In court today, it was said that hostess Han Feizi came to Singapore to “have fun”; she ended in remand, and is now sentenced to jail

Two weeks ago, she already said she would plead guilty and apologise, and she did. Through video-link once more, Chinese “Internet sensation” Han Feizi (韩霏紫) , appealed to the court today for leniency, telling the judge that her sojourn here (she said it was her first visit) has been only slightly over a month. However, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority records showed she had been here four previous times since 2019. She was “not familiar with the law”, she asserted. Explaining her deplorable behaviour—which the judge thought to be “loutish” and “belligerent”—at SGH, she claimed that her yelling (no reference to her use of vulgarities was made) in the hospital was due to her “感到无助 (gandao wuzhu)”, feeling helpless, according to 联合日报 (Lianhe Zaobao), as there was no one who could be of assistance to her. It was not revealed in court the extent of her injuries, or if she recovered. Or, if investigations would be made into her earlier allegation that the female driver of what is now known as a Grab car tried to “kill” her when the vehicle rolled over her foot.

Ms Han, as it appeared, has many cards she could play. First the xenophobia card, when she asserted to the investigating officer in a video she shared on Douyin that the SGH nurse told her that as a foreigner, she would not be eligible for medical consultation/treatment—the reason for her indignation and anger. And in court, the sympathy card. According to the Chinese press, Ms Han told the judge that, back in her still unidentified hometown, she has three relatives who are afflicted with cancer, among them one with a condition that is terminal. She added dramatically, “不知道明天和意外哪个先来”—don’t known which will come first, tomorrow or the unexpected. She came to Singapore to work and to make money so as to be able to send her income home and ease the family’s financial burden. This contradicts what prosecutors said was her self-described objective here—“she wanted to enter Singapore… for fun”, as CNA reported. Her posts on Douyin of her 锦衣玉食 (jinyi yushi) or enjoying a life of unmistakable luxury similarly suggest she was having more fun than she was working hard for her family. As some Chinese Netizens asked, “处境艰难吗 (chijing jiannan ma)—was there hardship?”

…she came to Singapore to work and to make money so as to be able to send the income home and ease the family’s financial burden. This contradicts what prosecutors said was her self-described objective here—“she wanted to enter Singapore… for fun”

While in her work permit (WP) application, Ms Han stated that she was joining the nightclub operator KDL Elements as a “clerk”, it turned out that, to date, she has not worked with the company at all. Unclear is why she singled out KDL Elements. Did they offer her a job, if not then, perhaps previously? Of all the nightclub businesses, why did she choose KDL Elements? It appears that the 小仙女 (xiaxiannu, or little fairy) had already planned to be a 陪酒女 (peijiunu or, literally, a drinking companion [at night spots]) and was willing to go bar/karaoke-hopping to meet her income target of the night, even when her WP did not cover the work she intended to take up. According to Lianhe Zaobao, a staffer at the KDL Elements address, which appeared to be a bar, had seen the Ms Han there, but it is unclear what she was doing in the premises. Her nocturnal occupation could explain why she was intoxicated during the two fiascos that led to the involvement of the police: first at the The Sail condominium where she lived, at which was the scuffle with and verbal abuse of security personnel and the second, at SGH, where we now know she, too, was drunk. Lianhe Zaobao also reported that in her last WP application, she failed to declare that there was an earlier request for a student pass that was rejected. What was she here as in those four previous occasions, even when she claimed she arrived as a tourist?

