Published by the Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC) on November 17, 2017

Winner of the Free-to-Write Award 2017 – Langzichn

Judges’ comments

   Since Langzichn engaged in the literature in a town in Guangdong south-west, China, as a junior high student in the late 1980s, he has maintained individual, modest and consistent personalities in his life of writing, creating a unique style in the Chinese contemporary writings.

 “Langzichn illustrates his consistent fight for freedom with his profound and straightforward writings, and especially in chaotic times, his resolute character proves that our aspirations for the future are likely to be accomplished.  Langzichn’s literary creations, his poetry in particular, is a beacon of hope of troubled times.  He is anything but alone.  Circulated widely in society, his poetic justice will be definitely a symbol of warmth and humanity for the public.  In this regard, the ICPC decides to award the Free-to-Write Award 2017 to Langzichn in honor of his achievements in literature.” 

【Langzichn ‘s personal profile】

Langzichn , whose autonym is Wu Mingliang, was born in Fachow, Guangdong, in 1968.  He has engaged in writing since 1985, and started publishing his works since 1988.  His first poetry anthology, entitled “It’s too late to look back,” was published in 1993.  From 1995 to 2010, he worked for numerous magazine firms, including the Chinese official pro-reform press outlets like South Reviews, Southern Metropolis Daily and Origins.  He was “forced to disappear” for two weeks for his involvement in the “Chinese Jasmine Revolution,” which took place in Guangzhou in June 2011.  

In 2011, his poetry anthology, entitled “Book of Ignorance,” was published.  From 2013 to 2016, he was responsible for editing and publishing many non-governmental independent publications “Poetry Anthology by Poets based in Guangdong and Guangxi.”  From August to September 2016, he launched an art exhibition in Guangzhou, called “Beginning,” featuring the works of Langzichn.  He also compiled and printed the catalog of the exhibition “Beginning.”

As getting involved in composing the “Liu Xiaobo’s Memorial Poetry Anthology,” he was framed and under “criminal detention” by the Chinese authorities on charges of “illegitimate business” in Guangzhou on August 18, 2017.  The incident sparked international pressure, and as a result, he was released “on bail” on September 22, 2017.  Now he lives in Guangzhou.

Winner of the Lin Zhao Memorial Award 2017 – Zhao Sile

Judges’ comments

Zhao Sile is one of few independent thinkers in modern China, who fights against the social system through her actions and writings related to “battles, setbacks and conflicts” to extend a “path of civil awakening of Chinese women”.  As a young woman born in the late 1990s, Zhao Sile chooses to start on the path of individual action and dissident writings and is therefore suppressed by the Chinese authorities mercilessly.  Not only is she a thinker and writer, but she is also an activist.  As phenomenal as her male counterparts like Liu Xiaobo, Gao Zhisheng, Xu Zhiyong, Guo Yushan and Yi Renping, she and other outstanding women, including Ai Xiaoming, Ye Haiyan, Kou Yanding and Wang Qiaoling, not only battled against the autocratic regime, but also protested against prejudice with perseverance.

Zhao Sile is as outstanding as Lin Zhao, a female human rights pioneer who killed herself by hitting a wall, and as a result, the ICPC decides to grant her the Lin Zhao Memorial Award.

【Zhao Sile ‘s personal profile】

Zhao Sile, female, was born in Guangzhou, China, in 1990.  She attended Nanjing University in 2009.  From September 2011 to February 2012, she travelled to Taiwan as part of an exchange program, starting to engage in independent writing of newspapers.  From September 2012 to May 2013, during her college years, she worked as a journalist at Hong Kong-based press media iSun Affairs, receiving Hong Kong’s 2012 Human Rights Press Awards for coverage of elections held in the Guangdong village of Wukan, along with the Hongkonger journalist Annie Zhang.   

In July 2013, she joined “Feminist Voices,” Chinese feminist independent media.  In October 2014, she appealed for the human rights of sex workers and indicted the Guangdong Provincial Public Security for disclosing information on custody and education, an incident called “the First Case of Seeking Accountability for Custody and Education.” 

In March 2015, the Chinese government detained five feminist activists, an incident called the “Feminist Five.”  Zhao Sile appealed for their release through writings and published her works in US magazine Foreign Policy and German magazine Der Spiegel with a circulation of more than a million.  After the end of the case, the Chinese feminist movement was suppressed.  Zhao Sile resigned from “Feminist Voices,” devoting herself to reporting the political suppression by the Chinese government and the social movement, receiving plenty of Hong Kong’s Human Rights Press Awards and an award “Excellence in Reporting on Women’s Issues” by the Society of Publishers in Asia.   

