Wang Lixiong (, born 2 May 1953) is a Chinese writer and scholar, best known for his political prophecy fiction, ''
Yellow Peril
The Yellow Peril (also the Yellow Terror and the Yellow Specter) is a racial color metaphor that depicts the peoples of East and Southeast Asia as an existential danger to the Western world. As a psychocultural menace from the Eastern world ...
'', and for his writings on Tibet and provocative analysis of China's western region of
Xinjiang
Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwes ...
.
Wang is regarded as one of the most outspoken dissidents, democracy activists, and reformers in China. He is married to
Woeser
Tsering Woeser (also written Öser; ; , Han name Chéng Wénsà 程文萨; born 1966) is a Tibetan writer, activist, blogger, poet and essayist.
Biography
Woeser, a quarter Han Chinese and three quarters Tibetan, was born in Lhasa. Her grandfathe ...
, a
Tibetan
Tibetan may mean:
* of, from, or related to Tibet
* Tibetan people, an ethnic group
* Tibetan language:
** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard
** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken diale ...
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...
and essayist.
Early life and education
Wang Lixiong was born in 1953 at
Changchun
Changchun (, ; ), also romanized as Ch'angch'un, is the capital and largest city of Jilin Province, People's Republic of China. Lying in the center of the Songliao Plain, Changchun is administered as a , comprising 7 districts, 1 county and 3 ...
in
Jilin province
Jilin (; alternately romanized as Kirin or Chilin) is one of the three provinces of Northeast China. Its capital and largest city is Changchun. Jilin borders North Korea ( Rasŏn, North Hamgyong, Ryanggang and Chagang) and Russia (Prim ...
. His mother was a playwright with the
Changchun Film Group Corporation
Changchun Film Studio Group Corporation () is a Chinese film production company in Changchun. It is one of the studios transitioned from the 1940s, and has been considered one of the cornerstones of the Chinese film industry.
Early history
The ...
and his father, Wang Shaolin, was the vice president of China First Automobile Works, and committed suicide in 1968 after being imprisoned during the
Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goa ...
.
Wang was sent to countryside for four years from 1969 to 1973 following
Mao Zedong's Down to the Countryside Movement
The Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside Movement, often known simply as the Down to the Countryside Movement, was a policy instituted in the People's Republic of China between mid 1950s and 1978. As a result of what he perceived to ...
. In 1973, he was admitted into
Jilin University of Technology, and was assigned to work in China First Automobile Works after graduation.
Writings
In 1991, ''
Yellow Peril
The Yellow Peril (also the Yellow Terror and the Yellow Specter) is a racial color metaphor that depicts the peoples of East and Southeast Asia as an existential danger to the Western world. As a psychocultural menace from the Eastern world ...
'' was published by Mirror Books under pseudonym Bao Mi (Mandarin for "Kept Secret"), painted an apocalyptic scenario in which civil war erupts between north and south China - with Nationalist-ruled Taiwan backing the south - and ends in nuclear conflict and millions of starving refugees spilling across borders. For years, the author of one of the best-selling novels in the Chinese-speaking world was known simply to readers as "Bao Mi", for Wang’s own protection because he broke taboos and spelled China's doomsday. ''
Yellow Peril
The Yellow Peril (also the Yellow Terror and the Yellow Specter) is a racial color metaphor that depicts the peoples of East and Southeast Asia as an existential danger to the Western world. As a psychocultural menace from the Eastern world ...
'' was recently translated into English as ''China Tidal Wave''.
Beginning with his solitary adventure rafting across Tibet plateau along the upper reaches of
Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He (Chinese: , Mandarin: ''Huáng hé'' ) is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the sixth-longest river system in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Ha ...
in 1984, and after more than a decade study of Tibet during which he had been to Tibet dozens of times and lived in that region for more than two years, Wang finished his book ''Sky Burial: The Fate of Tibet'' in 1998. The book, with the honest and unbiased views through investigation of histories, detailed analysis of issues and comprehensive supporting data, immediately won him high regards from both the supporters of Chinese government and followers of The Dalai Lama, and became a mandate in Tibet study.
