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Leta Hong Fincher
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Betraying Big Brother: The Feminist Awakening in China Kindle Edition

by Leta Hong Fincher (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 78 ratings
See all formats and editions
A feminist movement clashing with China’s authoritarian government. Featured in the Washington Post and the New York Times.

On the eve of International Women’s Day in 2015, the Chinese government arrested five feminist activists and jailed them for thirty-seven days. The Feminist Five became a global cause célèbre, with Hillary Clinton speaking out on their behalf and activists inundating social media with #FreetheFive messages. But the Five are only symbols of a much larger feminist movement of civil rights lawyers, labor activists, performance artists, and online warriors prompting an unprecedented awakening among China’s educated, urban women. In Betraying Big Brother, journalist and scholar Leta Hong Fincher argues that the popular, broad-based movement poses the greatest challenge to China’s authoritarian regime today.

Through interviews with the Feminist Five and other leading Chinese activists, Hong Fincher illuminates both the difficulties they face and their “joy of betraying Big Brother,” as one of the Feminist Five wrote of the defiance she felt during her detention. Tracing the rise of a new feminist consciousness now finding expression through the #MeToo movement, and describing how the Communist regime has suppressed the history of its own feminist struggles, Betraying Big Brother is a story of how the movement against patriarchy could reconfigure China and the world.

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  1. Print length
    257 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Verso
  4. Publication date
    September 25, 2018
  5. File size
    1499 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
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  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“In clear, concise chapters, Fincher, whose previous books include Leftover Women: The Resurgence of Gender Inequality in China, lays out the origins of the movement and its exponential growth, as well as the Chinese government’s violent attempts to extinguish it. The US president may be walloping China via trade war, but Leta Hong Fincher argues that the most existential threat to Xi Jinping’s regime comes from within.”
—Claire Landsbaum, Vanity Fair

“Hong Fincher explains that far from a small movement on the fringes of Chinese society, feminism is on the rise, from the burgeoning and ongoing #MeToo movement, to increasing calls for protections for survivors of domestic violence … to protests against workplace discrimination.”
—Esther Wang, Jezebel

“In Betraying Big Brother, journalist Leta Hong Fincher examines the feminist movement that’s rising in mainland China, and explores how the Feminist Five continue to covertly educate other women to confront and resist the country’s sexist policies.”
—Evette Dionne, Bitch Media

“A vital and necessary book in a world hostile to women and girls. Leta Hong Fincher’s account of a powerful network of activists is a foundational text on feminism in contemporary China, rich with scholarship and a grasp of history. It is a book to inspire and to guide all of us who insist on fighting the patriarchy globally.”
—Mona Eltahawy, author of Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution

“A deeply affecting book … Hong Fincher’s vivid, blow-by-blow account of the women’s experiences is a valuable work of journalism, and she offers interesting evidence of a wider feminist awakening.”
—Susan Greenhalgh and Xiying Wang, Foreign Affairs

“A provocative, sharp-edged account of Beijing’s push to cajole women to marry and fix the country’s sagging birth rates. A must-read for students of feminism.”
—Mei Fong, author of One Child: The Story of China’s Most Radical Experiment

“Writing with rigor, passion, and indignation, Hong Fincher introduces a group of Chinese feminist activists who refuse to be intimidated by China’s powerful patriarchal state. Offering a detailed account of the women’s critiques of increasing gender inequality in China, Betraying Big Brother is a singular account of a Chinese—and now global—movement that will not be silenced”
—Rebecca E. Karl, author of Mao Zedong and China in the Twentieth Century

“In her sprawling and detailed recent book, Betraying Big Brother, Fincher aims to tell the story of the women’s rights movement in China through their saga. Fincher bases her narrative on interviews with [the Feminist Five] and their allies, while supporting their stories with deep research into the roots of the government’s crackdown on feminism.”
 —Bookforum

