perpetrators had increased.

The defendant does not appear

For the supporters in front of the courthouse, a few dozen women and men, this is one of the few opportunities to “express our opinion in public,” said the FAZ student. “This case gave us the belief that MeToo is possible in China . ”A young woman agreed:“ The case made the whole problem (sexual harassment) visible to the public. There is more talk now about the relationship between the sexes. ”Like many here, she is disappointed that the trial is in camera. Zhou's petition for a public trial had been denied.

By late Tuesday evening, seven hours after the start of the trial, there was no end in sight. On the first day of the trial, Zhou was held until after midnight. The defendant, Zhu Jun, did not even show up. The court did not find that necessary. In the past few months, Zhou Xiaoxuan was attacked by anti-feminist bloggers and denounced as a "foreign agent". Since five feminists were arrested for distributing stickers against sexual harassment in 2015 and detained for more than a month, no activist has been exposed to similar levels. The pressure of expectation was noticeable to Zhou Xiaoxuan on Tuesday. Some of the supporters also looked agitated when she walked alone through the police barrier to the court.