From 1991 to 1994, he wrote a book of political theory, ''Dissolving Power: A Successive Multi-Level Electoral System'', which drew tremendous disruptive responses although he himself valued it the most – some believed it offers a promising solution that China could and should adopt for a smooth transition towards democracy, some think it is purely a dream of utopia.
After ten more years of further study in progressive democracy, he completed another political theory book ''Bottom up Democracies'' in 2006. Realizing that it is not possible to promote his theory in China and make it a political reality, he started to research on internet development trying to find the linchpin which will connect his theory with real world.
Social activities
In 1994, Wang Lixiong initiated as one of the founders ''The Friends of Nature'', an environment protection organization, the first non-governmental organization in China, was forced to resign in 2003 on the request from Chinese government.
To support
Tenzin Delek Rinpoche
Lithang Tulku Tenzin Delek Rinpoche or Tenzing Deleg () (1950 – 2015) was a Tibetan Buddhist leader from Garze, Sichuan. He is also known for working to develop social, medical, educational and religious institutions for Tibetan nomads in eas ...
, an important Tibetan Lama of the region of Litang who was accused of being involved in a bomb attack and sentenced to death penalty, On December 13, 2002 Wang Lixiong and 24 other Chinese intellectuals issued a petition requesting the right to appoint independent lawyers for Rinpoche's trial, as well as the right for local and international media to cover the trial and interview Chinese government officials; in addition, the petition called for representatives of the Tibetan community in exile to attend the proceedings.
In 2001, Wang issued a public statement on his decision to resign from
Chine Writers Association: “It is not only acquiescence which is demanded, but also the annihilation of the whole personality, of all conscience and of all individual pride, that we are being made into crouching dogs. Belonging to this organization is no longer an honor, on the contrary, is a shame of any writer worthy of the name”.
Believing that the Dalai Lama is the key to resolve the issues of Tibet
Wang Lixiong, together with other Chinese intellectuals, strongly urged Chinese authorities to take the
Middle Way
The Middle Way ( pi, ; sa, ) as well as "teaching the Dharma by the middle" (''majjhena dhammaṃ deseti'') are common Buddhist terms used to refer to two major aspects of the Dharma, that is, the teaching of the Buddha.; my, အလယ်� ...
approach proposed by the Dalai Lama into serious consideration as it showed the deepest sincerity from the Dalai lama, should be treated as the basis for any further negotiations for the future of Tibet. He was invited 4 times to meet with the Dalai Lama with regard to this matter. His analysis of
Middle Way
The Middle Way ( pi, ; sa, ) as well as "teaching the Dharma by the middle" (''majjhena dhammaṃ deseti'') are common Buddhist terms used to refer to two major aspects of the Dharma, that is, the teaching of the Buddha.; my, အလယ်� ...
was elaborated in his work ''Unlocking Tibet''.
And his meeting with the Dalai Lama was documented in his article ''Dialogues with the Dalai Lama''.
In the wake of Tibet riot on 3/10/2008, Wang, with the support from the pro-democracy activities in China, urged the Chinese government to invite UN investigators to Tibet to change the international community’s distrust of China, and on March 22, 2008, issued a 12-point petition about the situation in Tibet.
Arrest and imprisonment
Wang first began to study
Xinjiang
Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwes ...
in 1999. When conducting research for a book following the same suit of ''Sky Burial: The Fate of Tibet'', he was arrested for photocopying an internal publication - stamped as “secret” - of
Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps
The Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (), also known as XPCC or Bingtuan ("The Corps"), is a state-owned economic and paramilitary organization in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).
In its history, the XPCC has built ...
. Refusing to recant or promise collaboration in order to obtain his release, he attempted suicide in the high-security prison in Miquan . He recorded the incident in a short essay entitled ''Memories of
Xinjiang
Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwes ...
