Poet Held in Southern China Over Planned Poetry Anthology Remembering Liu Xiaobo
Wu Mingliang at a police station in Guangzhou in an undated photo. Photo courtesy of an RFA listener
Authorities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong have criminally detained a poet after he compiled an anthology to commemorate late Nobel peace laureate and dissident Liu Xiaobo, who died last month of liver cancer in police custody.
Wu Mingliang, 49, known by his pen-name Langzi, was detained in Guangdong’s provincial capital Guangzhou on Aug. 18 on suspicion of “illegal business activity.”
A copy of his initial statement showed that he was interviewed by “law enforcement from the Haizhu District State Administration for Press and Publications, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT).
“It is our intention to begin an investigation based on your suspected violation of rules and regulations pertaining to publications,” the officer told Wu. “Do you understand?”
“I understand,” Wu replied, according to the record, before giving his name, date and city of birth.
“They detained him using charges of illegal business activity,” Independent Chinese PEN co-founder Bei Ling told RFA on Tuesday. “It is clear that the Chinese government doesn’t want to see any poems commemorating Liu Xiaobo … published.”
‘Writer of conscience’
Fellow poet Meng Lang, who had been working on plans for the same anthology alongside Wu, said he is a “writer of conscience.”
“In early July, I started to gather together an anthology with the help of my friends who are writers and poets,” Meng said. “Langzi was among those who took part.”
“Langzi has since been detained because he helped with the editing selection of the poems, as well as writing a poem himself to commemorate Liu Xiaobo,” he said.
Meng said he believes the anthology is entirely appropriate, given that Liu was a writer who also wrote poetry.
“The government should encourage this, not suppress it,” he said.
A friend of Wu’s who asked to remain anonymous said the authorities had yet to issue any formal notification of Wu’s detention, however.
“I haven’t seen the notification of criminal detention yet because they haven’t made it public,” the friend said. “I think this has to do with Liu Xiaobo.”
Gong Xinhua in an undated photo. Credit: RFA listener
Rights activist detained
Meanwhile, authorities in the eastern province of Jiangxi have detained rights activist Gong Xinhua on suspicion of “picking quarrels and stirring up trouble,” his friends told RFA.
“They said he is being held under criminal detention … I heard he was detained in Guangzhou and brought back from there,” Zhang Zanning said.
Another associate of Gong’s surnamed Yang said he had hoped to find a job in the city.
“I called the police station and they said he is under criminal detention, but that they were planning to have him diagnosed with a mental health problem,” he said. “The results of the psychiatric examination aren’t out yet, and they haven’t sent him to the psychiatric unit yet.”
But online posts said Gong is being targeted by the authorities for advocating a more democratic form of government online.
Reported by Qiao Long for RFA’s Mandarin Service, and by Hai Nan for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Also, this is circulating via email:
Guangzhou Poet Lang Zi arrested in connection with editing memorial poems for Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo
Independent Chinese PEN Center urgent appeal and call for the immediate release of Lang Zi
August 22, 2017
The Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC) recently learned from sources in Guangzhou that poet Lang Zi (Wu Mingliang) was arrested in Guangzhou under the charge of “illegal business operations (publishing),” personal items including his computer, were confiscated from his residence. Lang Zi had just been released from “administrative detention,” where spent 10 days starting July 1st. In less than 50 days, he was arrested by authorities again. ICPC expresses its deepest concern. Bei Ling, president of ICPC, urges Guangdong authorities to publicly explain the reason for his arrest. The rights of every Chinese citizen to write, edit and publish literary creations need to be protected. Poet and ICPC member Lang Zi’s individual freedom needs to be restored.
ICPC is aware that local authorities entered into LangZi’s private residence in Guangzhou on August 18th and arrested poet Lang Zi, he is now under “criminal detention”. Human Rights lawyers have now taken his case.
On June 2017, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo was diagnosed with terminal cancer and granted medical parole, in July Liu died in custody, immediately cremated and his ashes spread in the sea, his widow Liu Xia remains missing. Chinese writers and poets in China or in exile voiced their support for Liu Xiaobo with their writing upon suddenly learning of his disease and eventual death. Liu Xiaobo was also a member of ICPC. Out of humanitarian concern and in the spirit of freedom of expression, fellow writers at ICPC were deeply concerned about the condition and fate of Liu Xiaobo and his wife Liu Xia. Lang Zi was just one among them, he did not stop writing out of conviction, upholding his moral ground. Lang Zi was also participating in the preparation and editing of a collection of poems dedicated to Liu Xiaobo.
According to one of our member’s analysis, the most probably reason for poet Lang Zi’s second arrest within 50 days is because of his involvement in the collection of poems in Liu Xiaobo’s memory. ICPC emphasizes that writing, editing and publishing works, regardless if they are related to Liu Xiaobo or not, is every writers’ duty and responsibility, Articles 35 and 47 of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China guarantee freedom of expression, poet Lang Zi should be released immediately.
Lang Zi, (Wu Mingliang), was born in 1968 in Huazhou, Guangdong province, is a poet, columnist, former media worker and member of ICPC. His work includes “The Book of Ignorance” （无知之书 Wu Zhi Zhi Shu）, “Maps in lost” （走失的地图 Zou Shi De Di Tu）. He compiled “Song of Pollia Japonica: Selected Poems of Dong Dangzi” （东荡子诗选：杜若之歌）and others. He is the founding editor of “Chinese-Western Poetry Magazine” （杂志：中西诗歌）. Lang Zi lives in Guangzhou and is a professional writer.
Posted by Magnus Fiskesjö <[email protected]>
Source: Radio Free Asia (8/22/17)
美國俄亥俄州立大學(The Ohio State University)《中国现代文学与文化》MCLC Resource Center網站，2017/8/23
2017/8/23
