‘Instead I am the criminal’: China’s MeToo figure speaks out after case fails

Even if her appeal against sexual harassment verdict is unsuccessful, Xianzi is proud that more women now feel they can share their experiences

Sitting inside a Beijing courthouse late at night last month, Zhou Xiaoxuan and her lawyers came to a quick decision. Their years-long effort to seek justice for her alleged sexual harassment by one of the country's most popular celebrities was clearly not going to go their way. In a short statement the court ruled she had tendered insufficient evidence.

On Weibo she wrote to her supporters with a list of criticisms of the judgment and process. Failure is not shameful, and I am honoured to have stood with you together in the past three years ... Thank you very much, everyone, I will definitely appeal."