''published in 2001. In prison, he shared a cell with a Uyghur prisoner arrested in Beijing for organizing a demonstration protesting discrimination (Mokhtar), with whom he entered into a long and ongoing discussion on
Xinjiang
Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwes ...
which formed the backbone of his book ''My West China; Your East Turkestan'' published in 2007. In this book, Wang concluded that
Xinjiang
Xinjiang, SASM/GNC: ''Xinjang''; zh, c=, p=Xīnjiāng; formerly romanized as Sinkiang (, ), officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China (PRC), located in the northwes ...
’s issues had dangerously “Palestinized.” The
Xinjiang riot in July 2009 proved his fear.
Wang would be placed under house arrest whenever there were sensitive incidents or events. i.e. the outbreak of anti-Chinese protests in Tibet in March 2008.
Awards and honors
2009
Light of Truth Award
The Light of Truth Award is a human rights award which is presented nearly annually by the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), an NGO aiming for the promotion of democracy and human rights for the Tibetan people. The award is presented since 1 ...
honored by the Dalai Lama on behalf of ICT
2007 Honorary membership, Chinese Studies Association of New Zealand
2003 Hellman-Hammett Grants, Human Rights Watch
2002 Freedom of Expression Award, Independent Chinese Pen Association
2002 Visiting Scholarship, US Congress
1999 The 100 Most Influential Chinese Novels in 20th Century (Yellow Peril ranked 41st), Asia Weekly
Works
Books
2009 ''Voices from Tibet'' (), Lotus Publishing (co-authored with Tsering Woeser)
2009 ''Sky Burial: The Fate of Tibet
2nd Edition (), Lotus Publishing
2009 ''The Struggle for Tibet'', Verso Publishing (co-authored with Tsering Shakya)
2008 ''China Tidal Wave '' (English edition of Yellow Peril translated by Anton Platero), Global Oriental Ltd.
2008 ''Yellow Peril'', New Century Edition (), Lotus Publishing
2007 ''The Ceremony'' (), Da kuai wen Publishing
2007 ''My West China; Your East Turkestan'' (), Lotus Publishing
2006 ''Bottom-up Democracy'' (), Lotus Publishing
2006 ''Unlocking Tibet
Tersey Tsultim Publishing
2002 ''Dialogue with Dalai Lama'', Renjian Publishing
2002 ''The Spiritual Journey of a Free Soul'', China Movie Publishing
1998 ''Dissolving Power: A Successive Multi-Level Electoral System'' (), Mirror Books Publishing
1998 ''Sky Burial: The Destiny of Tibet'' (), Mirror Books Publishing
1991 ''Yellow Peril '' (), Mirror Books Publishing
1988 ''Drifting'' (), Huacheng Publishing
1984 ''Gate to Heaven'' (), Huacheng Publishing
Major essays
2010
Democracy 2.0 - From Direct Democracy to Vector Democracy民主2.0——从数量民主到矢量民主
2008 ''History of Tibetan-Chinese Relations '' ()
2008 ''Roadmap of Tibet Independence'' ()
2009 ''Mappō'' ()
2004 ''The Two Types of Imperialism That Tibet Encounters'' ()
2002 ''Reflections on Tibet'
()
2000 ''A Successive Multilevel Electoral System vs. a Representative Democratic System: Comparison on Resolutions for Tibet Issues '' ()
Columnist contribution
*2004–Present: ''Radio Free Asia'', Washington D.C.
*2002: ''
Ming Pao
''Ming Pao'' () is a Chinese-language newspaper published by Media Chinese International in Hong Kong. In the 1990s, ''Ming Pao'' established four overseas branches in North America; each provides independent reporting on local news and colle ...
'', Hong Kong
External links
Wang Lixiong's English BlogThe repository of Wang Lixiong's Articles族群对话与新媒体Entryin
The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (SFE) is an English language reference work on science fiction, first published in 1979. It has won the Hugo Award, Hugo, Locus Award, Locus and BSFA Award, British SF Awards. Two print editions appeared ...
Notes and references
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wang, Lixiong
1953 births
Living people
Tibetan Buddhists from China
Jilin University alumni
Writers from Changchun
Chinese male novelists
People's Republic of China novelists