In 2017, the Taiwanese publisher Gusa Publishing published her book, entitled “Their Fighting History: Battles, Setbacks and Conflicts – Civil Awakening of Chinese Women.”

Winner of the Liu Xiaobo Courage to Write Award 2017 – Li Bifeng

Judges’ comments

Since 1989, the Chinese poet and writer Li Bifeng has been persecuted by his own country violently and put behind bars repeatedly as a political prisoner.  He has endured the plight for over 18 years.  He, now 53, spent a third of his lifetime in jail.

What makes us astonished and moved is a real independent poet and writer is never defeated by the Chinese government that framed and imprisoned him for dissident views.  Li Bifeng is just different from others.  He maintains his conscience and universal compassion, viewing confinement in prison as nothing due to his immense bravery and perseverance.  He treasures the importance of freedom, outlining his great ambitions through Chinese writings, completing a great number of works to describe agony and life in a vivid manner.  Despite a low circulation, his publications demonstrate a high level of moral values and power of words, placing a tremendous influence on society. Owing to his courageous actions and succession, Li Bifeng sets an example of the Liu Xiaobo Courage to Write Award in contemporary times.  In view of the above, the ICPC grants Li Bifeng the Liu Xiaobo Courage to Write Award. 

【Li Bifeng’s personal profile】

Li Bifeng was born in Mianyang, Sichuan, in 1964.  He is a poet and novelist, whose pen name is Feng Zi, and a Chinese political prisoner. 

Getting involved in the Tiananmen Square incident in 1989, he was sentenced to five years in prison for the “crime of instigating counter-revolutionary propaganda” by the Chinese authorities.  Investigating the labor movement for human rights groups in 1998, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for the “crime of economic fraud” by the Chinese authorities.  In 2005, he served out his sentence, and was released from jail.  In September 2011, he was abruptly again under criminal detention for getting involved in economic disputes by the Chinese authorities.  In November of the next year, he was jailed for 12 years for the “crime of contract fraud” by the court in the first instance.  He was dissatisfied with the sentence and filed an appeal.  The court ruled in second instance in June 2013 that the original sentence was changed by sentencing Li Bifeng 10 years in jail for the same crime.  He should serve his sentence until September 2021.  Some have speculated that his sentence is linked to his act, which the Chinese government alleges, of sponsoring the dissident writer Liao Yiwu to flee to Germany.

Since the 1990s, Li Bifeng has been persecuted and jailed for several times.  During the periods of being imprisoned and released, he stuck to his conscience as a writer, continuously completing his works of over a million words, including poetry, novels, jottings, dramas, and social investigations, with immense bravery and perseverance.  Most of his writings were seized by the Chinese authorities, and few of his writings were kept in the website set up by his friends living abroad, who attempt to save him.  In 2013, under the appeal by Liao Yiwu, a renowned Chinese writer in exile, the International Literature Festival Berlin lauded and promoted Li Bifeng’s spirit of writing with liberties, staging a campaign, called “Worldwide Reading for the Imprisoned Chinese Poet Li Bifeng,” in June 4, 2013.  Since then, Li’s plight has become well-known to people around the world.

At present, he is still serving his sentence in Jintang Prison in Sichuan, China.

Winner of the Free-to-Write Award 2017 – Poet Langzichn (now living in Guangzhou, China)

Winner of the Lin Zhao Memorial Award 2017 – Writer Zhao Sile (now living in Guangzhou, China and staying in Taipei, Taiwan)    

Winner of the Liu Xiaobo Courage to Write Award 2017 – Poet and Writer Li Bifeng (now imprisoned in Sichuan, China)

The ICPC granted Langzichn the Free-to-Write Award 2017 for the following reasons:

“Langzichn illustrates his consistent fight for freedom with his profound and straightforward writings, and especially in chaotic times, his resolute character proves that our aspirations for the future are likely to be accomplished.  Langzichn’s literary works, his poetry in particular, is a beacon of hope of troubled times.  He is anything but alone.  Circulated widely in society, his poetic justice will be definitely a symbol of warmth and humanity for the public.  In this regard, the ICPC decides to award the Free-to-Write Award 2017 to Langzichn in honor of his achievements in literature.” 

