76-Year-Old Chinese Grandma Wins Praise For Fighting Off Racist Assaulter In The US

Chinese woman fights racist attacker on the streets of San Francisco. As she earns wide praise in China for her courage, the incident puts a spotlight on the recent string of hate crimes against Asian women in the United States.

A young white man reportedly assaulted Xie Xiaozhen, a 76-year-old Chinese lady, when she was waiting to cross the streets in San Francisco, US earlier this week. He punched her unprovoked, while also screaming 'Chinese!' at her, she told media later.

Xiaozhen did not take the assault lying down and reportedly used a stick lying nearby to fight off the man. In photos from the site, the Chinese woman can be seen with serious bruises on her face while the white man who attacked her was left bound to a stretcher.

This incident comes on the heels of the killing of eight persons, six of whom were Asian women, in Atlanta on March 16. The Asian community in the US has since been on high alert and expressed outrage against racism on social media.

Watch a video from the site of the incident

Just came upon an attack on an elderly Asian woman on Market Street San Francisco. Effort I got more details pic.twitter.com/5o8r0eeHE2

Just came upon an attack on an elderly Asian woman on Market Street San Francisco. Effort I got more details pic.twitter.com/5o8r0eeHE2

— Dennis O'Donnell (@DennisKPIX) March 17, 2021

Chinese Woman Fights Racist Attacker, Left With Eye Injury

Xiaozhen's incident went viral in China soon after it happened, garnering praise for her bravery.

The ordeal has left Xiaozhen traumatised and with eye injuries, her daughter Dong-Mei Li said. She was quoted saying her mother was "very scared and eye is still bleeding... The right eye still cannot see anything."

Her family, launching a fund collection drive for the injuries she sustained, said in a statement, "whenever the issue is brought up... she gets extremely emotional and starts crying." They hope the "younger generation of Asian Americans can all stand up for one another and the elderly."

Image Credit: Twitter