"Chinese Moms Are Outraged"... Children's Textbook Brazenly Featuring 'Sexual Harassment Illustrations' [Correspondent Diary]

Sexually Harassing Elements Based on Son Preference Expressed Without Filter
Angry Chinese Mothers Demand Investigation into Problematic Illustrator and Publisher Relations

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] Last Friday morning (27th), my wife sent me a few illustrated panels via WeChat, saying "Look at this." They were illustrations posted in an elementary school mothers' group chat. My wife said, "Chinese mothers are in an uproar," and after seeing the illustrations, it was clear why.

Photo by Weibo capture

The illustrations were embarrassingly inappropriate to believe they were included in an elementary school math textbook. They unfilteredly expressed sexual harassment elements based on a preference for boys.

One illustration showed a boy (appearing as an adult considering his bald head) hugging a girl's chest, while another child lifted the girl's skirt to harass her.

Also, an illustration exposing the underwear of a girl playing rubber band jumping was very disturbing. Illustrations depicting specific parts of boys as they are are obscene and constitute child abuse.

Photo by Weibo China Capture

A panel containing racist implications harassing a white girl also angered Chinese mothers with elementary school children. From the Chinese perspective, the elementary school math textbook is a complete mess, with illustrations such as the Chinese national flag (Five-star Red Flag) drawn upside down and a boy wearing a T-shirt reminiscent of the American flag (Stars and Stripes). Criticism is inevitable. It is even more surprising that these illustrations, revised in the 2013 edition, had not been problematic until now.

Chinese mothers posted heated comments in the group chat such as "It seems intentional," "It's perverted," and "Children might become obsessed with sex."

As the controversy grew, the People's Education Press humbly accepted opinions from all sectors of society and announced it would delete the problematic illustrations. They also added that they would form a team of experts to improve the textbooks. The Chinese Ministry of Education also issued an official statement saying it would conduct a comprehensive investigation of the content and illustrations in elementary, middle, and high school textbooks nationwide and immediately revise them if problems are confirmed.

Photo by Weibo China Capture

When I first encountered the issue of illustrations in Chinese elementary school math textbooks last Friday morning, I did not want to report it. The problem of sexual misconduct illustrations in Chinese elementary school textbooks is like "spitting while lying down" (self-defeating).

The state-run Global Times quoted netizens' comments, pointing out that a thorough investigation should be conducted into the relationship between the illustrator (Wu Yong) and the publisher. They emphasized the need to investigate how a person with such problematic thinking could have the opportunity to create illustrations that influence countless children. They also mentioned the possibility of canceling registration.