China artist rails against domestic violence recreates shocking scenes with rural women

An artist in China has collaborated with rural women to vividly recreate distressing scenes of domestic violence, aiming to console those who have suffered trauma, and advocate for their rights.

There is an old saying in the Chinese northwestern province of Shaanxi, “Beaten wife, like kneaded dough.”

This means that the more a man hits his wife, the more obedient she becomes, just like dough becoming smoother and more elastic with kneading.

It reflects an entrenched attitude towards domestic violence in some rural mainland areas.

Artist Qiu Shangxian, 22, from Zhejiang province in eastern China, told the Post she was shocked when she heard the saying.