Category Archives: Online Journals

No. 14 Yu ZHANG: Case 50 (1996): Hada, Jailed over Self-Determination

From Wang Shiwei to Liu Xiaobo: Prisoners of Literary Inquisition under Communist Rule in China

HadaHada (November 29, 1955 – ), a Mongolian editor, scholar and social activist, was sentenced in 1996 to 15 years’ imprisonment on charges of “splitting the country” and “espionage” for organizing activities related to ethnic self-determination and autonomy, and for writing and publishing related materials. Continue reading

No. 14 Yu ZHANG: Case 64 (2010): Liu Xiaobo, Winning Prize with No Enemies

From Wang Shiwei to Liu Xiaobo: Prisoners of Literary Inquisition under Communist Rule in China

Liu Xiaobo

Liu Xiaobo (28 December 1955- ), a renowned Chinese literary critic, dissident writer and human rights activist, was sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment for “inciting subversion of state power” based on his writings criticizing the Chinese authorities and his participation in drafting and launching Charter 08. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010.
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No. 14 Yu ZHANG: Case No. 33 (1979): Wei Jingsheng, Imprisoned for Warning about Deng

From Wang Shiwei to Liu Xiaobo: Prisoners of Literary Inquisition under Communist Rule in China

Wei JingshengWei Jingsheng (May 20, 1950 – ), a dissident and social activist, was arrested in 1978 after posting an essay on Democracy Wall warning of Deng Xiaoping’s dictatorial tendencies, and was eventually sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for “counterrevolutionary crimes”. Continue reading

No. 14 Yu ZHANG: No. 19 (1965): Wu Han, Victim of History

From Wang Shiwei to Liu Xiaobo: Prisoners of Literary Inquisition under Communist Rule in China

Wu HanWu Han (born Wu Chunhan, September 24, 1909 – October 11, 1969), a historian, educator, essayist, editor, political activist and government official, was targeted in the opening salvos of the Cultural Revolution when his historical drama Hai Rui Dismissed from Office was judged in 1965 to be “using the past to criticize the present.”He died after four years of persecution. Continue reading

No. 14 Yu ZHANG: Case No. 14 (1960): Lin Zhao, Alone to the Execution Site

From Wang Shiwei to Liu Xiaobo: Prisoners of Literary Inquisition under Communist Rule in China

Lin Zhao1Lin Zhao (born Peng Lingzhao, December 16, 1931 – April 29, 1968), a university student, editor and writer, was sent to labor reform as a “student Rightist”and then arrested in 1960 as an “active counterrevolutionary” on the basis of poems she published in an underground magazine. After eight years of torture in prison, she was executed. Continue reading

No. 14 Yu ZHANG: Case No. 9 (1955): Hu Feng, Imprisoned for a Petition

From Wang Shiwei to Liu Xiaobo: Prisoners of Literary Inquisition under Communist Rule in China

Hu FengHu Feng (born Zhang Mingzhen, November 2, 1902 – June 8, 1985), a prominent art and literary critic, commentator, editor, translator and poet, was imprisoned in 1955 after the authorities named him leader of a“Hu Feng Counterrevolutionary Clique” on the basis of a “300,000-word Report”. He spent 24 years in prison and six more years under the cloud of injustice until his death.

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No. 14 Yu Zhang: Case No. 1 (1947): Wang Shiwei, Dismembered on CPC Anniversary

From Wang Shiwei to Liu Xiaobo: Prisoners of Literary Inquisition under Communist Rule in China

Wang Shiwei

Wang Shiwei (Wang Shih-wei, born Wang Siwei, April 5, 1906 – July 1, 1947), a writer, translator and commentator, was executed in secret as a “counterrevolutionary Trotskyite spy”on the 26th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.


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No. 14 Yu ZHANG: Sixty-four Years of Literary Inquisition Surpasses Two Millennia

–Author’s Preface

cover-2014

In Chinese dictionaries published since the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1949, the definition of Literary Inquisition is restricted to “the rulers of olden times”; at the very least, it is a relic of the past, occurring no more recently than a century ago, mainly during the Ming and Qing dynasties. In the Mandarin Dictionary published by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan), Literary Inquisition is defined as occurring in the “era of absolute monarchy”, precluding its existence in the Republic era. A revised edition has amended the definition to read, “During the autocratic era, criminal cases arising from the written word”. This last definition is the common usage adopted by contemporary Chinese literature, and also for this book.

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