While not overtly or excessively critical, her firsthand account from inside the sealed city has at times contradicted officially sanctioned information, and she is clear on her belief that free expression is essential for both public safety and dealing with trauma. Early on, in anticipation of imminent state propaganda efforts, Fang Fang implored her fellow writers to think twice if asked to praise the government: “You will likely be asked to write celebratory essays and poems. Please pause before you write – who do you want to praise?”
fredag 24. april 2020
TRANSLATION: BACKLASH TO WUHAN DIARY “REVEALS A SERIOUS PROBLEM SOCIETY MUST CORRECT”
Born, raised, and based in Wuhan, writer Fang Fang began her first hand chronicles of life in the original epicenter of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on January 25—two days after authorities launched an unprecedented lockdown in the city. Many of her daily entries, collectively known as the “Wuhan Diary,” have been censored amid authorities’ struggles to control the narrative surrounding the disease and government response, and her Weibo was temporarily suspended in February.
While not overtly or excessively critical, her firsthand account from inside the sealed city has at times contradicted officially sanctioned information, and she is clear on her belief that free expression is essential for both public safety and dealing with trauma. Early on, in anticipation of imminent state propaganda efforts, Fang Fang implored her fellow writers to think twice if asked to praise the government: “You will likely be asked to write celebratory essays and poems. Please pause before you write – who do you want to praise?”
While not overtly or excessively critical, her firsthand account from inside the sealed city has at times contradicted officially sanctioned information, and she is clear on her belief that free expression is essential for both public safety and dealing with trauma. Early on, in anticipation of imminent state propaganda efforts, Fang Fang implored her fellow writers to think twice if asked to praise the government: “You will likely be asked to write celebratory essays and poems. Please pause before you write – who do you want to praise?”
