NextSharkNextShark.com
Latest Newsletter🍵 Kelly Marie Tran in racism studyRead

Article

Xi’an woman begging for period products in viral video called ‘dramatic’ on Chinese social media

  • Residents of Xi’an, a locked down city in China under quarantine, continue to suffer health issues and supply shortages.

  • A video of a woman pleading for period products from a health worker went viral on Weibo last week.

  • Male Chinese social media users responded by saying the woman was being “dramatic” and “self-centered.”

Asian America Daily - in under 5 minutes

Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories, to your inbox daily, for free!

Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive

A video of a resident from the city of Xi’an, which has been on lockdown since Dec. 22, went viral as the city continues to suffer health issues and supply shortages. 

Xi’an, home to about 13 million people, has been on strict lockdown after the government reported over 1,000 residents (well over 1,600 as of last week, according to CNN) tested positive for COVID-19 in December, reported the New York Times.

A now viral four-minute video features a woman who breaks down crying after reportedly asking a health worker for menstrual products, according to Sup China.

“I just want to know if my request for sanitary pads will ever be accommodated,” the woman says, according to SupChina’s translation.

The health worker tells her he is not permitted to leave the area and declines to help her.

“So what?” she asks. “Does that mean I have to bleed a river of blood?”

The woman goes on to describe a shortage of other adequate resources, including food and heat, saying she received no response to complaints she made over a COVID hotline. 

The worker’s response elicits a sob from the woman, who suggests that she should at least be provided more toilet paper to make makeshift menstrual pads.

The video, which had 22,000 shares and 28,300 likes as of Monday, also received criticism from social media users (mostly men, according to Sup China) who called the woman “dramatic” and “self-centered”.  In an article that has since been deleted, according to Taiwan News, Xi’an Writers Association Chair Wu Kejing also accused the woman of “acting like a princess.”

“It sounds like she wants the entire team of quarantine workers to revolve around her. Who does she think she is?” one Weibo user wrote.

Others blamed the woman for her “insufficient preparation” for the quarantine.

“I think she’s trying to stir up anti-government sentiment by posting this video,” another user wrote. “It’s entirely her fault for not keeping track of her menstruation cycle and not packing properly for the quarantine.”

The comments themselves have also now drawn criticism online from social media users insisting that Wu and other critics are not equipped to understand the situations women have been put in during the lockdown.

“I hope that in your next life, you get your period and suffer from cramps every day,” wrote one commenter, according to Taiwan News. “Remember, don’t be pretentious!”

From China with LOVE :*! (right)

Support our Journalism with a Contribution

Many people might not know this, but despite our large and loyal following which we are immensely grateful for, NextShark is still a small bootstrapped startup that runs on no outside funding or loans.

Everything you see today is built on the backs of warriors who have sacrificed opportunities to help give Asians all over the world a bigger voice.

However, we still face many trials and tribulations in our industry, from figuring out the most sustainable business model for independent media companies to facing the current COVID-19 pandemic decimating advertising revenues across the board.

We hope you consider making a contribution so we can continue to provide you with quality content that informs, educates and inspires the Asian community. Even a $1 contribution goes a long way.  Thank you for everyone's support. We love you all and can't appreciate you guys enough.

Support NextShark

Mastercard, Visa, Amex, Discover, Paypal