To the mainland Chinese, the case here involving compatriot Han Feizi is considered “前无古人 (qianwu guren)”—without precedence. (We are, conversely, hoping “后无来者 [houwu laizhe]— with no successors.) That is not to say that in China, irascible young women with a penchant for the food life scolding public servants are unheard of. But one who is a 网红 (wanghong or influencer) penalised for unruliness, in particular abroad, is yet to be exampled. Ms Han—when the investigating officer appeared at SGH—knew she had to come up with something as that was the second time the police was summoned. To her, as some of her generation believe, “宽容就是软弱无能”—tolerance is precisely a sign of weakness and powerlessness. Only the basest instincts will do? Her video-recording of what transpired and the posting of it on Douyin was a calculated move, designed to win sympathy and support for her case, in the event things turned unfavorable. She was well aware that she could rally like-minded online natives of the motherland. And to her, her choice of words—including cuss words, as heard in the shared video—were part of her 口头语 (koutouyu) or regularly used expressions, even an innate manner of speaking. She was heard twice in the video, when speaking to the investigating officers, saying “他妈的 (tamade)”, also known as 三字经 (sanzijing) or three-word cuss—an expletive tantamount to eff you. In China, it has lost its sting and when uttered, no one would bat an eyelid.

Court illustration showing Han Feizi as she appeared via video-link. Drawing: 梁锦泉/联合早报

After she posted her video on Douyin, many mainland Chinese Netizens supported her, even saying that our laws are too strict and that we “小题大做 (xiaoti dazuo)” or made a fuss over something minor, that she was a victim, and a target of prejudicial practice and attitude. What’s ironic is that, while there was initial outcry against the perceived bias that Ms Han encountered, there is now, following the reveal of what line of work she actually was in, the looking down on her occupation, with some calling her chosen job “下贱 (xiajian)” or lowly/contemptible. To many of these initially supporters, Ms Han has now 丢人现眼 (diuren xianyan)—become a disgrace. Or, more harshly, “中国巨婴卑鄙形象”—despicable image of Chinese adult who behaves in a childish manner. Some even described her as a “网红 (wanghong)”-turned-“网黄 (wanghuang)”, changing the 红 (hong or red) to the 黄 (huang or yellow), which, in Chinese, is a chromatic symbol for something pornographic.

“韩霏紫是谁—Who is Han Feizi?” That question is still being asked, but even at the end of the much anticipated court case, we aren’t any the wiser. As stated before a judge, what Ms Han had revealed was inconsistent with what she had said or claimed. If she had lied in her work permit, refused to answer truthfully when questioned by an investigating officer, or spoken falsely about how many times she had been here previously, could she, too, have provided untruths about her situation back home? Or, even when she bowed before the court and said—in English—“I’m sorry”, be trusted for expressing her “deepest apologies and remorse”? Was she really aware of the criminality of her ways? Han Feizi was sentence to five weeks and five days in jail and was handed a fine of S$600. Netizens here consider the outcome of a case that has rocked the nation and the region to be “anti-climatic”. But, perhaps more pertinent is, as some had asked, if she “得到体悟 (dedao tiwu)”—came to the realisation (that she did wrong). Who knows?

Update (25 October 2023, 20:08): Following her sentencing, Ministry of Manpower announced that Han Feizi’s work permit would be revoked. And she would not be allowed to work here—in fact, “permanently barred”

Updated (27 October 2013, 20:30): As it turned out, Han Feizi is no stranger to being behind bars. In a report published by 新明日巴 (Shin Min Daily News) today, Han Feizi had previously been jailed in Beijing in 2018 for a road accident as a result of drink driving. She was 24 at the time. According to sentencing documents the paper obtained from Beijing Chaoyang District People’s Court, the name and the date of birth of the convict that appeared in the record corresponds with those of Han Feizi. It was revealed that Ms Han—because of high blood alcohol levels (89.8ml per 100ml)—had met with a car accident. She was booked on the spot, and was subsequently found guilty of reckless driving and was sentenced to a jail term of one month and ten days, and handed a fine of RMB2,000 (or SGD374). It is not known what led her to drink that much that she was not able to drive safely. Speculation is now rife that it was hostessing that caused her to be that intoxicated

Update (8 November, 21:00): Han Feizi was released from jail earlier today. According to the Immigration and Checkpoint Authority (ICA), she was immediately sent to Changi Airport, and deported to China. She is barred from re-entering our country. The Ministry of Manpower also added that she will permanently be unable to work here too. A lawyer who spoke to Lianhe Zaobao said that it is likely that she would be sent to Shenzhen Airport, from where she would have to make her own way home

Illustration (top): Just So