Chinese men are getting more involved in the discourse regarding women’s rights, as the U.N. campaign “HeForShe” has arrived in China. A promotional event about the campaign was recently held in Beijing’s Central University of Finance and Economics on Thursday, June 11.
Among those who attended the promotional event are Julia Broussard and Ma Leijun from U.N. Women, Duan Guohui from All-China Women's Federation's International Liaison Department, and Chinese actor Tong Dawei, who shared his opinions regarding men's participation in the fight for gender equality.
"Previously, I had misunderstood 'HeForShe' and gender equality because many women are 'holding up half the sky,' especially at home. Later I began to consider this topic more carefully and talked with officials at U.N. Women. I realized that women should be given more chances to develop their potential in society, instead of just at home. We should not leave them to be fighting their causes alone."
Tong also encouraged male students present in the event to take part in the campaign, which he believes will both benefit men and women.
U.N. Women representatives Julia Broussard and Ma Leijun, on the other hand, talked to the audience about the status quo of gender equality and deliberated on the importance of such a campaign.
In addition to interesting insights from its honored guests, a video speech by Emma Watson was also shown to the audience. Watson, a U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador, launched the global campaign last September.
A campaign that seeks to encourage men and boys from around the world to participate in the fight for gender equality improvement, "HeForShe" was officially launched in China on April 12 in Tsinghua University.