Photos: IC

A prestigious arts academy in East China's Zhejiang Province drew online ire on Thursday after listing numerous reasons women are the cause of sexual assault suggesting they have weak minds, love money and can't resist a seducer.  

The school's Freshman Safety Knowledge Handbook of CAA (China Academy of Art) contains three causes of sexual assault, according to pictures of the handbook published by Sina Weibo user "woshiluosheng." 

The first section of the handbook lists number reasons women are at fault for being sexually assaulted. Women pay too much attention to looking beautiful, behave in a fickle manner, are weak in the mind, can't resist seduction and worship money. It also suggests women on the campus have few contacts with the outside world and can't summon help.

Women may also be sexually assaulted because they are cowards or incapable of defending themselves. 

The handbook then tells women what they already know, saying that sexual assault more often occurs at night and in summer and in public places such as classrooms, labs and dormitories. 

The post had nearly 34 million views as of press time and many of the comments expressed outrage at the blatant victim blaming. "The only one who should be blamed and punished are the attackers," wrote a netizen in a comment that widely echoed by many others. 

A staff member in charge of the security department from the school told The Paper on Thursday night that the handbook was composed by the department and is based on their experience in handling sexual assault cases. 

"It's not aimed at discriminating against women. Many things should be taken into consideration," the member said. 

The school's official website says it has great influence in the development of modern and contemporary art in China. 

Traditional attitudes toward gender has repeatedly sparked controversy in recent years, with the rising awareness of feminism in China. The academy is the second school in China to spark anger for blaming women for being sexually assaulted.

In early September, a "suggested dress code" from the Guangxi University in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region upset students and Chinese netizens for advising female students "not to wear low-cut dresses or expose their midriff and backs" in order to "avoid temptation," presumably by men at the school. The controversial dress code sparked heated discussions over its sexist implications, drawing concerns about gender inequality in China.