Yu Jie

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Yu Jie

Yu Jie ( Chinese  余杰 , Pinyin Yú Jĭe ; born October 3, 1973 in Chengdu , Sichuan , China ) is a Chinese author and human rights activist . Yu is a best-selling author of more than 30 books. Yu was described by The New York Review of Books in 2012 as "one of China's greatest essayists and critics."

Yu was active in the Chinese dissident movement and was arrested and allegedly tortured in 2010 because of his friendship with Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo and because he named Prime Minister Wen Jiabao as the best actor in China in a critical biography . After more than a year of house arrest , Yu immigrated to the United States with his family in January 2012 . Later that year he received the Civil Courage Prize from the Train Foundation .

After finishing school in the People's Republic of China , Yu began studying literature. As an author he publishes his works in Hong Kong . He is co-founder of the Chinese center of the international writers' guild PEN , which advocates freedom of speech and freedom of publication.

Life and writing career

Originally from Chengdu, Yu Jie attended Peking University and majored in modern Chinese literature .

His first book, Fire and Ice , included extensive political and social criticism. After its publication in 1999, Yu became a "literary sensation". In the same year he met and made friends with the democracy activist Liu Xiaobo and became active in the Chinese dissident movement. As part of his work with Liu, Yu read and commented on drafts of the Charter 08 Democracy Manifesto and helped set up the independent PEN center.

Yu became a bestselling author in China and by 2012 had written more than 30 books. However, his criticism of the government eventually led to his works being banned in mainland China .

In 2004, Yu published "Apologies to Tibet" (向 西藏 忏悔) on the Boxun community website. In it, he expressed regret for China's rule over Tibet and praised the efforts of monk Palden Gyatso , who campaigned for independence. His play has been criticized by Chinese internet users and pinned down by foreign students in Los Angeles for attacking "national unity". Yu dismissed these critics as an angry, brainwashed youth. Yu Jie also promotes Sino-Japanese relations , the US invasion of Iraq, and freedom of religion for Christians in China after he joined Christianity himself.

Arrested in 2010

Yu Jie was arrested by security officers in July 2010 to discuss his upcoming book China's Best Actor: Wen Jiabao , which Yu was planning to publish in Hong Kong . Officials called it "an offensive criticism" from the Chinese prime minister. The book argued that Wen's warm, compassionate public figure was simply a facade and that he shared the same goals as other Chinese leaders. According to Yu, an officer reportedly said that his book "would violate national security and the national interest." And if it were released, Yu would likely be imprisoned for "many years." Yu published the book in August.

On October 8, 2010, Yu's friend Liu Xiaobo was named the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize . Yu was placed under house arrest on October 13, allegedly for planning to write a biography of Liu and for publishing the book China's Best Actor . Yu later wrote that during that time, "I was tortured by the country's secret police and almost lost my life." According to Yu, he was stripped naked, burned with cigarettes, and beaten until he was hospitalized.

Yu's house arrest and the associated travel ban lasted until January 2012, after which he and his family emigrated to the United States. After emigrating, he submitted a nine-page report to the United States Department of State and the UN Human Rights Council detailing his alleged torture. Yu said that he would continue to write Liu's biography and was working on a new biography of Chinese President Hu Jintao , titled "Hu Jintao: Cold-Blooded Tyrant" (Hu Jintao: Cold-Blooded Tyrant).

Private

Yu Jie is married to Liu Min and has one son, Yu Guangyi. He converted to Christianity in 2003, and in China, Yu was a member of a Chinese house church .

Awards and honors

In 2012, Yu Jie was named the 2012 Civil Courage Prize winner by the Train Foundation, headquartered in the United States . The award recognizes people who have “steadfastly resisted evil at great personal risk - instead of military bravery”. The award comes with a $ 50,000 fee. Yu was the first Chinese person to receive this award, and he said he hoped the award would encourage China's dissidents.

Major works

  • Fire and Ice (1998), Economy Daily Press, China.
  • Screams within Iron House (1998), Chinese Industry & Commerce Syndicate Press.
  • Fire and Ice (1999), ( Hong Kong edition), Cosmos Books.
  • To Say, or not to Say (1999), Culture and Art Publishing House.
  • Awkward Times (1999), YueLu Publishing House.
  • Civilization Pain (1999), (Self Anthology), Bai Hua Publishing House.
  • Fly the Wings (2000), China Film Publishing House.
  • The Road of Wandering Heros - The Mind History of the Transformation Intellectuals in our times (2009), Taiwan Linking Publishing Co.
  • China's Best Actor: Wen Jiabao (2010), New Century Publishing Co.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Ian Johnson, China's 'Fault Lines': Yu Jie on His New Biography of Liu Xiaobo , The New York Review of Books, July 14, 2012, accessed August 25, 2017
  2. ↑ China: author Yu Jie, critical of the regime, leaves the country
  3. ^ A b c d Edward Wong, From Virginia Suburb, a Dissident Chinese Writer Continues His Mission , The New York Times, February 25, 2012, accessed August 25, 2017
  4. ↑ China threatens dissident writer Yu Jie with prison , BBC News, July 6, 2010, accessed August 25, 2017
  5. ↑ a b c d Michael Wines, China Seeks to Halt Book That Faults Its Prime Minister , The New York Times, July 6, 2010, accessed August 25, 2017
  6. ↑ 余杰, 向 西藏 忏悔, Yu Jie, Confession to Tibet , Boxun.com, June 25, 2004, accessed August 25, 2017
  7. ↑ Yu Jie, Reign of Terror on the Tibetan Plateau Reading Woeser's Forbidden Memory , China Perspectives, pp. 104-108, 2008, accessed August 25, 2017
  8. ↑ a b c Edward Wong, China: Dissident Author Flees to US ., The New York Times, January 18, 2012, accessed August 25, 2017
  9. ↑ a b Book critical of Chinese PM Wen Jiabao goes on sale , BBC News, August 16, 2010, accessed August 25, 2017
  10. ↑ a b Yu Jie, The myth of China as a harmless tiger , The Washington Post, February 13, 2012, accessed August 25, 2017
  11. ↑ a b William Wan, Chinese dissident details alleged torture , The Washington Post, January 18, 2012, accessed August 25, 2017
  12. ↑ a b Hsiao Boa-hsiang, Sofia Wu, Chinese dissident writer wins Civil Courage Prize , Focus Taiwan, July 17, 2012, accessed August 25, 2017
  13. ^ Edmund Burke, Civil Courage Prize , Civil Courage Prize, 2012, accessed August 25, 2017
  14. ↑ To say, or Not To say (Chinese: 说 ， 还是 不 说), Cosmos Books HK, 2010, (in Chinese), accessed August 25, 2017
  15. ↑ Awkward Times (Chinese: 尴尬 时代), yueluhistory.com, 2010, (in Chinese), accessed August 25, 2017
  16. ↑ Civilization Pain ( Memento of the original from April 21, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Chinese: 文明 的 创 痛), bhpubl.com, 2010, (in Chinese) accessed August 25, 2017  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bhpubl.com.cn
  17. ↑ 异议 作家 余杰 ： 按原 计划 出版 新书 (China dissident writer Yu Jie: according to the original plan to publish his new book), (in Chinese), Voice of America, July 6, 2010
personal data
SURNAME Yu, Jie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES 余杰 (Chinese)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Chinese author and human rights activist
DATE OF BIRTH 3rd October 1973
PLACE OF BIRTH Chengdu , Sichuan , People's Republic of China