When spoken aloud the words for "rice bunny" are pronounced "mi tu," a homophone that cleverly evades detection.
This homonymic feature has long been a tool for creative political dissent within Mainland China. In recent years, for example, the feminist movement in China has faced a crackdown from the state, resulting in activists being arrested and feminist discussion being censored online. When the hashtag #metoo was blocked on the Chinese micro-blogging platform Weibo in 2018, users soon found phonetic ways to circumvent online censorship. Me too pronounced in Chinese becomes "mi tu" (米 兔 ) or "rice bunny," and so the emoji hashtag was born.
#MeToo movement, Beijing (AFP / Noel Celis) 2018
In January 2018, Luo Xixi, a graduate of Peking University, publicly accused her former professor Shen Yang of sexual harassment (an incident that occurred in 2004), sparking widespread public outcry. She used the hashtag #MeToo on Weibo, marking the beginning of the movement in China. Soon after, similar allegations emerged from other universities, including Peking University, Nanjing University, and the Communication University of China.
To circumvent online censorship, netizens began using homophones and symbolic language such as "MeToo" (米兔), "rice plus bunny", and "Rice Bunny" (🍚🐰) to communicate the movement's message.
On December 2, 2020, before the hearing of the sexual harassment case between Xian Zi and Zhu Jun,
supporters held up the rice rabbit logo outside the court to show their support.
Several incidents were exposed during this period—such as the case involving a professor at the Civil Aviation University and issues at Central China Normal University—which prompted discussions within universities about establishing anti-sexual harassment policies.
Cases beyond the university context began gaining attention: A well-known TV host, Zhu Jun, was accused of sexual harassment by a female intern named Xianzi.
Huang Xueqin, the promoter of the Chinese MeToo movement, was detained. Postcards written by supporters.
Sexual harassment allegations also emerged in the NGO sector, such as the case involving an employee named Li.
Women increasingly began to speak out and file real-name reports on social media, despite facing legal risks and online abuse.
About
This experimental translator was created by Master’s students in Information Design at DAE. Its purpose is solely to illustrate different ways one might support the movement online. The perspective offered by the website is partial and not comprehensive.
This experimental translator was created by Master’s students in Information Design at DAE. Its purpose is solely to illustrate different ways one might support the movement online. The perspective offered by the website is partial and not comprehensive.
History
When spoken aloud the words for "rice bunny" are pronounced "mi tu," a homophone that cleverly evades detection.
This homonymic feature has long been a tool for creative political dissent within Mainland China. In recent years, for example, the feminist movement in China has faced a crackdown from the state, resulting in activists being arrested and feminist discussion being censored online. When the hashtag #metoo was blocked on the Chinese micro-blogging platform Weibo in 2018, users soon found phonetic ways to circumvent online censorship. Me too pronounced in Chinese becomes "mi tu" (米 兔 ) or "rice bunny," and so the emoji hashtag was born.
#MeToo movement, Beijing (AFP / Noel Celis) 2018
In January 2018, Luo Xixi, a graduate of Peking University, publicly accused her former professor Shen Yang of sexual harassment (an incident that occurred in 2004), sparking widespread public outcry. She used the hashtag #MeToo on Weibo, marking the beginning of the movement in China. Soon after, similar allegations emerged from other universities, including Peking University, Nanjing University, and the Communication University of China.
To circumvent online censorship, netizens began using homophones and symbolic language such as "MeToo" (米兔), "rice plus bunny", and "Rice Bunny" (🍚🐰) to communicate the movement's message.
On December 2, 2020, before the hearing of the sexual harassment case between Xian Zi and Zhu Jun,
supporters held up the rice rabbit logo outside the court to show their support.
Several incidents were exposed during this period—such as the case involving a professor at the Civil Aviation University and issues at Central China Normal University—which prompted discussions within universities about establishing anti-sexual harassment policies.
Cases beyond the university context began gaining attention: A well-known TV host, Zhu Jun, was accused of sexual harassment by a female intern named Xianzi.
Huang Xueqin, the promoter of the Chinese MeToo movement, was detained. Postcards written by supporters.
Sexual harassment allegations also emerged in the NGO sector, such as the case involving an employee named Li.
Women increasingly began to speak out and file real-name reports on social media, despite facing legal risks and online abuse.
WHEN WORDS ARE NO LONGER SAFE, WHAT CAN WE SAY FOR 🍚🐰?
This translation tool helps you take part in protests and share your message effectively, using insights from the relationship between emojis and words in 104 survey responses collected between 22/04/25 and 08/05/25. The survey was conducted via an online form and asked participants how they would have supported the movement if they could post about it online. By analyzing how emojis and words interact, it highlights the most impactful combinations for expressing your cause through symbols of resistance.
In protest posts, emojis play three key roles: they help avoid censorship, enhance emotional expression, and build a sense of shared identity. Using them well can make your activism more powerful.
For example, 🍚🐰 are two emojis with a specific role in activism. The phrase "rice bunny," pronounced "mi tu" in Chinese, is a homophone for "Me Too" and has been used as a clever workaround to evade online censorship in China. In 2018, after the #MeToo hashtag was blocked on Weibo, users adopted "mi tu" (米兔) and rice bunny emojis to continue discussing feminist issues.
