Li Tingting facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Li Tingting 李婷婷
Portrait of Li Tingting
Born	1989 (age 35–36) Hongtongying, Beijing
Nationality	Chinese
Other names	Li Maizi
Occupation	Activist
Known for	Gender equality advocacy

Li Tingting (born 1989), also known as Li Maizi, is a brave Chinese activist. She works hard to make sure everyone is treated fairly, no matter their gender. She also supports the rights of LGBT people.

Early Life and Learning

Li Tingting was born in 1989 in a rural area outside Beijing, China. Her father used to deliver fertilizer for work. When he lost his job, her mother started working in a factory in Beijing. Even with her factory job, Li's mother did all the housework. Li remembers her father being quite traditional.

Li moved around Beijing a lot to go to school. When she was three, her family moved for her mother's job. Later, she moved back to her birthplace to attend school. She then returned to the area where her mother worked after some paperwork was sorted out. For high school, she studied liberal arts.

Choosing a New Name

When Li was in middle school, she started to understand more about herself. She decided to change her name from Tingting, which is a very feminine name. She chose the name Maizi, which means "rice plant" in Chinese. For Li, Maizi felt like a name that showed freedom and being down-to-earth. In 2008, with her new name, Li went to Chang'an University in Xi'an. There, she studied public administration.

Becoming an Activist

Li's journey as an activist began when she was in college. She started by teaching her friends about sex education. In her second year, she created a group to help and support university students. By 2013, this group had about 200 volunteers. They worked to get laws that would give everyone equal rights. They also pointed out unfair treatment in government and businesses. In 2011, Li discovered performance art and saw it as a powerful way to share her messages.

The "Hurt Bride" Protest

On Valentine's Day in 2012, Li and two friends walked down a busy street in Beijing. They wore bridal gowns that looked like they were stained with blood. This was to bring attention to domestic violence in China. Many people watching were supportive, but some felt uncomfortable seeing such a personal issue in public. City officials followed them, saying they needed permission for their protest. The next day, many news outlets reported on Li's powerful demonstration.

The "Occupy Men's Room" Protest

Li also led a protest called "Occupy Men's Room" with her friend Zheng Churan. They protested the long lines women often face outside public toilets. This protest started in Guangzhou in February 2012. Because of their efforts, the Guangzhou government agreed to make women's toilets 150% larger. The same protest happened in Beijing a week later. Li was questioned by the police because of it. From 2012 to 2017, similar protests happened in many big cities across China. This led to a new rule about how public toilets should be designed. This protest got a lot of attention from news around the world and online. It also encouraged men to support this cause.

Protesting with Shaved Heads

In August 2012, Li and four other women shaved their heads in public in Guangzhou. They did this to protest against unfair treatment in college admissions. Some colleges required girls to have higher test scores than boys to get in.

Protesting at a Career Fair

In 2013, Li went to a career fair in Xi'an dressed as Dongfang Bubai. This is a famous fictional character known for great martial arts skills. By doing this, Li wanted to show how many jobs only wanted male employees. She highlighted unfairness in the workplace.

Working Against Forced Marriage

In 2016, Li shared in a video that she was focusing on preventing forced marriage. This is when someone is made to marry against their will.

Being Held by Authorities

On March 6, 2015, police officers came to Li's apartment. At that time, Li and her friends were planning a protest for International Women's Day. They wanted to raise awareness on public transportation in three cities. When the officers arrived, Li did not open the door right away. She heard them say they had been listening to her phone calls. She eventually opened the door when they threatened to break it down. Li said the police showed her a blank paper, searched her home, and took her and her partner's electronic devices.

Li was taken to a police station. There, police looked through her private phone calls. When asked to unlock her phone, Li quickly deleted her chat history. The next evening, Li was taken to a different place in a van. Her partner had already been released. But the van also held other activists, Wei Tingting and Wang Man. The authorities questioned them many times about their planned protest. They also asked about foreign groups helping them. Li said this seemed to make the authorities very worried. Li was also asked about other protests she had been part of. The office of the group Li worked for was also searched. This group was where she did most of her work for gender equality and LGBT rights. Even though she wasn't in charge, the authorities wanted information about the group. After she was released, Li said that officers would sometimes burst into the room and shout at her. They would say she wasn't being honest and try to scare her.

After 37 days, on April 13, 2015, Li was released. The other four activists were also released. They became known as the The Feminist Five. Her lawyer said her release had conditions, meaning charges could be brought against her later.

Life After and Continued Work

After her release, Li was reportedly put on a Chinese media blacklist. This means no national news outlets would report on her or talk to her. The group Li worked for was also shut down.

Li finished her studies at the University of Essex in February 2019.

Li has written articles for international news, like The Guardian. In these articles, she talks about her experience and the situation of women's rights in China. She has also spoken at events in the United States and the UK about feminism in China. In April 2023, Li started new "Occupy Men's Room" activities in China.

Li left China in the summer of 2023. She now lives in New York with her wife.

Awards

• 100 Women (BBC) - 2015
• Gold Award, Contemporary Art Schools' Students' Nominated Exhibition, Today's Art Museum - 2007
• Honorable Award, Shanghai Youth Art Exhibition - 2007

Art

Li Tingting creates art in a modern style. Many of her pieces are watercolors, often using shades of blue or pink. Her art often shows landscapes, still life, and many of the same objects, like plastic bottles or glasses.

Images for kids

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  Portrait of Li Tingting

See also

In Spanish: Li Tingting para niños