The photo shows Xiao Meili walking with Deng Zi, a friend who came from the northeast to accompany her on the hike, heading toward today’s destination “Guanggu Avenue.”
People’s Daily Online, Wuhan, Dec. 11 — A 24-year-old girl from Sichuan, Xiao Meili, hiked for 77 days and traveled over 1,000 km, arriving today in Wuhan’s Guanggu. According to Meili, the main goal of her journey is to promote gender equality and raise awareness against sexual assault targeting women and girls along the way.
The 24-year-old Xiao Meili was born in Meishan, Sichuan. She graduated in 2012 from the Art and Design Department of the Communication University of China and currently makes a living by running a Taobao shop, teaching painting, and engaging in public welfare work. As an activist concerned with women's rights, she has also participated in many public welfare activities focused on women’s issues — such as wearing a blood-stained wedding dress to oppose violence in intimate relationships, occupying men’s restrooms to advocate for more women’s toilet stalls, and more.
On Sept. 15 this year, Xiao Meili set out from Beijing, passing through more than 20 counties and cities, covering over 1,000 km, and hosting over ten themed salons on “Opposing Sexual Assault, Girls Deserve Freedom.” She also applied to local county and city governments along the route to disclose what anti-sexual-assault measures they had taken, and submitted proposal letters on “preventing sexual assault.”
Speaking about the original motivation for this activity, Xiao Meili said that since ancient times society has been full of restrictions and violence against women — calling keeping women indoors “peace.” Even now, whenever a sexual assault case occurs, some people blame the woman for not behaving modestly. “I’ve had enough of such remarks.”
Regarding this 2,000-km-long hike, Meili admitted she also has concerns: there are few long-term hikes led primarily by women, and a big worry is the fear of sexual assault. But this slim girl is quite stubborn — “I really want to complete this hiking trip as a woman, challenging the bias that hiking is unsuitable for women.”
From Beijing to Wuhan, Meili has hiked for 77 days, more than halfway through her journey, and the blisters on her feet have turned into calluses. But Meili herself remains optimistic: “At first I couldn’t even put my feet on the ground, but later I figured out quite a few preventive methods.” Since she studied design in university, Xiao Meili carries a set of drawing tools and a sketchbook, using drawings and words to record moments of the journey, including her own summarized “hiking tips.”
Along the way, Meili has made many supportive friends, including Deng Zi from the northeast who is accompanying her on the hike. “There have been quite a few cases of sexual assault against girls across the country this year. People may only focus on the surface phenomena, but there might be little help for these children in terms of their future lives and emotional well-being. I think we should call on everyone to care more about them — it’s necessary and meaningful.”
It is reported that Xiao Meili will stay in Wuhan until the 20th, during which she will hold some feminist hiking exchange meetings, after which she will continue southward to her destination, Guangzhou.