Li Tingting

Li Tingting (; born 1989), known professionally as Li Maizi , is a Chinese activist and campaigner for gender equality, sexual harassment awareness, and sexuality. She was detained by police on the eve of International Women's Day in 2015, along with four other activists from the "Feminist Five", for planning to protest sexual harassment on public transport.

Early life and education Li's parents were forced to marry as a young couple after becoming pregnant with her. In 1989, Li was born in Yanqing district, the rural outskirts of Beijing. Li's father worked delivering fertilizer. After her father was dismissed from his work, Li's mother took a factory job in Beijing, but continued to be responsible for all domestic matters. On 26 February the same demonstration started in Beijing. This resulted in Li being questioned by the police. From 2012 to 2017, multiple demonstrations happened in major cities throughout China, resulting in a new Regulation on Public Toilet Design Standard.

Head shaving In August 2012, Li and four other women shaved their heads publicly in Lychee Bay, Guangzhou, China. This demonstration was to protest against gender discrimination in entrance into higher education, as some institutions required girls to have higher scores than boys to be admitted.

Dongfang Bubai at a career fair In 2013, at a career fair in Xi'an, Li arrived as Dongfang Bubai, a fictional character with high martial arts skills. Dongfang Bubai castrated himself to fulfil the prerequisite for learning the skills in a martial arts manual known as the Sunflower Manual . With this character, Li drew attention to workplace gender discrimination, as many positions only wanted male employeess.

Detention On 6 March 2015, police officers arrived at Li's apartment where she was living with her partner. Around that time, Li and colleagues were planning a demonstration drawing attention to sexual harassment in public transportations on International Women's Day in three cities. Li initially did not open the door and overheard conversation between the officers that they had monitored her phone calls. She eventually opened the door when the officers called a locksmith to break through the door. Li reports that the police presented her with a blank detention warrant, searched her apartment and confiscated both her and her partner's electronics.

Aftermath and continual activist works Li has reportedly been put on the Chinese media blacklist, which means no national media will report on or converse with her.

Li has written opinion pieces for international media, including The Guardian, where she describes her arrest and the situation of women's rights in China. She has also participated in discussion panels and given talks on feminism in China in the United States and UK. In April 2023, Li started a new round of "Occupy Men's Room" activities in China.

Li left China in the summer of 2023, and 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

Exhibitions Li has had 36 exhibitions from 2005 to 2013. She had:

1 exhibition in 2013 5 exhibitions in 2012 5 exhibitions in 2011 5 exhibitions in 2010 9 exhibitions in 2009 4 exhibitions in 2008 5 exhibitions in 2007 1 exhibition in 2006 and 1 in 2005

Art Li Tingting's art is a contemporary modern style. Most of her pieces are watercolor, usually majority blue or pink. Her art often features landscapes, still life, and repeated or a "pile" of one object (usually plastic bottles or glasses).