She Once Thought She Could Escape the Professor's Hands 丨 Human World#
Still from "The Summer That Cannot Be Said"
Previously, when she heard her roommate Xiaowei laugh about being sexually harassed by the professor, Xiaoke thought it was just a teacher's affectionate behavior towards a good student, and comforted her by saying, "This should be a way for the teacher to express his appreciation for you." But a few days later, she was also sexually harassed by the professor.
Chen Jing became increasingly anxious.
She dreamed of going to class, encountering Professor Zhang Peng on the stairs, wanting to run away, but he grabbed her hand and maliciously asked: "Why did you report me? You've pushed me to the edge, and I won't let you live..."
Waking up in terror, Chen Jing was drenched in sweat.
As early as this year's "May Fourth" Youth Day, the five girls sent a letter of complaint to the disciplinary committee of Sun Yat-sen University, accusing Zhang Peng of continuously sexually harassing female students and teachers from 2011 to 2017, making him a notorious "beast" in the field.
Zhang Peng, a professor at the School of Sociology and Anthropology of Sun Yat-sen University (hereinafter referred to as "the School"), and the Graduate School of Life Sciences, is an interdisciplinary doctoral supervisor (in ecology and sociology), and a member of the Species Survival Commission of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). He was awarded the Young Chang Jiang Scholar in 2016. Searching for his name online, whether on the social networks of literary youth or on famous popular science websites, he often appears alongside "primate research."
1#
Chen Jing's nightmare began with a field survey of the population of the Yiling Ding macaques at the end of January 2016.
The field survey is a characteristic research activity organized by the School every year. Zhang Peng leads a team to different islands every winter vacation to "stake out" and "circle the island" to assess how many macaques are on the island. Chen Jing enjoyed observing the behavior patterns of monkeys and had been observing them in the field.
On the last day of the field survey, the students took turns experiencing different roles, and Chen Jing switched from observing to circling the island twice. During the first circle, she encountered Zhang Peng, who was observing at one section of the path.
Noticing Chen Jing circling alone, Zhang Peng said, "Let me walk with you for a while." At that time, Chen Jing felt that Professor Zhang was "really approachable"—she had attended Zhang Peng's series of anthropology lectures in her freshman year and found them "rich in content and lively in atmosphere," which sparked her strong interest in primate research and respect for the teaching Zhang Peng.
On the way, Chen Jing spoke little, while Zhang Peng alternately praised her appearance, saying, "You look really cute," and analyzed her personality, saying, "You have the gentle temperament of a southern girl and the forthrightness of a northern person." Gradually, Zhang Peng moved closer to Chen Jing, chatting more specifically, "Your hair is really nice," and began to play with her long hair, occasionally smelling it and saying, "It smells really good."
At first, Chen Jing felt embarrassed, but soon became increasingly uncomfortable. She vaguely felt that this was not how a professor should behave, but she didn't know what to do and could only quicken her pace to reach the next section where other students were.
During the second circle, when Chen Jing encountered Zhang Peng again, he approached her again and suggested, "Let's walk together," naturally placing his hand on her shoulder. Chen Jing felt uncomfortable but, out of respect for the teacher-student relationship, did not explicitly refuse. After walking through a muddy section, Zhang Peng suddenly pulled Chen Jing to compare their heights, saying, "You don't seem to be 1.6 meters," and after comparing heights, he said, "I want to see how much you weigh." Just as Chen Jing was unsure how to respond and had not yet refused in time, Zhang Peng suddenly picked her up and buried his head deep into her chest, taking a deep breath.
"At that moment, I was completely stunned, unable to believe it." Chen Jing said, recalling the action of him smelling her chest still makes her want to retch, filled with a strong sense of shame. Chen Jing struggled, and only then did Zhang Peng put her down. As soon as she was set down, Chen Jing quickly ran away, took out her phone, and nervously messaged her sister and her sister's boyfriend in a group chat: "I feel like Professor Zhang is a 'beast.'"