“In Betraying Big Brother, Leta Hong Fincher unlocks a fundamental truth: the subjugation of women is a key feature of authoritarian power. But in telling the harrowing story of the detention of China’s Feminist Five, she may also have discovered the strongman’s Achilles’ Heel: a broad-based feminist movement poses an existential threat to a patriarchal state.”
—Rebecca MacKinnon, author of Consent of the Networked: The Worldwide Struggle for Internet Freedom

“In her vivid and comprehensive work on China’s emerging feminist movement, Leta Hong Fincher explores the coming of age of a generation of young activists in an authoritarian state increasingly hostile to social protest. A must-read for all seeking to understand China’s feminist activists, hear their voices, and experience the day-to-day reality of their lives.”
—Carl Minzner, author of End of an Era: How China’s Authoritarian Revival Is Undermining Its Rise

“In Hong Fincher’s estimation, the official hostility toward feminists in China as part of a global rise of authoritarianism and backsliding of democracy will affect not only China’s women but its economic future and will have worldwide repercussions. This is a fascinating and earnest book.”
—Publisher’s Weekly

“Betraying Big Brother shows how the [feminist] movement has risen on social media and taken root abroad and in cities like Guangzhou. Hong Fincher argues that the Chinese Communist Party relies on patriarchal crackdowns for its post-Soviet survival—and, further, that ‘anyone concerned about rising authoritarianism globally needs to pay attention to what is happening in China.’”
—Harvard Magazine

“Brings the clash between China’s grassroots women’s movement and the state’s manipulation of women to life. Hong Fincher explores the struggles of young feminist activists who are detained and vilified for seemingly innocuous campaigns—handing out stickers warning against sexual harassment on public transport, or parading through the streets in soiled wedding dresses to protest domestic violence … A pertinent primer for anyone who wants to understand the aftermath of China’s one-child policy, and the country’s fledgling feminist movement.”
 —Katrina Hamlin, Reuters

“In 2015, five young Chinese women—‘The Feminist Five’—were arrested for planning a public protest against sexual harassment. Through interviews with them, Fincher explores the origin and growth of China’s feminist movement—a greater threat to the Communist country, she argues, than President Trump's trade war.”
—Newsweek

“Fincher focuses on the history of a small group of female activists known as the Feminist Five , who have been hounded by the authorities for innocuous acts such as trying to hand out stickers on International Women’s Day. She argues persuasively that the activism the five awakened is already challenging the authoritarian state, with more and more women taking control of their bodies and rejecting ‘China’s patriarchal institutions of compulsory marriage and child-rearing.”
—Keith B. Richburg, Washington Post

“Through interviews with China’s famous Feminist Five, arrested in 2015 on orders of the Chinese government, and other leading Chinese activists Hong Fincher draws a portrait of the modern Chinese feminist movement and its pushback against interpersonal, governmental and digital control over their lives.”
—Autostraddle

"[Fincher] argues that misogyny is at the core of China's authoritarian regime and that a feminist movement, if not suppressed, could prove to be the country's 'most transformative movement.'”
– Emily Steel, New York Times Book Review

“Leta is one of the leading voices on feminism in China. This book puts into perspective the role of women in China - and what the future holds for them.”
– Foreign Policy Interrupted

“Hong Fincher makes a provocative and persuasive argument about the significance of the feminist movement in China, asserting that it is already a political wave the likes of which China has not seen since 1989. The potential mobilizing power of contemporary feminist activism speaks directly to Chinese leaders' not-entirely-illogical paranoia about well-networked social movements.”
– Emily Walz, Los Angeles Review of Books

“Leta Hong Fincher's Betraying Big Brother captures the irony of having an international day dedicated to women's rights when governments across the world work at stifling those rights. Fincher interviews the five arrested Chinese women after their 37-day-long detainment, and discovers how a surveillance state tried to stamp out feminism, even though the women forged their politics through personal experiences with domestic, sexual, and, later, police violence.”
– Nishita Jha, BuzzFeed News

