Editor’s note for Tuesday, November 2, 2021

My thoughts today:

Consensus continues to form that Xí Jìnpíng 习近平 will “push through an historical resolution at a key Communist Party gathering next week, cementing his authority and legacy and strengthening his case for a precedent-breaking third term starting next year,” says Reuters.

Meanwhile, an explosive #MeToo scandal began on Weibo but has been swiftly censored from the Chinese internet despite the public’s insatiable curiosity. NPR’s Emily Feng tweeted:

Unverified post from Chinese tennis star Péng Shuài 彭帅, taken down from Weibo within minutes, in which she claims (again unverified) that she was assaulted by former Vice Premier Zhāng Gāolì 张高丽 before willingly becoming his mistress. Highest public #MeToo allegation in China

China’s quickly-stifled #MeToo movement has ensnared academics, journalists, NGO workers…but never had a high-level Party official been accused. The burden of proof and the political pressure brought to bear will be huge. And Peng herself admits to having no evidence.

So quickly are social media posts being censored on Chinese sites about this that people are resorting to using #tennis and #melon (meaning drama) in Chinese to talk about this…both terms are trending on Weibo now.

Our word of the day is melon 瓜 guā, an abbreviation of eating watermelon (吃西瓜 chī xīguā), Chinese internet slang for watching something dramatic unfold, used in a way similar to American “eating popcorn” memes.

—Jeremy Goldkorn, Editor-in-Chief