Chen Jing's sister's boyfriend, Chen Hanyuan, a 2013 graduate of the History Department of Sun Yat-sen University, corroborated Chen Jing's account. He admitted that when he saw Chen Jing's message at the time, he didn't take it seriously, "thinking Zhang Peng just told her a dirty joke." It wasn't until Chen Jing returned to her place and detailed the specific incidents that Chen Hanyuan realized it was sexual harassment. At that time, Chen Hanyuan could only guess from a male perspective, asking, "Does Zhang Peng really like you?"
Chen Hanyuan suggested that Chen Jing learn more about Zhang Peng's character. He had heard of Zhang Peng's many impressive titles, presiding over several national-level research projects such as the National Natural Science Foundation and Sino-Japanese international exchanges, and had also heard of a widely circulated story about Zhang Peng: it was said that during his research, he named the most beautiful female monkey in a troop after his girlfriend to alleviate his longing for her while spending months in the mountains. Later, others followed suit and began to refer to the monkey by that name, leading to notes in observation records like: xxx (Zhang Peng's girlfriend's name) flirted with a male monkey today and mated with another male monkey tomorrow. Zhang Peng also took pleasure in this.
Chen Hanyuan was worried that Chen Jing might be affected in her academic pursuits due to Zhang Peng's occasional "low-level mistake," and tried to persuade her. However, during several subsequent gatherings, Chen Jing would talk about her experience of being sexually harassed by Zhang Peng, becoming increasingly repressed and emotionally low, and continued to have nightmares.
Chen Jing could not understand or accept Zhang Peng's actions, nor could she make others understand her feelings, "I felt like I was turning on an isolated island," and could only choose to temporarily forget. After that, whenever she encountered Zhang Peng, she would avoid him as much as possible, even the once favorite "Primate Evolution" became a torment.
Later, Chen Jing gradually heard about Zhang Peng sexually harassing other girls.
2#
In fact, Zhang Peng's more frequent sexual harassment of female students concentrated in 2015.
That summer, Zhang Peng led a team to Hainan's Nanwan Monkey Island for a month-long field internship. At that time, sophomore Xiaowei and Xiaoke both suffered sexual harassment from Zhang Peng during this field internship.
During a phone call, Xiaowei spoke cheerfully; when it came to Zhang Peng, her tone became slow and firm: "Zhang Peng really harmed a group of girls. He has no right to be a professor at Sun Yat-sen University."
Xiaowei slowly recounted her experience of being sexually harassed by Zhang Peng:
One day after a group meeting, around 11 PM, Zhang Peng called her to "come to the office to revise the paper." Xiaowei thought it was reasonable to discuss the paper at night since they had been observing the monkey troop during the day; moreover, Zhang Peng had just returned from Japan and seemed very strict about research, so she went without worry.
Xiaowei initially sat opposite Zhang Peng, but he gestured for her to sit next to him, pointing at the computer screen. At first, Xiaowei maintained a polite distance of half a meter, but Zhang Peng asked her to sit closer, saying, "Come over so you can see clearly."
Out of respect for Zhang Peng's position, Xiaowei didn't think much of it. Halfway through discussing the paper, Zhang Peng pointed out issues with her paper while his right hand lingered on her shoulder and did not move away for a long time, making Xiaowei feel embarrassed.
"He first pointed out the mistakes in the paper, then patted my shoulder, and after that, he just left his hand there." Xiaowei's thoughts were complicated at the time; she was thinking about the paper while feeling inexplicably scared, "I kept comforting myself that it's common for elders to pat younger ones on the shoulder, and I was just overthinking."
However, Zhang Peng's words became ambiguous, "You look really beautiful," and he began to pat Xiaowei's hand. "At that moment, I was really scared, nervous, and embarrassed, but he acted very naturally." Xiaowei said, looking back, she realized Zhang Peng's terror, "He pointed out various problems with your paper to make you scared while seemingly comforting you, patting your shoulder, making it hard to understand the true meaning of his actions; he controlled your emotions, keeping your attention on the paper issues, making it hard to discern the nature of his behavior."
In Xiaowei's previous understanding, Professor Zhang Peng had spent many years in the field, was young and accomplished, and was humorous—"The person in front of me is completely different from the respected professor who jokes in class! How could this happen? Isn't he a scholar who just returned from Japan?"
