Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Thesis (Master's)

Department or Program

Master of Arts in Liberal Studies

First Advisor

Klaus J. Milich

Second Advisor

Regine Rosenthal

Third Advisor

Mingwei Huang

Abstract

In December 2019, Kim Lee, a symbolic figure in China’s anti-domestic violence (ADV) movement, publicly stated on the Chinese social media platform Weibo that she forgave her ex-husband Li Yang, sparking widespread controversy.

Drawing on Joan W. Scott’s method of examining experience, this study analyzes Kim’s case within the broader historical development of China’s ADV movement. It traces how Kim’s personal experiences and public images were continuously constructed, interpreted, and reshaped across different stages of the movement. This study finds that Kim’s experiences became public knowledge through the social, legal, and institutional processes that framed her as a domestic violence (DV) victim, an anti-domestic violence icon, and later a controversial figure.

This study argues that the controversies surrounding Kim’s forgiveness in 2019 reflect the structural tensions of China’s anti-domestic violence development after the enactment of China’s anti-domestic violence law in 2016.

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