NATION
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Wednesday August 7, 2019 Netizens incensed at photo of teacher’s card with condoms, urge strict standards
Scandal sparks overhaul of foreign tutors
Concrete reinforcement worker
Mao Shenghua (left) kisses
his wife Fang Mingmei, who
is holding a box of roses, at a
construction site in Kunming,
Southwest China’s Yunnan
Province, on Tuesday, one day
before Chinese Valentine’s Day.
Photo: ICBy Wang QiA Chinese rapper cut his finger off during a live-
stream Monday night to prove his innocence in
a sex scandal, which experts say reflects the un-
regulated Chinese livestreaming industry.
The rapper, 24-year-old Li Jingze who goes by
the stage name Beibei, is a member of the hip-
hop group Honghuahui or GDLF MUSIC.
Short online videos show Li saying at a
livestream on Monday night that he would cut
part of his little finger to “prove a clear con-
science” in response to online sex scandals, which
said that he has been involved in sexual relations
with female fans.
Li insisted he was wronged and subjected to
unbearable cyberbullying. He did not show the
moment he cut off his finger, but displayed his
broken finger on screen.
Staff of the platform said Tuesday that they
had banned Li’s account and reported the case to
the police, thecover.cn reported.
Li’s behavior has violated China’s Internet Se-
curity Law for bloodiness and violence, according
to Zhu Wei, a professor at the China University of
Political Science and Law in Beijing.
“As a public figure, he was not just hurting
himself but also the viewers, especially minors,”
Zhu told the Global Times on Tuesday.
Li has about 720,000 followers on Yizhibo.
The platform should also be punished for lax
management, Zhu noted.
Reports of the case went viral on Tuesday, with
many net users blaming him for his behavior on
public platforms. Some suspect he did not really
chop his finger off.
The group announced a break-up on Weibo on
Tuesday afternoon. They apologized for the case
and the bad influence the incident created, urg-
ing netizens to stay away from cyberbullying and
to be aware of their friends’ mental state.
The Global Times reporter found that the
number of his followers on Weibo increased
from 155,000 on Tuesday morning to 680,
in the afternoon.
Li’s case came after a female online celebrity
was blocked in late July. She disguised herself as
a young girl with a sweet voice to attract viewers,
but turned out to be a 58-year-old woman.By Zhang HanAn education authority in
South China launched an in-
spection against foreign teach-
ers after a foreign teacher in
Guangdong Province allegedly
posted a photo of a school card
and condoms with the caption
“Teachin in China.”
The Guangdong Depart-
ment of Education on Monday
asked all schools in the prov-
ince to overhaul foreign teach-
ers they employ and report the
result by September 15.
The campaign is aimed at
enhancing management of for-
eign teachers in the province. It
focuses on situations like work-
ing without a visa and lackingteaching certificates, teaching
capabilities and ethics, the de-
partment’s website said.
The incident sparked heated
discussions on foreign teach-
ers after screenshots showed a
man named “Sam Nome” al-
legedly posting on his WeChat
account his teacher’s card and
about half a dozen condoms
with a caption reading “Teachin
in China.”
Many netizens suspect the
person may have sexually as-
saulted or hoaxed Chinese stu-
dents, urging the school to give
an explanation.
Online photos show that
the man may be working at
the Guangzhou No.21 Middle
School.The school denied having a
foreign teacher with that name.
“The person involved is not
a current or former foreign
teacher at our school...the post
slanders us and our foreign
teaching staff,” the school’s in-
ternational department said on
its WeChat account.
The school said that it had
changed its name to Guang-
dong Experimental Yuexiu
School in 2018 and stopped us-
ing that card two years ago.
The incident once again rais-
es the question of the qualifica-
tions and quality of foreigners
teaching in China, which has
been a sensitive topic amid a
series of scandals, including
the detention of a foreign tutorwho sexually assaulted a kin-
dergarten student in January
in Qingdao, East China’s Shan-
dong Province.
More than 400,000 foreign
teachers worked in education
industry in China in 2017 and
only one-third of them are le-
gal, according to Banyuetan,
a magazine under the Xinhua
News Agency.
The average quality of for-
eign teachers is declining amid
the rise of international depart-
ments in domestic schools,
Xiong Bingqi, deputy direc-
tor of the Shanghai-based 21st
Century Education Research
Institute, told the Global Times
on Tuesday.
Xiong said the problem isworse at private schools and
teaching centers than in public
schools.
Chinese regulations require
foreigners who engage in lan-
guage teaching to obtain a work
visa and have a bachelor’s de-
gree or higher, at least two years
of teaching-related experience
and no criminal record.
Chris, who used to teach
English at a university in Bei-
jing, told the Global Times that
those who cannot meet the
standard turn to private schools
and training centers, where
regulations are not as strict.
Xiong called for heavier pen-
alties on schools and institutes
which recruit foreigners ille-
gally.By Sun HaoranAfter local parks released a blacklist
of uncivilized behavior in late July,
the Beijing government now solic-
its public opinions for a draft law
on these behaviors, including loud
square dancing and wearing a “Bei-
jing bikini.”
The solicitation is being conducted
by the municipal civilization promo-
tion office and will run from Monday
to August 25. It will serve as a refer-
ence for the ongoing Beijing civilized
behavior promotion legislation, The
Beijing News reported on Tuesday.
The move comes amid a nation-
wide campaign against uncivilized
behavior. Similar measures have re-
portedly been taken in Ji’nan, EastChina’s Shandong Province, Cheng-
du, Southwest China’s Sichuan Prov-
ince and North China’s Tianjin Mu-
nicipality.
Beijing residents can access a
questionnaire website and vote for
the behavior they think should be in-
cluded in the law. They can also com-
ment on the upcoming law.
The Global Times reporter found
that the online questionnaire lists 19
uncivilized behavior, including spit-
ting, walking dogs off a leash, men
appearing topless in the public and
dancing in squares to loud music.
“The legislation is necessary if Bei-
jing wants to be a harmonious and liv-
able world-class city,” Wang Zhenyu,
a professor at the China University
of Political Science and Law, told theGlobal Times on Tuesday.
With the improvement of people’s
living standards, more people are be-
coming less tolerant of uncivilized
behavior, Wang noted.
“Soliciting public opinions for a
draft law is an effective approach to
capture public sentiment and moti-
vate the public,” Wang said.
The questionnaire also lists 12 civ-
ilized behavioral options, including
volunteer service and donating blood.
Beijing plans to provide incentives,
such as granting honorary titles and
cash awards to residents doing good
deeds.Beijing to draft ‘uncivilized behavior’ law
Rapper cuts finger off
online over sex rumors
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