A transgender woman in China who beat up a man for insulting her at a restaurant has subsequently issued a video online in which she denounces violence.
Jiang Yan, who was born in Hunan province in southern China, reportedly underwent gender reassignment surgery in November last year.
She is an online beauty influencer who shares fashion outfits with 44,000 followers.
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A recent video which is circulating on mainland social media shows Jiang pinning a man to the ground, slapping him repeatedly, and hitting his head with a high-heeled shoe at a Haidilao hotpot restaurant in Hunan.
Jiang said the man had claimed to be a lawyer from Hong Kong. He insulted her, calling people from Hunan “poor and ugly”, and threw food and rubbish at her.
Jiang accused the man of striking her temple multiple times with his phone, prompting her to fight back, adding that she has a background in sports and martial arts training.
She added that the man’s comments were “inciting regional discrimination”, and she felt obliged to defend her hometown’s honour.
“I have become a woman, but if my hometown needs me, I will still stand up and fight for it without hesitation,” she wrote online.
After police intervened, the man apologised, blaming his actions on being drunk and denying any intent to stir up regional discrimination.
Police said the man was not from Hong Kong but was a Hunan-based office worker whose name has not been released.
Some netizens likened Jiang’s actions to Wu Song, a legendary hero in Chinese folklore who killed a tiger with his bare hands to protect others.
One online observer nicknamed Jiang “the real-life female Wu Song”, praising her for “bravely standing up for her hometown’s reputation”.
However, critics argued her response was inappropriate.
“Responding to violence with violence can only bring more injustice and suffering. The right thing to do would have been to gather evidence, call the police, and stay away from the drunk man,” said one online commenter.
On October 18, Jiang went online and said: “We’ve both apologised to each other. I hope people stop calling me the ‘Wu Song’ and stop focusing on this incident.”
She said that she had reflected on her behaviour and condemned violence in any form.
Jiang and the man reportedly plan to issue a public apology to the hotpot restaurant chain and compensate Haidilao for any damage caused.
In China, causing a public disturbance or intentionally harming others can lead to up to five years in prison and fines.
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