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记“跑龙套”的民运斗士

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——范子良先生

作者:司空先让 (来自杭州)
编辑:张宇 责任编辑:侯改英 校对:程筱筱 翻译:刘芳

我与范子良先生认识是在二十四年前,一个噩梦般的地方——浙江十里坪劳教所。

浙江十里坪劳教所位于与江西交界的衢州龙游县湖镇。

该劳教所主要是一个以压榨劳教劳动力换取出口创汇产品的地方,这里生产名牌“新力”羊毛衫,还做打火机、皮包、闹钟、玩具等运往义乌、宁波等中国著名出口地。因此劳教人员被迫每天强制劳役13小时左右,若遇出口任务加重,订单紧迫时还要连续每日加班二、三个小时。个人连续多日如完不成劳动产量就会遭受严厉惩罚。

我亲历过很惨烈的一次:一名规定时间未完成任务的劳教人员,被当众用手铐铐在工场窗户的铁栅栏上,大冬天的用冷水泼其全身再用电警棍电击其下身……他的凄厉惨叫声仿佛是从地狱里传来的!我至今想起来还是不寒而栗!

同牢房一位人称“汤圆儿”的杭州人,老汤曾打人致重伤被判刑劳改6年。刑满释放后,染上毒瘾被送到这十里坪劳教三年,大家都叫他“汤圆儿”。老汤的真名大家记不得了。我与老汤都是杭州人,聊天也比较多一点,他告诉我,“宁坐10年劳改,也不坐3年劳教”。老汤说,劳改多少还有点章法,没有这么长时间的劳作也很少这样明目张胆地毒打责罚犯人的。可见劳教是多么的恐怖!

当年我以“煽动颠覆国家政权罪”被判劳教的,与范子良先生关在同一个劳教队,只是不同一个小队,不过小队与小队之间是紧挨着的。起初我不认识范子良先生,但在放风时从这么多的老年囚徒中我发觉这老人气质举止不同于其他老人囚徒,他举止从容、气质沉稳,在人群中非常显眼。于是我就特别关注这位老人,时值寒冬我进劳教所正好是一月份冬季,十里坪冬季又特别冷,一天我目睹“笼头”(劳教所里的犯人管理头目)秉承管教的旨意在惩罚这位老人,让他赤着双脚站在冰冷的水泥地上强制面壁思过(这里已算“轻罚”了,重的足以让噩梦终身)。

过后我向“笼头”打听这位老人的来历,“笼头”说他是“法轮功”,后来我才知道,“笼头”们有意或无意把我们这些人都叫“法轮功”,“煽动颠覆国家政权罪”这么一串词,对“笼头”来说,可能不理解或是嫌麻烦,干脆就叫我们法轮功了。之后我慢慢向“笼头”解释,“煽动颠覆国家政权罪”的来龙去脉,“笼头”才有所悟,逐渐分辨我们的所谓“罪名”。

不过当时我确实以为这老人是法轮功,因为那时这个劳教所关的大多数是法轮功和吸毒人员……

真正让我了解范老先生身份的,某天在操场放风时,这位老人左右环顾了一下,然后悄悄地问我,你知道王有才吗?随后又提到一些当时比较有影响的异见人士。我一听马上就明白了,这位老人他与我一样,是政治犯,而不是所谓的的“法轮功”,是和我同样的罪名进来的。他的名字叫——范子良。也在那一牢牢记在心里。从此我们就成了忘年交和亦师亦友的挚友了!

在十里坪劳教所那段黑暗的日子里,范子良先生不仅是我的忘年挚友,更是我的精神支柱。因为有共同的政见和价值观,随后我们相谈甚欢,更是在艰难的牢狱生活中相互鼓励和帮扶。甚至在“六四”这天我们会不约而同地绝食一天来纪念“六四”,从此他成为了我的挚友更是在精神上成为引领我的老师……

范子良先生是浙江湖州菱湖人,曾供职于上海铁路局(后退休),他为人真诚正直,不阿权贵。早年曾因独持已见,仗义执言深受中共极左派迫害。“六四”期间,范子良先生在一次集会上公开宣布退党并焚毁党证。从此,范子良先生转身投入中国政治变革推进与民主运动。他积极撰写文章,并在当时信息传播工具十分有限的艰苦条件下,不辞辛劳亲自誊写抄录几百份境外媒体文稿发放寄送给朋友和读者。同时范子良先生还主动承担起与境外媒体人卢思清、洪哲胜等的联络工作——在当年互联网不发达的背景下,能及时将国内异议人士遭迫害的信息向境外传递出去是一件非常不易和担风险的事情。

