“All Your Tools Belong to Us”1

Negotiation between ambition and reality: The path to Chinese feminist media’s development

“…The rise of social media has provided feminist media with new platforms and tools, which have significantly reduced their costs and expanded their influence. Yet, feminist media, as many scholars noted, have consistently encountered obstacles throughout their development (See Grünangerl, 2012;Han, 2018;Velloso et al, 2023;Zobl & Reitsamer, 2012). In this article, we have used WTNV as a case to illustrate the difficulties and challenges contemporary Chinese feminist media as a whole have been facing, and how they navigate these obstacles for survival and development.…”

“…As far as feminist media production is concerned, Velloso et al (2023) argue that, for feminist media, "at least for most of the last two centuries, financial profit, slick production values, and professionalism were unimportant" (p. 73). Zobl and Reitsamer's (2012) research on representative feminist media in Europe finds that feminist media production is mostly small-scale, collaboratively produced, reflecting what Lievrouw (2023) identifies as characteristic of alternative and activist new media projects.…”

“…In the interview, the editor Bao said, "The audiences' interaction with WTNV and their gains from our articles give us a stronger sense of happiness and achievement than knowing that our article becomes a 10w + article." 6 In other contexts, feminist media has invented distinctively feminist ways of working, organizing, and decision-making (Velloso et al, 2023). Likewise, WTNV adopts a flat management structure and collaborative working style.…”

“…Throughout history, feminists have utilized media to critique mainstream media’s narratives and structure, mobilize political action on behalf of women, and sustain a sense of community among feminists and feminist groups (Velloso et al, 2023; Zobl & Reitsamer, 2012). Feminist media “share a commitment to taking women seriously despite their differences” (Velloso et al, 2023, p. 72). They are generally regarded as alternative media that are “oppositional, or counter-hegemonic, in their relationship to the state and the market” (Payne, 2012, p. 57).…”

“…The popularity of new media and communication technologies has provided new spaces for feminist media globally. Over the past decade, social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, and TikTok have emerged as venues for feminist content and organizing (Velloso et al, 2023). In China, social media such as Sina Weibo and WeChat have become important platforms for feminist groups and individuals, especially the young generation aged from 20 to 40, to disseminate feminist ideas, to “share their views on and experiences with gender-related issues” (Lindberg, 2021, p. 3), and to “enhance visibility, connect, and protest against patriarchal social orders” (Han, 2018, p. 745).…”