The ICPC granted Zhao Sile the Lin Zhao Memorial Award 2017 for the following reasons:

“As a young woman born in the late 1990s, Zhao Sile chooses to start on the path of individual action and dissident writing and is therefore suppressed by the Chinese authorities mercilessly.  Not only is she a thinker and writer, but she is also an activist.  As phenomenal as her male counterparts like Liu Xiaobo, Gao Zhisheng, Xu Zhiyong, Guo Yushan and Yi Renping, she and other outstanding women, including Ai Xiaoming, Ye Haiyan, Kou Yanding and Wang Qiaoling, not only battled against the autocratic regime, but also protested against prejudice with perseverance.”        

The ICPC granted Li Bifeng the Liu Xiaobo Courage to Write Award 2017 and commended him for the following reasons:

“Li Bifen is really an independent poet and writer who cannot be defeated by the Chinese government that puts citizens behind bars for their publications riddled with dissident views.  He maintains his conscience and universal compassion, viewing confinement in prison as nothing due to his immense bravery and perseverance.  He treasures the importance of freedom, outlining his great ambitions through Chinese writings, completing a great number of works to describe agony and life in a vivid manner.  Despite a low circulation, his publications demonstrate a high level of moral values and power of words, placing a tremendous influence on society.  Owing to his courageous actions and succession, Li Bifeng sets an example of the Liu Xiaobo Courage to Write Award in contemporary times.”  

    As poet Langzichn joined in a petition for overseas treatment of Liu Xiaobo to cure his canner and had interviews by foreign journalists in July 2017, he was under “executive detention” for 10 days by the Chinese authorities.  Further, he was accused of the crime of “criminal detention” that was cooked up by the Chinese authorities as composing the publication, entitled “Liu Xiaobo’s Memorial Poetry Anthology,” which is set to be published outside China.  The incident of the poet being convicted for poetry and literature received extensive coverage worldwide, igniting compassion and appeal from international writers and human rights groups.  After 35 days, he was released “on bail.” 

As a vital writer of feminist writings and feminist issues, Zhao Sile wrote the book, entitled “Their Fighting History: Battles, Setbacks and Conflicts – Civil Awakening of Chinese Women.”  The book was published in Taiwan this year, receiving favorable feedbacks from intellectuals and campaigners across the strait.  The book became one of the original works that are rare in Chinese-speaking communities, (especially in mainland China), and succeeded the work by Zeng Jinyan, entitled “Feminism and Genesis of the Citizen Intelligentsia in China,” deserving compliments and encouragement from individual writers. 

The ICPC also expects that the example of the imprisoned poet and writer Li Bifeng winning the award, encourages people among the Chinese-speaking communities, and even in the international society to pay more attention to writers who are violently treated and put behind bars by their own countries, especially those writing their plight in prison and demonstrating lofty thoughts through writings.

Since the three awards were established, the ICPC’s 2017 Free-to-Write Award, Lin Zhao Memorial Award and Liu Xiaobo Courage to Write Award have been granted 15, 13 and 7 times respectively.  The former winners of the three awards prior to this year’s awards are Chinese poet Wang Zang, Hong Kong-based writer Zeng Jinyan and dissident writer Chen Shuqing, now imprisoned in Hangzhou, China.  

The ICPC is expected to hold an award ceremony for the above three awards in the American East by the end of this year.  At that time, members of worldwide pen associations, representatives of Friends of LXB, writers, scholars and journalists from the US, representatives of PEN America, of PEN New England and of Freedom of Publication Community will be invited to attend the ceremony in person or watch it live.

記者、行動者還是作家？我只是個想問問題的人

——2017年林昭紀念獎獲獎感言

趙思樂

近日被告知自己獲得了獨立中文作家筆會頒發的「林昭紀念獎」，主辦方說，要寫個得獎感言，於是就決心趁此機會寫這篇文章。

剛得知獲獎時，我心裡有點慌慌的，因為「林昭」這個名字太沈重——她是一個因言論迫害而自殺於獄中的知識份子——說實話，我不想重複這樣的命運。但想想在我之前的獲獎者還有我十分敬重的艾曉明、唯色等作家，心裡就安慰一些：儘管她們都面臨種種壓力，但仍在持續且卓越地工作著。

在各種場合和社交媒體上，不時會有人走到我面前，對我說一句：「你好勇敢。」每當此時，我也是慌慌地，除了微笑說句「謝謝」，也不知該如何回應——因為覺得對方說的不是我。對自己寫的東西，我會願意使用「艱難」、「重要」、「珍貴」之類的詞，但不會是「勇敢」。

