Fang Fang (),

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

of Wang Fang (; born 11 May 1955), is a Chinese writer, known for her literary depictions of the working poor. She won the Lu Xun Literary Prize in 2010. Born in Nanjing, she attended Wuhan University in 1978 to study Chinese. In 1975, she began to write poetry and in 1982, her first novel was published. She has since written several novels, some of which have been honored by Chinese national-level literary prizes. Fang garnered international attention for her ''Wuhan Diary,'' documenting the early stages of the

COVID-19 pandemic in China The COVID-19 pandemic in China is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). China was the first country to experience an outbreak of the dis ...

, and has used her platform to call for an end to

internet censorship in China Internet censorship in the People's Republic of China (PRC) affects both publishing and viewing online material. Many controversial events are censored from news coverage, preventing many Chinese citizens from knowing about the actions of th ...

Wuhan Diary

During the

2020 Hubei lockdowns On 23 January 2020, the central government of China imposed a lockdown in Wuhan and other cities in Hubei in an effort to quarantine the center of an outbreak of COVID-19; this action was commonly referred to as the Wuhan lockdown (). The Worl ...

, Fang Fang used social media to share her ''Wuhan Diary'' (), a daily account of life in the locked-down city of Wuhan. In addition to her own writing, ''Wuhan Diary'' utilized anonymous interviews with other people in the city. The account drew international public attention. In the west, Fang Fang was met with almost unanimously positive reaction. Fang Fang’s publishing house, HarperCollins mentions that her work is a display of courage to expose social injustice, corruption and sociopolitical problems that hindered the response to the pandemic.

Criticism

Fang Fang—a member of

China Writers Association China Writers Association or Chinese Writers Association (CWA, ) is a subordinate people's organization of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC). Founded in July 1949, the organization was initially named the China National Liter ...

and the former chairwoman of the officially affiliated Hubei Writers’ Association—was considered to be a "politically trustworthy figure". However, her daily diary entries that were posted on

Weibo Weibo may refer to: * Microblogging in China, or China-based microblogging services (), including: ** NetEase Weibo (), launched by NetEase ** People's Weibo (), launched by ''People's Daily'' ** Phoenix Weibo (), launched by Phoenix Television ** W ...

, during the

, were met harsh criticism and ridicule by Chinese netizens. One of Fang Fang's critics is

Zhang Boli Zhang Boli (, born 1959) is a Chinese dissident. Biography Zhang Boli was born in Wangkui County, Heilongjiang Province. He worked as a journalist after graduating from a three-year college in Heilongjiang Province. He attended a short trai ...

—a Tradtional Chinese Medicine physician— who spent 82 days working in Wuhan's front lines. Zhang criticized those who had expressed "distorted values," including Fang Fang, in an online speech he gave on May 12, 2020, about the national struggle to fight the virus. Fang Fang then contacted Zhang on Weibo for an apology, which prompted a heated debate on the social media platform. Netizens argued that Fang Fang, who resided in her villa and posting her diary online, did not have as much credibility compared to Zhang, who was a doctor in the front lines. In ''

Wuhan Diary ''Wuhan Diary'' () is an online diary written by Chinese writer Fang Fang about the life of the people of Wuhan, China during the Wuhan lockdown during efforts to quarantine the center of an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) an ...

'' (2020), and also other sources, Fang Fang continuously insists that her diary is not in any way aimed against the Chinese government. In an interview for Caixin, she makes a point that "there’s no tension between me and the country, and my book will only help the country" and that her "diary is by no means about the so-called negative things in China or deliberately peddling misery as misinterpreted by extremists. They take it out of context" Within China, Fang Fang has faced criticism, being labelled as a liar and "traitor" by users on social media platforms such as

due to her perceived criticism of the Chinese government. She has continued writing, however, despite the fact that some of her works have been blocked from publication.

Awards

Fang Fang was on the list of the BBC's 100 Women announced on 23 November 2020.

Translated works (English)

*'' Wuhan Diary: Dispatches from a Quarantined City'', translated by Michael Berry, HarperCollins, 2020. *''The Walls of Wuchang'', translated by Olivia Milburn, Sinoist Books, 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fang, Fang 1955 births BBC 100 Women Writers from Nanjing Living people Wuhan University alumni Chinese women short story writers Chinese short story writers People's Republic of China short story writers Short story writers from Jiangsu Chinese bloggers Chinese women bloggers Chinese diarists Women diarists

Wuhan Diary

Criticism

Awards

Translated works (English)

See also

References