“A necessary read to understand the role of women in Chinese society and why the feminist movement may be one of the few social movements to overcome the Chinese government’s persecution.”
—Elizabeth M. Lynch, China Law and Policy

About the Author

Leta Hong Fincher is a journalist and scholar who has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Guardian, Ms. Magazine, the BBC and CNN. She is the author of Leftover Women: The Resurgence of Gender Inequality in China.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B078QT4L79
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Verso (September 25, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 25, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1499 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 257 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1786633647
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 78 ratings

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Leta Hong Fincher

Leta Hong Fincher

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Leta Hong Fincher's book Betraying Big Brother (Verso) was named one of the best books of 2018 by Vanity Fair, Newsweek, Bitch Media, Autostraddle and Foreign Policy Interrupted. Leta has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, Dissent Magazine, Ms. Magazine, BBC, CNN and others. She won the Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi award for her China reporting. Leta is the first American to receive a Ph.D. from Tsinghua University's Department of Sociology in Beijing. She has a master's degree from Stanford University and a bachelor's degree with high honors from Harvard University. Her first book is the critically acclaimed Leftover Women: The Resurgence of Gender Inequality in China (Zed 2014). Follow her on Twitter @letahong.

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4.4 out of 5 stars
78 global ratings

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Customers find the book compelling and well-written. They describe it as an inspiring and necessary read about the human spirit and courage. The book is described as a story of true courage despite torture and loss.

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Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They describe it as a must-read, like a spy novel. The book is described as inspiring and critical for our times.

"...Parts of this book read like a spy novel...." Read more

"...It is a must read!!" Read more

"Powerful, needed, compelling. Picked this up at a really busy time, yet cannot stop reading it! Very well written." Read more

3 customers mention "Spirit"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book inspiring, a story of courage, and hope for evolution. They describe it as an inspiring and necessary read about the human spirit and true courage.

"...Above all else, Betraying Big Brother is an inspiring work. It shows the power of feminism within an oppressive, patriarchal regime...." Read more

"...This is the story of true courage; standing up despite torture and loss of what little amount of freedom the government allows its citizens...." Read more

"Inspiring and critical book for our time..." Read more

Betraying Big Brother -- What an Eye-Opener!
5 out of 5 stars
Betraying Big Brother -- What an Eye-Opener!
Have to say, Leta Hong Fincher's Betraying Big Brother was a powerful, emotionally taxing, and awe-inspiring book to read. I'm enthralled with the Feminist Five, think Li Maizi is truly badass, and was heartbroken to read about her own experiences with sexual assault in the context of the repression Chinese feminist activists have faced over the years. That Hong Fincher could put together this book, do her interviews, and excoriate the People's Republic of China and Pooh Bear Xi in such an unflinching way. Just, wow!Just a couple of poignant quotes from Betraying Big Brother (not to give too much away). One quote I know to be true in social justice movements in general: "Misogyny has no political boundaries; supposedly progressive, male activists have throughout history revealed deep-rooted sexism by silencing, belittling, and even abusing the women within their own civil rights movements." Most definitely!I didn't know this, though. The "growing number of Chinese women resisting marriage and childbearing pose a challenge to...the Party's security apparatus(')" key method for keeping trouble-makers in line, "threatening [their] spouses, parents and children..." Connecting population policies to the political repression of Chinese feminism and feminists. Big Brother, indeed!These accounts from activists are incredibly well written, but also gut-wrenching. But with the judicious arc of the universe, the demographic changes are on the side of young, educated Chinese women. "The more women are...independent and beholden to no one, the more they can resist and disrupt the patriarchal authoritarian order."So, many, many thanks to Leta Hong Fincher for this book! It has given me a deeper glimpse into a world I would otherwise only know bits and piece of from a few friends and from the BBC. I think we all need to be Betraying Big Brother, whenever and however we can.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • SAB
    5.0 out of 5 stars An inspiring and necessary book written with extraordinary detail.
    Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Dr. Leta Hong Fincher's book gives a complete picture of the modern-day feminist movement in China, while also putting it in the context of history. It's incredible to learn how gender equality played into the Communist revolution, especially in terms of the labor force, and Dr. Hong Fincher does an expert job of explaining how it was eventually minimized in favor of patriarchal culture and also authoritarianism.

