A student activist calling for transparency over an alleged rape at China’s top university has accused the university of trying to silence her.

Earlier this month, former classmates of a literature student at Peking University (PKU) who killed herself in 1998 came forward to say she had been raped by her professor, Shen Yang, who denies the allegation. PKU and two other universities subsequently cut ties with Shen and a group of current PKU students petitioned the school to hand over all documents related to the case.

The case is at the centre of a small but growing #MeToo movement among students at PKU and other universities across China who have been calling for more accountability over sexual assault on campuses. The movement is unusual in an environment where any activism, especially among students, is closely monitored and stamped out.

One of the students who signed the petition, Yue Xin, a senior at the university’s school of foreign languages, published a letter on Monday alleging harassment and intimidation. Yue said she has been called in for several meetings with school officials, often lasting until late into the night. She accused administrators of suggesting she might not be able to graduate and asking what her mother and grandmother would think of her behaviour.

Yue claims that at about 1am on Monday, her adviser, accompanied by Yue’s mother, stormed into her dorm room, waking her and forcing her to delete all documents from her computer related to the petition. Afterwards Yue’s parents drove her home. She has not been able to return to school, Yue said in the letter, according to a translation by China Digital Times.

Student activism at Peking University has a long history, dating back to 1919 when thousands of students protested against a treaty granting Chinese territory to Japan, the 4 May movement. In 1989, student activists converged again in Beijing on Tiananmen Square to call for reforms in demonstrations that were put down by force.



Online searches for Yue’s name have been blocked and her post has been deleted, but not before users recorded it using blockchain technology. Others have circulated a screenshot of her letter upside down to avoid censors on the WeChat.

A photo of a poster on a university bulletin board, a gesture reminiscent of banners and leaflets posted on the the school’s former “democracy wall”, used during the 1989 protests, circulated on social media.

PKU’s school of foreign languages said on its website on Monday that Yue’s mother had been summoned out of concern because Yue could not be reached. “We always honour every student’s fundamental rights and make great effort to protect each and every student’s lawful rights”, the school said.

According to Yue, the school responded to the petition by saying there were no minutes of the meeting where Shen’s behaviour was discussed. Because of an error, the relevant department did not have Shen’s statement on the case.