(Dr. Liu Xiaobo:) We will not lower our head in the face of any pressure no matter where this force against freedom of writing comes from.
(Part One: ICPC Background– 1 minute, photos)
Independent Chinese PEN Centre (ICPC) is a nongovernmental, nonprofit and nonpartisan organization beyond borders.
It is a free association of those who write, edit, translate, research and publish literature work in Chinese worldwide.
ICPC was founded in 2001 by some Chinese writers in China and abroad.
It became a chapter of International PEN (IP) at its 67th congress in London in 2001.
Its founding president was late Mr. Liu Binyan, a famous writer, journalist and activist who had been known as Conscience of China,
And its vice-president was Mr. Zheng Yi, another writer well known in China in 1970s and 1980s.
Since then ICPC has sent representatives to IP congresses every year, ICPC has now become one of the most active and responsible PEN centers.
(Part Two: ICPC Today– 2 minutes, meeting documents, photos and videos)
October 2005, ICPC had its membership congress on Internet for the second time.
ICPC Charter was revised and its new board was elected.
Dr. Liu Xiaobo, a prominent dissident writer in China, was reelected as ICPC President.
Two Vice-presidents are Mr. Yu Jie, a famous young writer in China, and Dr. Chen Kuide, a prominent scholar in USA.
Its Board of Directors includes other well-known writers/scholars, Wang Yi, Cai Chu, Zhao Dagong, Meng Lang, Liao Tienchi, Yu Shicun and Wu Yimao
ICPC has now more than 200 members,
about a half in Mainland China, and another half overseas.
Honorary Directors include Vaclav Havel,
and also three Nobel laureates Gao Xingjian, Kansaboro Oi and Nardina Goldimor
ICPC members include many other prominent writers, such as Chen Maiping, Ma Jian,Yang Lian, Bei Ling, etc. who severed for ICPC as its former directors,
as well as many active cyberwriters.
Their creative writings have provided ICPC with new energy and liveliness.
(Part Three: ICPC Missions and Perspectives –3 minutes, text, photos and videos)
ICPC follows the mission of International PEN promoting literature and defending freedom of expression, also provides its members with a platform for international literary exchanges.
ICPC aims at becoming a NGO in China and defending freedom of writing there.
ICPCs ideal is to let liberal spirit of the writers in Chinese evident in the spiritual vision of whole humankind, and, like other centers, be capable to defend freedom of expression for the writers worldwide.
(Dr. Liu Xiaobo:) As president of Independent Chinese PEN Center, also on behalf of my member colleagues, I would like to speak about tow points: First of all, we writers, who are writing in Mainland China and who are writing in Chinese language, are often called dissident writers by others. We still stick to our writing under the conditions of a lack of the freedoms of speech and publication, the conditions of a lack of the freedom of writing. We still maintain the spirit of the freedom of writing in the field of literature, criticism and editing, etc. We will not yield to the pressure regardless of whether this pressure on freedom of writing comes from which direction, from the government or from other sources. Secondly I want to make an appeal again to writers thought the world, especially writers from free countries, to the governments and NGOs to continue to pay attention to Chinee writers and to their conditions of writing, and thus help them to obtain their freedom of writing.
ICPCs perspectives can be summarized into two aspects:
Firstly, regardless of political inclination or other standpoint which s/he holds , regardless of country or region where s/he lives, regardless of form or genre that s/he utilizes, a writer in Chinese shall always have freedom to write, express and publish her/his work, and also the right to criticize those in power, and should not consequently be subjected to the political persecution nor to the imprisonment conducted by any state. ICPC opposes that anyone in power conducts control of press and publication or censoring of opinions.
Secondly, Chinese literature shall bear its own characteristics of Chinese language beyond borders and nations. All of people shall have the right to write and express in Chinese. The publication and circulation of Chinese writings in any country or region shall never be interfered regarding its political system or situation. The works of Chinese literature shall be among the common spiritual resources of all humankinds, they shall under no circumstance, be damaged for political, ethnical, national, religious or ideological arguments.
(Dr. Liu Xiaobo:) In my opinion, after the Cold War, the degree of liberty in China is related to the whole world and has directly corresponded to the progress of world civilization. I dare say that, to certain extent, if the Chinese people have the support of the whole world, we work together to change China from a totalitarian state, from a state without freedom of writing, to a free nation where every individual can express himself/herself freely and write as well as publish without barriers, then it will mean to elevate the standard of civilization of the whole world, and that the world will move to become a place where writers can create freely. I believe this is the key issue whether we have or not an environment of freedom of writing is a crucial precondition for the elevation of the spiritual quality of mankind, a crucial precondition for the creation of a spiritual product.
(Part Four: Rescue Writers in Prison –1 minutes, photos and documents)
ICPC devotes itself to help Chinese intellectuals to write freely,
and gives supports to the writers who suffer political persecution for their expressions.
ICPC also establishes websites and publishes magazines,
and setups internet libraries and publishes collections for free writers.
In recent years, Chinese government has intensified its persecutions of cyberwriters, and jailed more than 60 writers for their Internet writings.
One typical example is the case of Shi Tao, a poet and ICPC member, who has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for his Internet publications.
Yahoo has provided Chinese police with Shi Taos personal data as evidence for his sentencing.
This case is one of the unpleasant facts that transnational corporations have helped Chinese government to suppress freedom of expression in China.
(Part Five: ICPCs Awards and Other Activities in China –2 minutes, videos and photos)
ICPC has annual Award of Freedom to Write and Lin Zhao Memorial Award,
which honour the writers for their achievements in liberally writing in Chinese.
ICPC awards are totally different from governmental and commercial prizes,
and so are much respected by independent Chinese intellectuals.
In 2004 and 2005, though facing intensified pressure from the authorities,
ICPC held awarding ceremonies in Beijing each year.
About 50-60 participant attended the warmly ceremonies.
These ceremonies have become the most importance events of Chinese intellectuals in these years.
ICPC also holds various readings, seminars and panel discussions.
The Literature and Memory symposium held in Beijing in January 2006
discussed several works reflecting political persecution under Mao era.
Ms. Zhang Yihe, winner of 2004 Freedom to Write Award, pointed out:
At all time and in all countries, not just in China, any dictatorship has always sacrificed countless innocent lives either to protect an emperor or to defend a banner, or a doctrine, or a political party, which may be all the same in the world.
As it has sacrificed countless human beings in such circumstance, .any personal memory is always connected to the memories in a country, a society and a nation. Actually the deeper your personal memory is, the more profound your engagement in the reality will be.
More than 100 readers attended the seminar.
Although the authorities sent several plainclothes police recording and photographing at the seminar those who sought the truth could not be stopped.
(Part Six: International Activities of ICPC Members –2 minutes, videos and photos)
ICPC has actively participated in the international literary arena.
Many members have received international literary awards.
ICPC member and poet Mr. Huang Xiang is resident writer at Pittsburg in U.S.
ICPC member and essayist Mr. Jiao Guobiao made a successful visit in Japan.
In many literary activities in Australia, Hong Kong, USA and Europe
ICPC members are notable participants.
ICPC would like to be a friend of all freedom-loving writers and readers to build up a bridge to China for the foreign friends interested in Chinese literature.