瞭解並書寫鎮壓和抗爭，對我而言好像是一件自然而然地開始而後持續的事，在這個過程中，我很少覺得自己是被某種道義推動去對抗什麼。我去採訪是因為想知道發生了什麼，是因為解答自己心裡的一個疑問：我該怎麼辦？

這裡的「我」，其實是「我們」，指的是與我同齡的、希望能生活在更平等自由的社會的、有興趣參與公共生活的年輕人。如果中國不民主化，「我們」是沒有未來和希望的。

所以我去瞭解中國的鎮壓和抗爭，想知道這些民間運動的道路，有沒有一條是有希望的、值得投身的。自己瞭解了之後，不把它們說出來、寫出來，會形成特別大的心裡負擔，覺得自己愧對如此多的幸運和信任——寫出來，我的責任至少在心裡上可以解脫一部分，所以我寫。

我的寫作其實是自己的探索的副產品，探索過中國的民間運動，我可能也會繼續去探索其他的場域，比如中國青年的狀態。

但回過頭來想想，或許林昭也是這樣，她在獄中的堅持書寫，是她的習慣，是她對自己的靈魂和思考的交代與排解，只是並未因會招致危險或身在獄中而停歇——這是每一個率真之人都會想做的事——想到這點，我對自己的作品能用於對林昭紀念感到榮幸，也感謝獨立中文作家筆會給予我這項殊榮。

最後，值得讚賞和榮光的是中國的抗爭者們，是今天被判刑的江天勇，是永遠看不到我寫的他的劉曉波，是我在獄中的朋友甄江華，是在服無期徒刑的伊力哈木，是我所有的受訪者們，還有許許多多不能暴露姓名的青年行動者⋯⋯但願所有的榮光都能最終歸於他／她們，都能最終推動我們所共同追求的事業。

浪子感謝獨立筆會（授予2017自由寫作獎）

轉自浪子臉書

独立笔会三奖颁布 刘霞命运再度引发关注

明鏡電視台直播（《藝術家》第24期）/中國華語作家自由創作的困境與勇氣

獨立中文作家筆會頒布

浪子、趙思樂、李必豐獲獨立筆會獎項

中央廣播電台「政經為人民服務──楊憲宏時間」

• 播出時間： 2017-11-21 22:30:00
• 主持人： 楊憲宏

獨立中文作家筆會發布2017年度三獎項獲獎者名單

2017年自由寫作獎獲得者：浪子

詩人浪子在廣州住所（獨立中文作家筆會提供圖片）
【授獎理由】

自1980年代末葉作為中學生詩人的浪子在中國粵西南的城鎮開始文學里程以來，30年的寫作生涯以不群、不羈、不屈的姿態，在中國當代寫作中獨樹一幟。

浪子以其富於穿透力的清晰文字表達了對於自由的不懈堅持，尤其在今天這個日益浮泛的時代，其決絕的姿態，證明我們對未來的想像並非遙不可及。浪子的文學寫作尤其是他的詩作，是投向這個時代的一線亮光，這一亮光絕非孤立無援，並勢將漫延匯入一片溫暖人心和人性的詩性正義之光。為此，獨立中文作家筆會決定將本年度的自由寫作獎授予浪子，以表彰他在文學上取得的成就。

【浪子簡介】

浪子，本名吳明良，1968年生於廣杔化州。1985年開始寫作，1988年開始發表作品；1993年出版首部詩集《回首已遠》。1995-2010年，先後在中國官方的改革派報刊《南風窗》雜誌、《南方都市報》、《源流》雜誌等多家媒體任職。2011年6月因參與「茉莉花」事件在廣州「被失蹤」兩周。

2011年出版詩集《無知之書》；2013-2016年主持編輯、出版非官方出版的獨立出版品「兩廣詩人年會詩選」多部；2016年8月至9月，以浪子作品為主體的「一種開端」綜合藝術展在廣州展出，他同時編印《一種開端》展覽圖錄。

