Category Archives: ICPC

ICPC Contacts

Office Address

9462 Brightstar Dr,
Manassas,
VA 20111,
USA
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: +1-703 732 2318
Website: http://chinesepen.org/

Contacts

Chu Cai, President

Email: [email protected]
T: +1-251-725 3744

Biao Teng, Deputy President, Secretary for International Contacts

Email: [email protected]

Zili Yang, Secretary General

Email: [email protected]

Dr. Yu Zhang,  Coordinator for Writers in Prison Committee

Email: [email protected]
T: +46-8-5002 2792

Huaizhao Liu,  Coordinator for Translation and Linguistic Rights Committee

Email: [email protected]
T: +1-339-204 3533

Li, Xiang, Coordinator of Women Writers’ Committee

Email: [email protected]
T: +852-6287-3050

Tienchi Martin-Liao, Coordinator of Writers for Peace Committee of PEN International

Email: [email protected]
T: +49-221-8015 8705

About

Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC) is a nongovernmental, nonprofit and nonpartisan organisation beyond borders based on free association of those who write, edit, translate, research and publish literature work in Chinese and dedicated to freedom of expression for the workers in Chinese language and literature, including writers, journalists, translators, scholars and publishers over the world. ICPC is a member organisation of PEN International, the global association of writers dedicated to freedom of expression and the defence of writers suffering governmental repression. Through the worldwide PEN network and its own membership base in China and abroad, ICPC is able to mobilise international attention to the plight of writers and editors within China attempting to write and publish with a spirit of independence and integrity, regardless of their political views, ideological standpoint or religious beliefs.

In July 2001, ICPC was founded by a group of Chinese writers in exile and in China, and approved as a chapter of PEN International at its annual congress in London in November. Since then, ICPC has made vigorous efforts to promote and defend the freedom of writing and publication and the free flow of information in China, and been deeply concerned about the state of civil society and open discourse there.

In April-May 2020, ICPC held its Nineth Internet Congress of the Membership Assembly to have elected 9 Board members and 2 alternates. Then the Board have elected Prof. Yiran PEI (USA) as the president, Mr. Shiying ZHAO (previous vice-president, China) and Prof. Song TAN (USA) as vice-presidents, and Dr. Yu ZHANG (Sweden) as the secretary-general. The late president Dr. Liu Xiaobo, who had been imprisoned since December 2008 until his death under the police custody on 13 July 2017, was the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010.

ICPC Origin and Development

By Yu Zhang

PEN International, formerly known as International PEN, founded on 5th October 1921, is currently the only global association of writers. The traditional constituents of PEN membership are summed up in its three letters: P stands for Poet and Playwright, E for Editor and Essayist, and N for Novelist. As a word in combination, PEN is also a traditional tool of writing, very meaningful. Today, a reporter, literary translator or publishes is also eligible to become a member of PEN. Continue reading

About ICPC

Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC) is a nongovernmental, nonprofit and nonpartisan organization beyond borders based on free association of those who write, edit, translate, research and publish literature work in Chinese and dedicated to freedom of expression for the workers in Chinese language and literature, including writers, journalists, translators, scholars and publishers over the world. ICPC is a member organization of International PEN, the global association of writers dedicated to freedom of expression and the defence of writers suffering governmental repression. Through the worldwide PEN network and its own membership base in China and abroad, ICPC is able to mobilize international attention to the plight of writers and editors within China attempting to write and publish with a spirit of independence and integrity, regardless of their political views, ideological standpoint or religious beliefs. Continue reading

Where There Is Life, There Is Hope – Briefings on the Ninth Congress of ICPC and Its Administration Changes

Where There Is Life, There Is Hope

– Briefings on the Ninth Congress of ICPC and Its Administration Changes

From April 29 to May 13, 2020, the Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC) held online the ninth congress of its Membership Assembly. 82 of its 153 voting members signed up to attend the congress. The membership assembly held four plenary sessions, approved the work and financial reports submitted by the Board of Directors, and elected the new Board according to its Charter. Among 11 candidates, nine were elected as the directors. They are Mr. ZHAO Shiying, Mr. LI Hai, Mr. ZHAO Changqing, Ms. LI Jianhong, Mr. XU Yonghai. Ms. LIU Di, Mr. LIU Zhengqing, Mr. Song TAN and Mr. PEI Yiran. Mr. DU Daobin and Mr. SUN Honglu were elected as alternate directors. Eight of them are based in China mainland though the human rights situation there have been getting worse with 13 of their colleagues of ICPC members still imprisoned, including Mr. ZHANG Guiqi (aka LU Yang), the 12th candidate who have been detained for suspision of “inciting subversion” by the police in Shandong Province since May 1 before the ICPC election. Continue reading

Charter of Independent Chinese PEN Center

(Adopted by the 2nd Congress of Membership Assembly, 23 October 2005, and amended by the 5th Congress of Membership Assembly, 19 October 2011 and the 8th Congress of Membership Assembly, 11 April 2018)

Chapter One: Generals

Article 1.

This PEN Center shall be a nongovernmental, nonprofit and nonpartisan organization beyond borders based on free association of those (generalized below as the Workers of Chinese Literature) who write, edit, translate, research and publish literature work in Chinese worldwide.

Continue reading

Briefings on the Eighth Congress of ICPC and Its Administration Change

Never Ever Put Our Pens Down

Briefings on the Eighth Congress of ICPC and Its Administration Change

ICPC Secretariat

(May 2nd, 2018)

From March 28 to April 9, 2018, the Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC) held the eighth congress of its membership assembly in its online community. 115 of its 213 voting members were recorded to attend the congress. The membership assembly held four sessions, amended the “Charter of Independent Chinese PEN Center” and the “Independent Chinese PEN Center’s Rules of Procedure of Membership Assembly”, and approved the work report and financial report submitted by the Board of Directors. The Membership Assembly reelected the board of directors according to its Charter. Among 12 candidates, 9 were elected as board members. They are Mr. WANG Jinbo, Ms. Tienchi MARTIN-LIAO, Ms. GAO Yu, Mr. ZHAO Shiying, Mr. HE Depu, Ms. QI Jiazhen, Mr. LI Hai, Ms. LIU Di and Mr. DU Daobin. Among them, seven are based in China. It is worth mentioning that Ms. GAO Yu, a famous dissident who had been jailed three times for freedom of speech, Mr. HE Depu and Mr. WANG Jinbo who were jailed due to founding the Democratic Party of China in the 1990s, have brought in new blood to the Board of Directors. Mr. PAN Yongzhong and Mr. XU Yonghai were elected as alternate board members. Continue reading

ICPC Board of Directors (2018-2020)

President Tienchi MARTIN-LIAO (f, essayist, editor, translator, publisher; Germany)

First Vice-president GAO Yu (f, journalist, essayist, prisoner on medical parole; Beijing, China)

Second Vice-president ZHAO Shiying (aka Zhao Dagong, essayist, editor, former prisoner; Shenzhen, China) Continue reading

ICPC Secretariat

Secretary-general & Webmaster WANG Jinbo (essayist, editor, former prisoner; Beijing, China)

Deputy Secretary-general & Press Secretary PAN Yongzhong (essayist, editor, translator, publisher; Germany)

Deputy Secretary-general & Membership Rights Secretary YANG Guang (essayist, former prisoner; Hubei, China) Continue reading