Imagine being expelled from university not for academic reasons, but for the people you choose to interact with. That's exactly what's happening in China, where a female student has been expelled for allegedly 'damaging national dignity' through 'improper interactions' with a foreign man. This controversial move by Dalian Polytechnic University has ignited a flurry of debate across Chinese social media platforms.

The university's shocking decision has sparked thousands of comments on popular platforms like Xiaohongshu and Douyin, questioning whether the institution overstepped by scrutinizing a student's personal life and framing it as a national issue. In an official announcement last week, the university declared the student's expulsion, citing a violation of a rule against 'having improper interactions with foreigners that damage national dignity,' although it stopped short of detailing these so-called misbehaviors. Out of respect for privacy, the student's name remains unpublished by international news outlets.

This incident fuels ongoing discussions in China regarding gender bias and rising nationalism. Many Chinese internet users have linked the expelled student to videos uploaded by Danylo Teslenko, a professional Ukrainian gamer known as Zeus, which display him in an intimate setting with an Asian-looking woman in a hotel room. However, the authenticity and identity of the woman in these videos remain unverified.

Critics on social media have likened the university's decision to a 'Taliban style' approach, questioning whether a Chinese man engaging with a foreign woman would be labeled as 'national pride' rather than a national disgrace. Furthermore, state-run media like The Paper criticized the university for potentially violating privacy laws by revealing the student's identity.

Teslenko admitted to posting and subsequently deleting the videos on Telegram, acknowledging the sensitivity surrounding the situation. He emphasized that the videos included visible faces but lacked explicit or disrespectful content, clarifying that he never implied Chinese women are 'easy.'

The incident reportedly originated at the Perfect World Shanghai Major, a significant gaming competition held in December 2024, where Teslenko and the student allegedly met. As this story unfolds, the broader implications for personal freedoms and gender perspectives in China remain a hot topic for discussion.