In her restlessness, Xiaowei struggled through an hour of discussing the paper. When she returned to her dorm, she mentioned Zhang Peng's actions to several roommates.
Roommate Xiaoke asked her, "Did you think too much?"
Xiaoke later explained to me that she asked this not to doubt Xiaowei—she had been fortunate to encounter various good teachers from elementary school to high school, so she always thought teachers were lofty figures who would care for students, with upright and grand images. Therefore, when Xiaowei said Zhang Peng "was a bit off" and touched her, Xiaoke thought it was just a teacher's affectionate behavior towards a good student and comforted her by saying, "This should be a way for the teacher to express his appreciation for you."
Another roommate of Xiaowei told me that she was very surprised when she heard Xiaowei say Zhang Peng made ambiguous comments and touched her, "Although I hadn't heard Zhang Peng's class, many people said he taught well. I didn't expect him to be such a teacher." After returning from the field, Xiaowei also repeatedly expressed her dislike for Zhang Peng, saying, "She didn't want to write this field report, didn't like Zhang Peng, and didn't want to see him."
Both Xiaowei and Xiaoke frankly told me that they had not realized at the time, or had realized but were unwilling to believe that a respected professor would sexually harass them, "If it were a stranger, if he casually put his hand on your shoulder, touched your back, patted your hand, smelled your hair, and said 'you're beautiful,' I would definitely know that's sexual harassment. But this person is a teacher, a professor I originally respected; he is so imposing, how can I discern his behavior?"
The girls ultimately concluded that the solution was: no longer being alone with Zhang Peng, and when going to Zhang Peng to revise papers, their roommates would wait at the door.
3#
However, Xiaoke soon got "slapped in the face by reality": Zhang Peng also sexually harassed her.
A few days later, after a group meeting, Xiaoke asked her two roommates to wait outside while she took her report into Zhang Peng's office. After asking her questions, Xiaoke wanted to leave, but Zhang Peng started talking to her about matters unrelated to the field internship and paper, sitting closely beside her, smiling and flattering her while grabbing her wrist, saying, "Your hands are so delicate." When Xiaoke pulled her hand away, Zhang Peng then touched Xiaoke's hair, saying, "Your hair quality is really good," and began to play with a strand of her hair.
Xiaoke felt extremely awkward and anxious but was at a loss for what to do. Suddenly, Zhang Peng stood up, walked to the door, and peeked outside—only later did Xiaoke realize he was checking to see if anyone was outside.
At that time, Xiaoke reassured herself that her roommates were outside, so there was no need to be afraid. However, she saw Zhang Peng close the door, citing "there are many bugs outside." At the moment the door closed, Xiaoke was stunned. Later she learned that since Zhang Peng had taken too long, her roommates had already returned to the dormitory.
After closing the door, Zhang Peng's words became increasingly explicit: "I see you working so hard, it reminds me of my childhood when I worked hard too. You’re like a little sister to me... let me hug you..." Before Xiaoke could refuse, Zhang Peng hugged her, "My mind went blank, and as soon as he let go, I quickly ran away."
The scene of Xiaoke, blushing and running out of Zhang Peng's office, was just seen by Xiaowei passing by. The two girls found it hard to understand why Zhang Peng, as a married professor, behaved so disgracefully. They also didn't understand why Zhang Peng could appear in front of female students without any sense of shame afterward.
"He seemed so justified and natural, making you doubt whether you were too sensitive?" Xiaoke speculated that perhaps female students were just objects of Zhang Peng's whimsy?—but she later realized she was slow to realize that Zhang Peng's harassing behavior had long been evident. In the spring of 2015, Xiaoke had followed Zhang Peng to Shangchuan Island for a small field study. During an evening break, the students discussed watching the sunrise the next day, and Xiaoke was checking the weather. At that moment, Zhang Peng walked behind her and pressed his palm against her lower back, not letting go for a long time. At that time, Xiaoke suppressed her discomfort and regarded this action as a form of affection from an elder to a younger person, "I didn't expect he was testing the waters step by step."
