Grim tales test China’s claim to be governed by the people
When changes to the law are needed, does the state respond?
MOST CHINESE with an internet connection have probably seen the video of a mentally ill woman chained by the neck in the province of Jiangsu. Identified as Yang Qingxia, she was sold to her husband in 1998 and bore him eight children. Ms Yang’s plight was revealed in February. The next month another trafficked woman, with the surname Tao, was discovered locked in a cage in Shaanxi province. Her husband paid 8,000 yuan ($1,220) for her in 2010. The cases sparked outrage. A well-known lawyer pointed out that the punishment for buying a woman in China is just three years in jail—less than that for buying two endangered parrots.
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Chain, reaction”
From the April 30th 2022 edition
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