Shining a light on harassment

During the six-month preparation and production of the short film, Han recalls that they drew more fellow creators to join their brainstorming discussion in the cafe, and she was a bit surprised to find that some male members hadn't realized that even seemingly trivial things to them would make women uncomfortable.

"So, they have started to realize how they should improve their behavior while interacting with female colleagues. For us, that's inspirational and exemplifies the meaning of this movie," says Han.

During the movie's preview screening, held at a Beijing cinema last month, Chang Mengran, an internet influencer better known by her web name of "Alex, Absolutely the Girl", says that the movie reminded her of a terrible moment in her youth, when she experienced sexual harassment during a bus trip. She felt even more frustrated when she later confided in a close friend, but did not receive the comfort she deserved.

Liu Xiaochen, also an internet influencer, known by her online name "Shining Girl Sisi", shares her memory of being sneakily followed by a labor worker as a teen, when she was returning home at dusk to her residential building near a construction site. The man followed her up the stairs and even made some inappropriately explicit comments, but at that time, she felt a sense of shame and disgust, so she didn't dare tell her mother.

When Liu was in her mid-20s, she heard a story about her female friend accompanying an actress returning to her hotel after a day's filming. In the elevator, they encountered strangers who leered at the actress and made provocative remarks. However, her friend quickly shouted at them to stop.

"When I heard this story, I was stunned. It was the first time I realized that there was a girl of my age who could handle such a situation in this way. I wish more people would bravely stand up to support those who have experienced sexual harassment," she says.

Contact the writer at xufan@chinadaily.com.cn