因參與編選「劉曉波紀念詩集」，2017年8月18日在廣州被當局羅織罪名以涉「非法經營」為由「刑事拘留」，在國際壓力下，於9月22日以「取保候審」獲釋。現居廣州。

2017年林昭紀念獎獲得者：趙思樂

作家趙思樂和她的新書《她們的征途》（網絡圖片）

【授獎理由】

趙思樂是當下中國少有的一位在體制外以行動和寫作「直擊、迂迴與衝撞」拓展「中國女性的公民覺醒之路」的獨立思想者。作為年輕的90後女性，她選擇了一條受到國家無情打壓的寫作之路，她不只是一個思想者和書寫者，她也是一個行動者。她以和男性反抗者如劉曉波、高智晟、許志永、郭玉閃、益仁平等相對照的方式，深度刻劃了數位與之相輔相成、卻又各擅其長的杰出女性，她們不僅抵抗專制高牆，還要堅韌地和偏見及男性權力抗爭，如艾曉明、葉海燕、寇延丁、王峭嶺等。

趙思樂無愧於以思想之身擊牆而亡的杰出先驅女性林昭，故授予她——林昭紀念獎。

【趙思樂簡介】

趙思樂，女，1990年生於廣州。2009年入讀南京大學；2011年9月至2012年2月，作為交換學生赴台灣，開始從事獨立新聞寫作。

2012年9月至2013年5月，趙思樂在大學期間任香港《陽光時務》月刊記者時，與記者張潔平合作的廣杔烏坎村村民選舉系列報導獲2012年香港人權新聞獎。

2013年7月，趙思樂加入中國女權獨立媒體「女權之聲」。2014年10月，趙思樂為聲援性工作者人權，就收容教育信息公開問題起訴廣東省公安廳，被稱為「問責收容教育第一案」。

2015年3月，中國政府拘留五名女權人士，被稱為「女權五姊妹」案，趙思樂撰文為她們的釋放呼籲，撰文發表於美國《外交政策》（Foreign Policy）雙月刊和德國發行量逾百萬份的《明鏡週刊》（Der Spiegel）。案件結束後，中國女權運動受到打壓，趙思樂從「女權之聲」離職，專注於中國政治打壓和社會運動報導，獲多項香港人權新聞獎與一項亞洲出版協會卓越新聞獎。

2017年，台灣的八旗文化出版社出版了她的專著《她們的征途：直擊、迂迴與衝撞，中國女性的公民覺醒之路》。

2017年劉曉波寫作勇氣獎獲得者：李必豐

李必豐資料圖片（拍攝年月不詳。獨立中文作家筆會提供）

【授獎理由】

自1989年以來，詩人、作家李必豐作為政治犯而遭國家暴力持續迫害屢次入獄，受難時間累計已逾18年。今年53歲的他，獄中生涯佔去了他過去人生時光的三分之一以上。

令人驚異和感動的是，一個真正獨立不依的詩人、作家，在构陷和文網四布的中國未被擊倒——李必豐正是這樣一位罕見者，他秉持普世關懷的良知立場，以極大的膽識和毅力，視牢獄的殘酷拘囿於無形，他珍視自由的可貴，展開漢語寫作的偉大想像，寫下了直面苦難、直面人生的巨量作品，儘管流傳甚稀，但他的寫作所具有的道義高度和文本能量，他的踐行與承繼，是劉曉波寫作勇氣的同時代典範。緣此，獨立中文作家筆會將劉曉波寫作勇氣獎授予李必豐。

【李必豐簡介】

李必豐，1964年生，四川綿陽人。筆名豐子，詩人、小說家，中國在押政治犯。

1989年曾因天安門民主運動，被當局以「反革命宣傳煽動罪」被判刑5年入獄服刑；1998年因替人權組織調查工運情況，被當局以「經濟詐騙罪」判處有期徒刑7年；2005年，刑滿出獄。2011年9月，突然被當局以涉嫌經濟糾紛案再次刑事拘留；次年11月被當局以「合同詐騙罪」一審判處有期徒刑12年；其不服上訴，2013年6月當局二審裁決，其被以同一罪名改判為有期徒刑10年，刑期至2021年9月；據知，其本次被判與當局認為他資助異議作家廖亦武逃亡德國有關。

李必豐自1990年代以來多次遭迫害服刑，獄中及在獲釋期間，他秉持作家的良知立場，以極大的膽識和毅力，先後完成數百萬字的詩歌、小說、隨筆、戲劇和社會調查等創作。他的寫作文稿絕大部分被當局收繳，極少部分保存在海外友人為營救他而建立的網站中。2013年，在著名流亡作家廖亦武呼籲下，柏林國際文學節（Internationales Literatur Festival）為表彰和弘揚李必豐的自由寫作精神，曾於6月4日發起「還李必豐自由全球朗讀」活動，他的遭遇始為人知。

目前李必豐仍在四川省金堂監獄服刑。

博讯/北京时间2017/11/20