    Parts of this book read like a spy novel. It's astonishing and often heartbreaking to hear how feminists in China have been treated by the state: not only surveilled and intimidated, but thrown in detention and tortured. Despite it all, they form inextricable bonds and help each other out in extraordinary ways. It is a sisterhood that transcends the trauma each has experienced.

    Above all else, Betraying Big Brother is an inspiring work. It shows the power of feminism within an oppressive, patriarchal regime. The Feminist Five and other activists (in and out of China) show what can be accomplished, as Li Maizi says in her mantra, with "perseverance, bravery, endurance."

    This is a necessary message for feminists and everyone who cares about human rights around the globe. Though authoritarian regimes are on the rise, there is tremendous strength in organizing and promoting gender equality. It threatens the patriarchal systems of power, which is why China has become so adamant about stamping out the threat by any means possible, from censorship to incarceration. This book details all of those ways, as well as the brilliant tactics the movement has used to fight back.

    Nevertheless, the feminists in China persist, as should the rest of us. Dr. Hong Fincher's book makes a great case for global feminism's potential for lasting change, and I am grateful to have read this work.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Carol B.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Critical to understanding China in social context
    Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    This is hard to read, not because it isn’t well-written, but because the subject matter is so rough. The author worked with and lent her personal strength to the incredibly courageous women (and men) who are the vanguard of this social movement.
    This is the story of true courage; standing up despite torture and loss of what little amount of freedom the government allows its citizens. Truly, it is the about freeing humanity from the oppression we impose upon each other. It is about human spirit, and the hope for our evolution. But it is difficult to read of the experiences these women undergo in their fight. It also highlights how critical a free press is to a healthy society, and how the current Chinese government conducts policing its citizenry in overt action and in constant pressure to conform in every way.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Isabel Clavijo
    5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring and critical book for our time
    Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    It was fascinating to learn about the rise of the Chinese feminist movement. As Dr. Leta Hong Fisher says, “it is critical that we bear witness to the persecution of feminist activists resisting authoritarian repression in China.”
    It is a must read!!
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
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  • Gail Pellett
    5.0 out of 5 stars Betraying Big Brother - Chiinese Feminism challenging authoritarianism & patriarchy
    Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Leta Hong Finscher reports on the recent emergence of feminism in China, places this contemporary movement within the 20th century history of Chinese feminism, and analyzes the capacity for this movement to challenge the profound misogyny and patriarchy that bolster the authoritarian one party government of China. This is a book for our times. Leading the international conversation linking women's rights to the effort for justice, fairness, equality and democracy.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
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  • Maud Lavin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very well written
    Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Powerful, needed, compelling. Picked this up at a really busy time, yet cannot stop reading it! Very well written.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Donald Earl Collins
    5.0 out of 5 stars Betraying Big Brother -- What an Eye-Opener!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2018
    Have to say, Leta Hong Fincher's Betraying Big Brother was a powerful, emotionally taxing, and awe-inspiring book to read. I'm enthralled with the Feminist Five, think Li Maizi is truly badass, and was heartbroken to read about her own experiences with sexual assault in the context of the repression Chinese feminist activists have faced over the years. That Hong Fincher could put together this book, do her interviews, and excoriate the People's Republic of China and Pooh Bear Xi in such an unflinching way. Just, wow!

    Just a couple of poignant quotes from Betraying Big Brother (not to give too much away). One quote I know to be true in social justice movements in general: "Misogyny has no political boundaries; supposedly progressive, male activists have throughout history revealed deep-rooted sexism by silencing, belittling, and even abusing the women within their own civil rights movements." Most definitely!

