Frank Ching
An unlikely Chinese hero
When a waitress lashed out with a knife, the case caught public imagination
A public outcry in China over the case of a woman arrested for stabbing a local official who assaulted her after she refused to provide sexual services reflects the widespread distrust of officials and sympathy for the underdog – even someone who may face murder charges.
Deng Yujiao, a 21-year-old waitress at the Xiongfeng Hotel in Badong county of Hubei province, apparently resisted when three officials demanded 「special services.」 After some pushing and shoving, she lashed out with a knife, stabbing 44-year-old Deng Guida, who later died, as well as injuring Huang Dezhi, 41. The men worked for the business promotion office in the town of Yesanguan. (The Dengs are not related.) The woman apparently called police and turned herself in.
After the news broke, there was a strong public reaction. Within a week, more than 50,000 people had posted comments on Sina.com, a popular forum. While the authorities initially refused to comment, the public reaction caused the Badong police to issue news bulletins. The township government itself then took over and appointed a spokesman.
The Deng Yujiao case has clearly caught the public imagination. A group of university students in Beijing staged a public demonstration, with one woman, wrapped in white cloth and wearing a mask, bearing a sign that read: 「Anyone may become Deng Yujiao.」
This reaction is reminiscent of a case in Shanghai last year when a young man, Yang Jia, dashed into a police station and stabbed six policemen to death. It turned out he had been previously abused by the police when they suspected that he was a bicycle thief. That case became a cause célèbre , with many people rooting for him even after he was convicted of murder. He was eventually executed.
The Deng Yujiao case sparked anger because it was seen as a case of a lone woman pitted against three rich and powerful men who were demanding sexual favours. One of them repeatedly slapped her on the head with a thick wad of cash.
There were also suspicions that the local government was initially trying to help the officials involved by depicting Ms. Deng, whom the public saw as the victim, as little more than a prostitute.
Right now, it is clear that many people in China do not have faith in the authorities, including the police and the court system. There is no rule of law as understood in the outside world. Until China develops such a system, a lot of people will continue to identify with individuals who dare to take on the authorities, cheering on those who have the courage to defy those in positions of power.
The widespread public support for Yang Jia did not help him escape capital punishment. It remains to be seen whether support for Ms. Deng will help her escape a charge of murder.
One positive sign is that the case has attracted attention in Beijing. On May 26, she was released on bail after having been held on suspicion of murder for more than two weeks. Yesterday, the official Xinhua news agency reported that both officials present when Deng Guida was stabbed have been fired. Mr. Huang, the wounded man, was also kicked out of the Communist Party because he had 「pushed, shoved and verbally insulted a waitress who refused to accompany them to take a bath,」 Xinhua reported. His colleague was fired because the incident had caused a 「bad social effect.」
Although a murder charge may appear unlikely, Ms. Deng is not out of the woods yet. But officials, aware of the public mood, will want to proceed with caution. After all, she is now a national hero.
譯文:
一位女子因刀刺強迫她提供性服務的地方官員而被捕，中國輿論譁然。此事反映了人們普遍對官員不信任，對弱者的同情——哪怕是那些可能面臨謀殺指控弱者。
面對三位官員提出的「特殊服務」要求，湖北巴東縣雄風賓館21歲的女服務員鄧玉嬌作出抵抗。經過一番推推搡搡，她用刀刺死了44歲的鄧貴大，刺傷了41歲的黃德智，然後報警自首。
消息傳出來之後，公眾反應熱烈。在一周之內，有超過五萬人在新浪網上貼評論。在公眾的壓力下，巴東警方發佈新聞公告。政府然後接手，並任命了發言人。
鄧玉嬌案顯然抓住了公眾的想像力。一位女性身裹白布，戴着面具，旁邊擺着標語「誰都可能成為鄧玉嬌」。
公眾的反應令人想起去年的楊佳案。年輕男子楊佳沖入警察局刺死六名警員。有消息指，楊佳之前被警察懷疑是偷自行車的賊，並遭到虐待。此案名聲大噪，即使在楊佳被判謀殺罪之後，仍然有很多人支持楊佳。楊佳最終被處決。
鄧玉嬌案之所以引發憤怒，因為人們把它視為一位弱女子反抗三名有財有權之人的性要求的案子。鄧玉嬌被其中一人用厚厚的一疊現金扇打頭部。
有人懷疑地方政府最初試圖幫助涉案官員，把公眾眼中的受害者鄧玉嬌描述得跟妓女差不多。
很顯然，如今中國很多人不相信當局，不相信警察和法院系統。那裏沒有外界所理解的那種法治。在中國發展出那樣的法治系統之前，很多人會繼續認同膽敢和當局對着幹的人，為那些有勇氣反抗當權者的人喝彩。
一個積極的跡象是，此案引起了北京的關注。據新華社報道，涉案的兩名官員被解除職務。鄧玉嬌的結局未定。但意識到的公眾情緒的官方將謹慎行事。畢竟，她如今是一位國家英雄。
（作者：Frank Ching；原標題：一個出人意料的中國英雄）