Even after seeing Zhang Peng's "beast" nature, the girls didn't know what to do: there was only their research group on the island, and only Zhang Peng as a professor; they didn't know who to report to. Moreover, the field report required Zhang Peng's grading, and they still had Zhang Peng's class, and even chose Zhang Peng as their thesis advisor.
What they could do was to avoid direct contact with Zhang Peng.
"Those days were shrouded in a huge shadow; the world seemed to be filled with darkness." On the other end of the phone, Xiaoke, who had been excitedly accusing Zhang Peng of his misdeeds, suddenly lowered her voice, "You know, reporter Huang, at that time, I felt like I was in hell."
4#
In fact, the girls had also made their best efforts to resist.
Due to the project and paper, Xiaoke still needed to contact Zhang Peng frequently; she once thought she had grasped Zhang Peng's "routine," "feeling like I could protect myself."
Every time she had to report to Zhang Peng in person, Xiaoke would be on high alert: "He put his hand on my thigh, and I directly moved my leg away; he scanned me with his eyes from top to bottom, that kind of gaze made me very uncomfortable, but I couldn't control his gaze; he asked if I bought new clothes, if I permed my hair, if I became prettier? I would say 'no' and immediately shift the topic back to the paper or project."
Being tough in resisting the teacher, Xiaoke felt the outcome was not as bad as she imagined—at that time, she didn't know that even more girls had suffered from Zhang Peng's more audacious sexual harassment.
Zhang Peng did not relent.
Xiaoke clearly remembers one night in April 2017, around 8 PM, Zhang Peng walked to her study table and invited her directly, "Let's talk about the paper again." Xiaoke found it hard to refuse him face-to-face and couldn't take out her phone to message her roommates in advance, so she could only follow him to the office.
Staying in the office until nearly 10 PM, Zhang Peng sat next to Xiaoke, and she became worried, quickly messaging her roommates: "Wait for me."
Zhang Peng saw Xiaoke's action of sending a message and immediately became furious: "The teacher is specifically tutoring you, and you are playing with your phone?!" Then, Zhang Peng began to verbally attack her with insulting language: "Uncultured, selfish," "The teacher hasn't eaten because of your paper, what have you done for the teacher? I provided all the resources of the lab for you, what have you done for the lab?"
Xiaoke was terrified by Zhang Peng's sudden change and could only apologize, but Zhang Peng did not stop scolding: "The teacher has given you so much; do you think of the teacher as a tool? Do you want to graduate quickly and leave, turning your back on me, doing nothing for me?"
Xiaoke found it hard to believe that a professor, a role model, could say such things. Later, when she communicated with other girls, she learned that Zhang Peng would seize on various "mistakes" made by different girls, replicating the same pattern of scolding after failed sexual harassment or rejection, trying to control the girls' thoughts.
"He scolded many girls for being selfish, but this lab itself is an investment in teaching by the anthropology department for students, and we should all have the right to use it properly. However, every time we were in the lab, Zhang Peng made us feel that (being able to use the lab) was all due to his kindness and generosity; this moral burden was too heavy."
Later, the girls who had been sexually harassed by Zhang Peng gathered together and found that he usually chose female students with gentle personalities, ordinary family backgrounds, and no support as targets for harassment. His sexual harassment behavior repeated across multiple individuals, showing a certain patterned characteristic:
He did not openly threaten but rather planned and utilized situations (such as revising papers, doing field projects) to gradually close the distance; he would also manipulate the victims' psychology, finding different reasons and excuses to harshly reprimand them, first attacking and destroying the girls' self-esteem, making them tremble; then softly comforting them, expressing appreciation and affection, using the guise of "care from a mentor" to take the opportunity to pat their backs, pinch their hands, hug, or even kiss, making the frightened girls unable to discern the true purpose of his actions.
Xiaoke and Xiaowei felt fortunate—they graduated in time and did not encounter more serious harassment from Zhang Peng.
5#
By a chance encounter while borrowing books, Chen Jing met senior Xiaoke. After getting familiar, Xiaoke warned her, "Be careful of Zhang Peng." The two chatted in detail and discovered that Zhang Peng's sexual harassment targets involved girls from various grades.