    I didn't know this, though. The "growing number of Chinese women resisting marriage and childbearing pose a challenge to...the Party's security apparatus(')" key method for keeping trouble-makers in line, "threatening [their] spouses, parents and children..." Connecting population policies to the political repression of Chinese feminism and feminists. Big Brother, indeed!

    These accounts from activists are incredibly well written, but also gut-wrenching. But with the judicious arc of the universe, the demographic changes are on the side of young, educated Chinese women. "The more women are...independent and beholden to no one, the more they can resist and disrupt the patriarchal authoritarian order."

    So, many, many thanks to Leta Hong Fincher for this book! It has given me a deeper glimpse into a world I would otherwise only know bits and piece of from a few friends and from the BBC. I think we all need to be Betraying Big Brother, whenever and however we can.
    Customer image
    Donald Earl Collins
    5.0 out of 5 stars Betraying Big Brother -- What an Eye-Opener!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2018
    Have to say, Leta Hong Fincher's Betraying Big Brother was a powerful, emotionally taxing, and awe-inspiring book to read. I'm enthralled with the Feminist Five, think Li Maizi is truly badass, and was heartbroken to read about her own experiences with sexual assault in the context of the repression Chinese feminist activists have faced over the years. That Hong Fincher could put together this book, do her interviews, and excoriate the People's Republic of China and Pooh Bear Xi in such an unflinching way. Just, wow!

    Just a couple of poignant quotes from Betraying Big Brother (not to give too much away). One quote I know to be true in social justice movements in general: "Misogyny has no political boundaries; supposedly progressive, male activists have throughout history revealed deep-rooted sexism by silencing, belittling, and even abusing the women within their own civil rights movements." Most definitely!

    I didn't know this, though. The "growing number of Chinese women resisting marriage and childbearing pose a challenge to...the Party's security apparatus(')" key method for keeping trouble-makers in line, "threatening [their] spouses, parents and children..." Connecting population policies to the political repression of Chinese feminism and feminists. Big Brother, indeed!

    These accounts from activists are incredibly well written, but also gut-wrenching. But with the judicious arc of the universe, the demographic changes are on the side of young, educated Chinese women. "The more women are...independent and beholden to no one, the more they can resist and disrupt the patriarchal authoritarian order."

    So, many, many thanks to Leta Hong Fincher for this book! It has given me a deeper glimpse into a world I would otherwise only know bits and piece of from a few friends and from the BBC. I think we all need to be Betraying Big Brother, whenever and however we can.
    Images in this review
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    7 people found this helpful
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  • Jason
    1.0 out of 5 stars Delusional hysteria of a white supremacist
    Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2020
    The book is filled with biased personal opinions versus and systematic, robust arguments and logical framework.
    7 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • MS S E MORTON
    5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational Review of the Women's Movement in China
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 25, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Leta Hong Fincher's inspirational book is a well-written review of the state of women's rights in China enhanced through interviews with the "Feminist Five" who were arrested shortly before International Women's Day in 2015. Their stories are the epitome of "personal" made "political". Fincher argues that China's communist party needs subjugation of women – particularly control over reproductive rights - in order to survive in power and is paranoid about the prospect of feminists building a grass roots movement to oppose the status quo.

    She is optimistic that feminists have planted some small seeds towards opposition of the communist patriarchy and development of human rights, not just for women but also LGBT groups in a country where 20% of the world's women live.

    This book will be of interest to those who are concerned with women's rights and modern China and to anyone who just wants to be inspired by the stories of the individual women concerned.
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  • hastingsmum
    5.0 out of 5 stars The most eye opening book ever
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 2, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I’ve never really thought much about how patriarchy affects women lol n China, this book was an eye opener. It gives hope but also lots of sadness.
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars The amazing and inspiring story of Chinese feminist activists.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 3, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    A great and inspiring story of China's feminist activists working in difficult conditions. An essential read for those interested in China or feminism.
    Report

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