ICPC Awards Two Chinese
Writers for Freedom of Expression

Press Release

Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC)

2005-12-21

Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC) announced yesterday (December 20) in Beijing, China that ICPC¡¯s 2005 Freedom to Write Award, the third time of the award since it was established in 2002, been given to Mr. Wu Si, a writer in Beijing, for his persistent writing with free spirit, and ICPC¡¯s 2005 Lin Zhao Memorial Award, just set up this year, to Ms. Lu Xuesong, a 32-year-old university teacher in Jilin province, China, for her courageous effort to promote freedom of expression in her teaching.

ICPC is a chapter of International PEN and works for promoting free Chinese literature and defending freedom of expression for the literary workers in Chinese worldwide, particularly to develop itself as a real NGO in China. Half of ICPC¡¯s members are based in China¡¯s mainland, while other half overseas, spreading from North America and Europe to East Asia and Australia.

Wu Si was born in Beijing in 1959. After graduated from Department of Chinese Language and Literature of China People¡¯s University in 1982, he became journalist at Peasants¡¯ Daily. From 1993 to 1996 he was vice-director of the international magazine Bridge, and also editor-in-chief of its Chinese version. Since 1996, he has been executive editor-in-chief of the famous magazine Yanhuang Chunqiu (Chinese History). In recent years, he has published several books with nationwide influence, particularly among intellectuals, such as Rise and Fall of Chen Yonggui in Zhongnanhai ¨C an Experiment to Reform China (2001), Unspoken Roles: Real Games in Chinese History (2002), A Blood Rewarding Law: Survival Games in Chinese History (2004), etc.

Lin Zhao was a girl student in university in 1950s. After she proclaimed freedom of expression and openly criticized the Communist Party¡¯s dictatorship, she was imprisoned for many years and eventually executed. ICPC has set up a memorial award on her behalf this year in order to honour and encourage those young intellectuals who follow Lin Zhao as a model to promote freedom of expression. Lu Xusong was born in Changchun City, Jilin Province in 1973. From 1996 to 2001 she studied at the Literature College of Jilin University, and then becomes a teacher of dramatic literature and history of Chinese films at Jilin College of Fine Arts. In the spring of 2005 she showed her students a document film Seeking Lin Zhao¡¯s Spirit in her teaching and praised Lin Zhao on her struggle for freedom. For such teaching of hers, the university authority took off her duty to teach, and even suited her for a trial. But Lu Xuesong wrote an open letter to the college principal to defend her right and to freedom of expression, which among others has showed her courageous spirit in the current suppressive circumstance in China. This event has made a nationwide response as well.

The nomination for these two awards started in August among ICPC members. ICPC¡¯s Freedom to Write Committee made the primary selection and evaluation. Of 5 candidates including Liao Yiwu, Wang Jianhui, Wu Si, Zhang Lin (in prison) and Yang Chunguang (died in October), all in China. Candidates for Lin Zhao Memorial Awards included Jing Wa, a poet living in California, Lu Xusong and Yang Yinbo in China. The final decision was made by the ICPC board through voting.