This conclusion shocked them even more, and they simultaneously developed the idea of reporting Zhang Peng, especially after hearing news later: Zhang Peng had sexually harassed a freshman girl from the 2017 cohort, and the situation was serious, approaching sexual assault. The girl informed her parents, and her father came to Sun Yat-sen University to seek justice. Due to video evidence, Zhang Peng could not deny it and was punished within the party.
Two anthropology students from the 2017 cohort at Sun Yat-sen University confirmed this news to me, admitting that "it was circulating in the class." One student revealed that the incident occurred on the night of April 3, 2018, around 10:30 PM, when Zhang Peng was alone in the lab with the victim girl, turned off the lights, and severely sexually harassed her. The next day, the victim's father angrily came to the school, and they happened to be in the same building at that time, seeing two security guards going to the lab to collect evidence and retrieving video footage from the lab corridor. A student who was in the lab at the time anonymously confirmed to me that security did indeed come to retrieve the video.
Informed students revealed that in the video footage, Zhang Peng first came out of his office, knocked on the doors of other offices, then turned off the lights, returned to his office, and nearly half an hour later, Zhang Peng walked out of his office, adjusted his pants in the hallway, and tucked the exposed corners of his clothing back into his pants. Shortly after, the girl came out, and the two left together.
What specifically happened in the office, the student was not clear about, but knew that the next day, the girl's father came to the school and went to the disciplinary committee office.
Zhang Peng was finally punished, which gave the students a glimmer of hope; however, a "party punishment" did not quell the students' anger.
"The news of Zhang Peng sexually harassing students has not stopped, but he has continued to sexually harass students, and the situation is getting worse." Chen Jing said she felt, "It shouldn't take irreversible sexual assault to report; that would be too late."
Xiaoke was also furious about the school's conservative handling: "Zhang Peng's behavior is getting bolder, more serious year by year. Does it really take actual harm like sexual assault, with video evidence, to punish him?"
Chen Hanyuan, upon learning the situation, could not sit still: "This is not a one-time impulse; he repeatedly sexually harasses students, he is a habitual offender. How can Sun Yat-sen University tolerate such a professor?"
The female students who had been sexually harassed by Zhang Peng consciously formed a reporting alliance, and Xiaowei informed her classmates in the class group: "If you choose Zhang Peng's class and 'field study,' you must be extra careful to protect yourself."
This prompted more parties involved to respond. The reporters collected four signed complaint letters and one anonymous complaint letter, and to their surprise, one of the complaint letters was written by a female teacher.
6#
The female teacher's complaint pushed Zhang Peng's initial sexual harassment behavior back to 2011, and Zhang Peng's harassment of this female teacher was more direct and severe.
Because this female teacher had already reported to the disciplinary committee under her real name and signed an agreement not to disclose other information, I can only quote the complaint letter materials I had already obtained.
In the complaint letter, the female teacher stated that in 2011, when she had just joined the Foreign Languages College at Sun Yat-sen University, while commuting between the South Campus and East Campus (University Town) on the school bus, Zhang Peng approached her, "He sat next to me, and after a few words, he started touching me, first on the shoulder, then on the thigh and inner thigh. At that time, I was very scared; there were teachers and students on the bus, and I didn't dare to shout. I could only dodge, like turning my back to him or shaking off his hand."
That evening, when she took the school bus back to the South Campus, she encountered Zhang Peng again. He took the opportunity to sit next to her, "He kept trying to talk to me, telling me about his troubles at home, how his wife didn't understand him, etc. Seeing that I wasn't engaging much, he started to get handsy, pulling my head towards his shoulder and trying to kiss my ear, continuing to touch my chest and inner thigh. I told him, 'Professor Zhang, what you are doing is inappropriate.' He said, 'I just really like you!' At that time, the school bus was near the school gate, and I quickly shook him off and got off!"
