Wind OPINION｜Dalian University of Technology, you should protect the victimized girl, not expel her

Recently, after a female student from Dalian University of Technology had a relationship with a foreign man, intimate photos were posted on social media by the foreigner. Recently, the school chose to expel the female student and made her name public.

Many media outlets, while forwarding the notice, did not conceal the female student’s name. As far as I can see, only The Paper protected the privacy of the person involved. Those news editors, unconsciously joining the ranks of the traffic frenzy, lost their basic integrity. This happened in 2025, which is truly a regrettable thing.

Imagine, if the female student had a relationship with a Chinese male, and the photos were made public in this way, I believe the male would have been detained by the public security department and would also be despised by the public—I believe the police officers still possess this legal awareness.

However, because the man involved was a foreigner, the result was very different. On the internet, this matter was interpreted by many as “foreigners think Chinese girls are easy to get,” and many Chinese male netizens expressed their indignation. However, the object of their indignation was not the foreigner, but the victim.

Just open the reports of various media on this news, whether it’s video reports or text reports, and even some self-media writers. In the comment sections, there are a large number of similar remarks: they all expressed support for the school’s punishment, believing that the female student “flattered” foreign men, worshipped foreign things, and deserved it, etc., and even believed that it not only insulted the national dignity but also “lost face abroad.”

In this way, the notice from Dalian University of Technology seems understandable—they cited Article 99 of Chapter 3 of the “Regulations on Disciplinary Actions for Students of Dalian University of Technology,” which states, “Improper association with foreigners, which damages national dignity and school reputation, shall be given a demerit or above.”

It seems that the school believes that this victimized female student “damaged national dignity and school reputation.” This is consistent with the opinions of some netizens. The female student had a relationship with a foreigner, and these men expressed their dissatisfaction. They felt they had suffered a loss, or their dignity had been offended.

There seems to be an “equation” here: a foreigner and a Chinese woman have a relationship, and insult her online, which is equivalent to “insulting Chinese people.” However, they did not blame the foreigner, but instead subjected the female student to cyberbullying, which is a typical “victim-blaming”—it’s all your fault for not being good enough.

In their subconscious, these male netizens believe that women “belong to them,” and their “infidelity” is an offense to themselves. And when the object of their “infidelity” is a foreigner, the so-called “national hatred and family feud” surges to their hearts.

In the past few years, there has been a large amount of similar content on the Chinese internet, falsely fabricating that “Chinese women” have relationships with black men. Many videos are fabricated or a picture is accompanied by provocative text. However, these rumors lack “real information,” such as the relevant time and place.

There are also some rumors targeting universities, such as the so-called rumors of “female college students accompanying foreign students.” China’s student exchange system still has shortcomings, and there is a tendency to relax the qualifications of foreign students, and sometimes there are some “care” (for example, the conditions of international student apartments are usually better than those of Chinese student dormitories).

But in any case, the idea that Chinese female students easily have relationships with foreign male students is definitely a typical “soul-calling” of this era, a kind of network legend mixed with national consciousness.

This is a very noteworthy phenomenon of online public opinion, which often mixes with other social hotspots, such as high betrothal gifts (difficulties for Chinese men to get married), high tuition fees (foreign students have subsidies), etc. While spreading xenophobic sentiments, it also points to the “discipline” of women. Those legends actually reflect the loss of some men in society.

In this incident, these men felt a “double blow”: the female student’s relationship with the foreigner was not only a “fact,” but also made public by the foreigner in a provocative way. For a time, even many news editors with modern legal awareness, who usually pay great attention to protecting personal privacy, were also carried away.

This is the “social atmosphere” of Dalian University of Technology expelling the female student. This is not only a moral judgment, but also a moral insult. They not only believe that the female student is “disreputable,” but also believe that she has damaged the face of the school and even the “nation.”

We can think about it, if the statement issued by Dalian University of Technology was not to expel the female student, but a content like this: We have noticed the recent rumors about the female student of our school, and we call on netizens to abide by the law and protect the privacy and rights of the person involved—would such a university be more respected?