Editor's Note: The following article was translated and edited from an article that appeared in on CNTV.cn. The article discusses the ongoing divorce trial of 'Crazy English' founder Li Yang and his American wife Kim Lee. Last fall, Lee accused her husband of physical abuse via posts and photos on her Weibo account. Since then, her willingness to discuss the typically taboo topic publicly and her demand for divorce have turned her into something of a spokesperson for the anti-domestic violence cause in China. Most recently, at the couple's third divorce hearing, demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse in support of Lee. The third divorce hearing primarily dealt with custody and care of the couple's young children and the division of property.

 

On the morning of August 10, the Li Yang and Kim Lee divorce case convened for its third hearing at the Chaoyang District Court in Beijing. During the hearing, several anti-domestic violence demonstrators stood outside of the courthouse, wearing scar and bruise makeup representative of domestic violence. Facing the crowd of young demonstrators supporting his soon-to-be ex-wife, Li Yang sought to chastise their naivety, repeatedly asking, "Aren't you Chinese? Didn't your parents hit you growing up?"

"This was all planned"

Yesterday morning, a small crowd of anti-domestic violence demonstrators crowded around the doors of the courthouse in Beijing. The demonstrators had painted bruises and scars on their faces to represent the victims of domestic violence and held banners with slogans such as "Zero Tolerance for Domestic Violence –Anyone Can Be a Victim". In addition, the demonstrators also brought a collection of 1,000 online signatures and supportive comments to give to Kim, as well as a letter for the judge. "We hope that the court finds Li Yang guilty of domestic violence," said one female demonstrator.

"This was obviously all planned!" a man's voice said loudly causing raised eyebrows throughout the crowd. Li Yang continued, "The word 'domestic violence,' does not fit my situation. This is simply one outburst in a long series of domestic conflicts. But I'm willing to assume the role of domestic violence villain and sacrifice my image to spread the anti-domestic violence message...although I still feel that I was a pretty decent family man overall."

At this point, Kim couldn't help but step in to face Li Yang, countering, "And what about the children?" Li Yang's lawyer hurriedly advised his client to walk away from the scene out front. Afterwards, Kim turned to a reporter and shrugged, "It's already been a year, I just want a divorce", before walking into the courthouse.

Sorting out the children's tuition fees

The focus of yesterday's hearing was on the division of property and custody of the couple's children. Because their eldest daughter is already 10 years old, it was previously ruled that she was mature enough to decide for herself with which parent she wants to live. As such, the focus of the hearing only dealt with the couple's two younger daughters.

Li Yang stated that he would fight for custody of the two children, but was still hoping that they'd to be able to reach some sort of compromise. "I just talked to my daughters via an international phone call and they said, 'we love you, we miss you, when can we see you again?'" Li Yang said that following the divorce he doesn't want to view his ex-wife as a personal enemy, and that he hopes that both sides can continue to come together to discuss their children's education and upbringing.

In the hearing, Kim proposed that Li Yang agree to a one-time child support payment of 5 million RMB. She said that enrolling their daughters in an international school would cost up to 200,000 RMB per year. Li Yang countered that the payment should be set in accordance with the tuition of an ordinary school rather than an international one. Previously, Li Yang had refused to pay for his children's tuition fees so Kim raised the issue to the Chaoyang District Court, requesting that he pay 300,000 RMB. After the school submitted proof that the tuition fees had been paid by Kim, the court ruled in July that Li Yang must reimburse her.

Division of property

According to Kim's lawyer, Li Yang currently owns 22 real estate properties, including more than 10 that have been transferred to others, as well as eight under his own name. Although Kim originally requested that all of the real estate assets be divided up, for the sake of settling the lawsuit as soon as possible, now she is only requesting that eight of the properties be divided up. In addition, Kim is asking for compensation for the house that Li Yang sold for 1.8 million RMB prior to the divorce.

Kim also requested full compensation of Li Yang's 4.92 million RMB in their savings account. However, for the time being, she has not asked for any part of the shares or trademark for Li Yang's company 'Crazy English'.

Source:news.cntv.cn

Related links
Cross-cultural Marriage and Domestic Violence: What Li Yang Says About it
China's Marriage Crisis: 5000 Divorces a Day!
Unhappy Endings: How to Get a Divorce in China

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Keywords: Li Yang divorce case Li Yang and Kim Lee domestic violence domestic violence China Li Yang divorce hearing