After that, Zhang Peng followed her and escalated his harassment, "He followed me to and from class, found opportunities to get close... his actions became more excessive, blowing air into my ear, touching my chest, repeatedly verbally requesting to engage in a sexual relationship. I had no choice but to try to arrange for students to accompany me on the bus every class. At that time, I got to know a female student who lived on the South Campus and also needed to take the bus back and forth. After class, noticing Zhang Peng was following me again, to avoid attracting his attention, I quietly told the student in a foreign language about this, hoping she would protect me. After that, this female student accompanied me every time, always sitting next to me. She also witnessed some of Zhang Peng's sexual harassment behavior."
Through various inquiries, I only learned that this accompanying female student was a student from the Tourism Management College at that time but later went to study in France and did not leave effective contact information. I have not been able to reach her for verification.
Zhang Peng's sexual harassment later became increasingly explicit and malicious. Another informed student revealed that before the female teacher wrote the complaint letter, she had told her: In early 2012, Zhang Peng sent her two or three text messages or called her every day, with ambiguous language, directly asking to go to a hotel or to date in the office.
In the spring of 2012, the female teacher was transferred to the Zhuhai campus to teach. Zhang Peng somehow found out her address at the teacher's apartment on the Zhuhai campus and came to her door, knocking continuously, "He knocked for almost an hour. The teacher's apartment had few residents, and there were not many people around. I was so scared I couldn't move. He kept sending me text messages with very explicit wording. I could only keep deleting them and blocked him. Because of him, I changed my number three times."
This harassment lasted for several years. The female teacher had already married and had children, but until 2017, Zhang Peng still tried to add her on WeChat, persistently bothering her.
7#
The experiences of the 2017 female students and the female teacher served as a wake-up call for the students: if they continued to remain silent, they could only become lambs to the slaughter. On May 4, 2018, during Youth Day, the girls sent five complaint letters under their real names to the disciplinary committee of Sun Yat-sen University.
The girls' complaints spread within the college, and supportive students independently formed the "Anti-Sexual Harassment Group of the School of Anthropology at Sun Yat-sen University" (hereinafter referred to as the Group), drafting a letter of suggestion and semi-publicly soliciting signatures. They quickly sent the "Letter of Suggestion from Anthropology Students Regarding the Public Opinion Incident in Our Department and Accelerating the Establishment of an Anti-Sexual Harassment Mechanism" to the email addresses of the dean, vice-dean, and department head.
The students pointed out that they had reviewed the "Student Handbook of Sun Yat-sen University," the "Interim Measures for Handling Student Complaints at Sun Yat-sen University," and the appendices including "Several Regulations on Campus Order Management in Higher Education Institutions" and "Measures for Handling Student Injury Accidents," but found no information on where to report sexual harassment issues, which institution/department was responsible for handling them, or how they would be handled. "There are many documents, but none have practical operational significance."
They also reviewed the "Implementation Measures for Establishing and Improving the Long-term Mechanism for Teacher Ethics Construction at Sun Yat-sen University," which indeed indicated that the disciplinary inspection and supervision department was responsible for receiving reports related to teacher ethics: "However, we found that the email responsible person was unknown; the phone numbers we found were mostly for the party and government office, which is also the contact route for the School of Sociology and Anthropology, and one can imagine how busy they are. In the absence of a dedicated person responsible and with complicated affairs, we have reason to question whether complaints made through this phone will be taken seriously and handled."
The Group suggested that an effective campus anti-sexual harassment mechanism be established as soon as possible, conducting education for teachers and students on sexual harassment, and pre-field training; establishing public channels at the departmental level to accept complaints and reports about sexual harassment, and appointing dedicated personnel to handle related matters.
Some Sun Yat-sen University students submitted a proposal titled "Suggestions on the Norms for Teacher Ethics and Conduct at Sun Yat-sen University" during the "Top Ten Proposals Activity for School Development Planning," which detailed an analysis of the "Implementation Measures for Establishing and Improving the Long-term Mechanism for Teacher Ethics Construction at Sun Yat-sen University" and the "Implementation Measures for Teacher Assessment at Sun Yat-sen University (Trial)," pointing out that "Sun Yat-sen University has already established systems for teacher ethics construction and assessment at the institutional level, but the overlaps, distinctions, and even contradictions between existing different systems, as well as the complexity of procedures in different channels, have deterred victims and rendered existing good systems ineffective."
