#WhereIsPengShuai
You may have seen this hashtag on your Instagram or Twitter today. Maybe you heard about it in the news. But what is it referencing? Who is this person whose mysterious disappearance has taken the world by storm?
Who is Peng Shuai?
Peng Shuai is a Chinese tennis player born in 1986. Known for her two-handed forehand and backhand, she has ranked as high as number 1 in women’s tennis doubles (2014). She has reached as far as the 4th round (top 16) in the US Open, Australian Open, and Wimbledon as a singles player.
To complement her excellent singles record, Peng also exceeds in doubles, winning Wimbledon in 2013 and the French Open in 2014, both with Hsieh Su-wei. In 2015, she had to cut her season off short due to multiple injuries and devastating losses. In 2016, she came back with her first singles WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) title, the Tianjin Open, where she won doubles with Christine McHale. She has not played since February 2020 due to the pandemic.
A Mystery Unfolds
On November 2, 2021, Peng Shuai took to her Weibo account (a social media frequently used in Asian countries) to accuse Zhang Gaoli, a high-ranking Chinese leader, of sexual assault three years ago.
The post detailed how about three years ago, Zhang and his wife brought Peng Shuai to their home after a tennis match, when they had dinner together. Afterward, Zhang tried to coerce Peng into being intimate with her. Peng refused and was crying, as she remembered she was extremely scared. After more persuasion from Zhang, Peng finally agreed. Their relationship continued but Peng said Zhang’s wife humiliated her whenever they spent time together. Zhang said that although he loved Peng, he could not divorce his wife as that would look bad on his part as a political figure in China, where such things as this would cause scandal.
What Happened to Peng Shuai?
After her post, she disappeared from social media and public view for many weeks. This raised concern from figures around the world. When asked about the disappearance of Peng Shuai, many top Chinese political figures denied the situation and redirected the question for the reporters to ask the “relevant department[s]”. In turn, the “relevant department” was Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party)-owned paper, Global Times, who responded to the question by saying, “I don’t believe Peng Shuai has received retaliation and repression speculated by foreign media for the things people talked about.” Ultimately, it is up to the reader to interpret these words, but it is important to consider the fact that this source is extremely biased towards the CCP.
Seeing as these words were not enough to convince the public of Peng Shuai’s safety, on November 19, 2021, a Chinese media reporter shared pictures of Peng Shuai that she sent to her friend on WeChat (another social media commonly used in Asian countries). The pictures depicted her smiling and holding her cat. But what was strange about these pictures was a photo of Winnie the Pooh one could see in the background. What’s fishy about a children’s cartoon character? Winnie the Pooh is blocked in China following the widespread meme of likening the character to China’s Chairman Xi Jinping.
Additionally, on November 20, Hu Xijin posted pictures of Peng in a restaurant, seemingly safe, but he added that she did not want to be disturbed and will stay in her home for the next couple of days.
How has the Tennis World Responded?
The chief executive of the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association), Steve Simon, called for China to end the censorship of Peng Shuai. Although the tennis association has very little influence on the government of China, Simon did the most he could to alleviate the Peng Shuai situation. In an announcement to the public through the WTA, he wrote, “As a result [of Peng Shuai’s censorship], and with the full support of the WTA Board of Directors, I am announcing the immediate suspension of all WTA tournaments in China, including Hong Kong. In good conscience, I don’t see how I can ask our athletes to compete there when Peng Shuai is not allowed to communicate freely and has seemingly been pressured to contradict her allegation of sexual assault.”
Other top tennis players had been called on to comment on the Peng Shuai situation. Novak Djokovic, the current number 1 men’s tennis player in the world, said, “The whole community—tennis community—needs to back her up and her family, make sure that she’s safe and sound because if you would have tournaments on Chinese soil without resolving this situation, it would be a little bit strange.” He also added, “Her health was of the utmost importance to the world of tennis.”
Naomi Osaka, former number 1 in women’s tennis, took to her Twitter account to say, “Censorship is never OK at any cost” and used the hashtag of #WhereIsPengShuai.
Serena Williams, holder of the most Grand Slam titles and former number 1, also posted, “I am devastated and shocked to hear about the news of my peer, Peng Shuai. I hope she is safe and found as soon as possible. This must be investigated and we must not stay silent. Sending love to her and her family during this incredibly difficult time. #WhereIsPengShuai.”
Is the Situation Resolved?
As you might’ve noticed, there has been little awareness of the Peng Shuai situation recently. Peng Shuai’s disappearance was just a story for news channels to report or a “trend” that people participated in on social media with the #WhereIsPengShuai hashtag. Her story is eclipsed by more current events happening in the tennis world, such as Novak Djokovic being deported from Australia following his unvaccinated status and revoked visa.
As of now, the Australian Open (one of the four Grand Slams) is in full swing. Recently, fans at the Australian Open arrived wearing shirts that read “Where is Peng Shuai?” but security at the event asked them to remove the shirts, for Tennis Australia has rules in which spectators could not depict political slogans.
Players at the Australian Open are still being interviewed about Peng Shuai. Victoria Azarenka, former number 1 in women’s tennis, commented, “There hasn’t been that much development in terms of contact with Peng Shuai even though from our side we will continue to make any and all efforts to make sure that she is safe, she feels comfortable.”
Although updates about Peng Shuai are not being reported on in the mainstream media, these relatively few steps to raise more awareness about her situation are imperative for her safety and to know about her whereabouts. This is still a prominent issue, as there is still very little known about how she is doing. Greater actions must be taken to address peoples’ concerns and to potentially help Peng Shuai from a dangerous situation.
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