"Posing as a Lady Is Useless"... Writer Criticized for Attacking Woman Complaining About Sanitary Pad Shortage in Xi'an Amid 'Stay-at-Home' Order

Residents line up in front of a mobile testing site to undergo COVID-19 nucleic acid testing in Xi'an, Shanxi Province, northwest China, where the entire city is under lockdown due to a COVID-19 cluster infection. Not directly related to the article.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Seoyoung] A famous writer who criticized a woman complaining about a shortage of sanitary pads in Xi'an, China, where strict lockdown measures including a ban on going out are in place due to the spread of COVID-19, has become embroiled in controversy.

On the 8th, Chinese media Pengpai reported that Wu Kejing, chairman of the Xi'an Writers' Association, recently posted on his WeChat (China's version of KakaoTalk) account praising two women who devoted themselves on the front lines of Xi'an's quarantine efforts. Wu also criticized a woman who had drawn national attention for appealing to quarantine workers for sanitary pad supplies while quarantined in a hotel in Xi'an.

Wu said, "Don't you know whether you have sanitary pads or not, or when you need them?" and "Is it right to blame others just because sanitary pads couldn't be delivered in an urgent situation?" He added, "This is your fault," and "Complaining or acting like a 'young lady' during the COVID-19 situation is useless."

However, Chinese netizens poured criticism on Wu's post. On Chinese social networking services (SNS) and online communities, comments such as "anachronistic and stubborn, a scholar style who thinks only he is right," and "a perspective trying to stereotype women without having experienced menstrual pain" kept appearing.

In response, Wu deleted his post on the 6th and issued an explanation saying, "I wrote the post with the intention of encouraging people to emulate those working hard on the front lines during these difficult times due to COVID-19." Meanwhile, Wu is a mid-career writer who has received the prestigious Lu Xun Literary Prize in China and currently serves as the vice chairman of the Shanxi Writers' Association and chairman of the Xi'an Writers' Association.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.