BEIJING — The Chinese authorities have detained a journalist who was a leading figure in the country’s #MeToo movement and had recently written about the antigovernment protests in Hong Kong, her friends said on Thursday.

The activist, Huang Xueqin, was detained last week in the southern city of Guangzhou, according to friends who asked not to be identified by name. The authorities accused Ms. Huang, 31, of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” a vague accusation that the government often uses to silence activists who challenge the status quo.

Ms. Huang is best known in China for her role in the country’s fledgling #MeToo movement, which achieved some success despite China’s authoritarian system. She helped dozens of women report cases of sexual assault and abuse online, battling censors and a male-dominated culture. The movement took on professors, television anchors, religious leaders and others.

“We’re not brave enough to stand out as one individual,” she said last year in an interview with The New York Times. “But together, we can be strong.”