However, after the proposal was submitted, some school leaders repeatedly spoke with the students who submitted the proposal, stating that the proposal was well done but "this topic is too sensitive to discuss publicly," and even refused to allow students to publicly defend the proposal. The specific name of the proposal could not appear on the certificate for the excellent proposal award.
I contacted the relevant departments of Sun Yat-sen University for a response regarding the Zhang Peng sexual harassment incident and the students' suggestions and proposals for an anti-sexual harassment mechanism. The other party stated, "We cannot accept interviews; all interviews go through the publicity department of Sun Yat-sen University." On the mornings and afternoons of July 5 and 6, I called the publicity department of Sun Yat-sen University four times, but no one answered.
8#
Chen Hanyuan told me that the final trigger for him to stand up with his real name was seeing Chen Jing's anxiety and her disappointment in academia.
"She used to be very interested in primates, talking about their attributes, observing their social lives, naming them one by one, and she was so animated when she spoke. She went to the island for fieldwork, lived poorly, ate poorly, was bitten by mosquitoes, and had bumps all over her body, but she never complained, always enthusiastic. Now, because of Zhang Peng, she has given up her original research interests. Her love for academia was suddenly shattered. Zhang Peng's sexual harassment of girls has cut off a girl's academic path and harmed her right to receive an equal education." Chen Hanyuan lamented, "She is so smart and hardworking; if she had encountered a good mentor, she would definitely continue doing research."
Chen Jing admitted that later Zhang Peng invited her to participate in a research project in Sumatra, Indonesia, during the summer, but she gave up the opportunity because she didn't want to have any more contact with Zhang Peng.
Xiaoke originally wanted to try doing research in the same direction, but after the project ended, she completely lost interest in primates. She found herself having a strong psychological aversion to Zhang Peng, "In the field of primate research in China, Zhang Peng has a certain authority; if professors behave like this, what’s the point?" For various reasons, she gave up this research direction and even the opportunity to pursue a master's degree at Sun Yat-sen University.
Xiaowei also told me that although Zhang Peng's sexual harassment was not the only reason for her to give up primate research, it was one of the main reasons. The girl from the 2017 cohort, after being sexually assaulted by Zhang Peng, also chose to give up.
"You ask, he has harmed so many female students, why can he still stay at Sun Yat-sen University?" Chen Jing could not let go for a long time, "Why does the school think 'the teacher's pinching, hugging, and kissing of students is a trivial matter'?"
It has been two months since the report. The disciplinary committee of Sun Yat-sen University has talked to the girls one by one, but the punishment for Zhang Peng remains unknown.
The girls said that during the disciplinary investigation, Zhang Peng was also questioned, and he denied everything.
I called Zhang Peng to interview him, asking if the contents of the girls' complaint letters were true. Zhang Peng replied, "You have no work unit; I don't know you," and hung up the phone, refusing to respond further.
Zhang Peng continued to come and go in the lab as usual, as if nothing had happened. Zhang Peng's wife also entered the lab, asking the students to write a statement saying "Professor Zhang has no inappropriate behavior," but was met with refusal from the lab students.
Chen Jing and other parties still at the school were worried that the incident would be suppressed again; they feared that if the school continued to condone it, Zhang Peng would inevitably become even more unrestrained and harm more people.
What saddened them even more was that in a course group, there was still a teacher who posted a message titled "Do you still dare to report the in-service graduate program of Sun Yat-sen University's anthropology?" and publicly expressed opinions like "Don't get too caught up," "Some societies can tolerate colored jokes, which can relieve work pressure," etc.
The courage and confidence that the reporters had painstakingly accumulated were gradually fading away.
"Does it really require a life to be sacrificed, like the girl from Qingyang, for his behavior to seem heinous? What should we do?"
Chen Jing became anxious again; in her nightmare that day, Zhang Peng was holding a knife, preparing to kill her.
(Names Chen Jing, Xiaowei, and Xiaoke are pseudonyms at the request of the interviewees.)
Editor: Xu Zhibo
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