范子良先生亦多次参与声援行动,积极参与签名呼吁关注受当局迫害的民运人士行动……

范先生为推动社会进步,以一介平民之身,甘尽「社会进步,匹夫之责」的信念。这其中仅仅因为捍卫传播民主价值理念,竟先后十多次遭到當地公安机关的非法传訊与抄家,个人财产,财产损失仅电脑就被当地国保前后抄走8台至今未还。他也从一个曾是退伍军人、中共党员的人变成了一位为全民争取自由民主的斗士,即便如此范子良先生依然谦逊得称自己只是给民运事业“跑龙套”的。他曾在个人博客里这样写道:“

古装舞台戏时常常看到主角(元帅、将军)出场前有 4 个(或多个,一般应该是双数)人扛着大旗,口中吆喝着绕舞台一周,然后站在两边,等待主角亮相。主角亮相完毕,坐在太师椅上,这几位抗大旗的就站到主角身后。他们自始至终没有一句台词,也没有一点面部表情。如果说他们无足轻重可有可无那也不见得,因为真的少了他们这出戏就不热闹了,元帅将军们没有气魄威风了。我想,要演好这出民主大戏同样也少不了千百个跑龙套的,像我这样的年龄、能力最适合担当“跑龙套”的角色。”

由于范子良先生在监狱里受到种种身心的折磨,吃的都是存放好几年之久的“战备粮”,霉变得连猪都不吃的米,拿来给我们这些“犯人”吃。

范子良先生出狱后先后得过两次大病,一次是胃癌,一次是皮肤癌。

很显然这些病与监狱里的非人待遇有直接和间接的关系……

然而,由于他曾在中共监狱中遭受过蓄意非人的摧残,被迫食用霉变“战备粮”,劣质到连猪都不吃。出狱后先后患上胃癌与皮肤癌,这些疾病显然与监狱中的身心摧残有间接乃至直接的关系。

值得庆幸的是,范子良先生勇敢地挺过了牢狱之灾,也躲过了病魔带来的厄运!

前几天,我到湖州看望了范子良先生,先生面色红润,精神矍铄,我由衷地感到欣慰!

如今,范子良老先生虽已89岁的高龄了,却依然关注着中国民运事业的发展。

范子良先生已是耄耋之年,先生最大的愿望,就是在有生之年能看到自由民主在中国实现!

在此谨向在为民运事业默默无闻“跑龙套”的范子良老先生致敬!

杭州 司空先让

2025年10月23日

In Memory of a “Supporting Actor” in the Democracy Movement — Mr. Fan Ziliang

Author: Sikong Xianrang (from Hangzhou)
Editor: Zhang Yu Executive Editor: Hou Gaiying Proofreading: Cheng Xiaoxiao Translator: Liu Fang

Abstract: This article records how the author, Sikong Xianrang, met Mr. Fan Ziliang in Zhejiang and recounts Fan’s lifelong dedication to the Chinese democracy movement.

I first met Mr. Fan Ziliang twenty-four years ago, in a nightmare-like place—the Shiliping Re-education-through-Labor Camp in Zhejiang Province.

Shiliping Camp sat in Lake Town, Longyou County, near the border between Zhejiang and Jiangxi.It was essentially a factory that exploited detainees to produce export goods: the well-known “Xinli” wool sweaters, as well as lighters, bags, alarm clocks, toys, and other products shipped to Yiwu, Ningbo, and other major export hubs. Detainees were forced to work approximately thirteen hours a day. When export orders piled up, the daily hours extended by another two or three. Anyone who failed to meet the quota for several consecutive days would be brutally punished.

I once witnessed a horrifying scene: A man who didn’t meet his quota was handcuffed to iron bars on a workshop window. In the freezing winter cold, guards poured cold water over him and shocked him with electric batons on his genitals. His screams were like something torn out of hell. To this day, the memory chills me to the bone.

In my cell lived a man nicknamed “Tangyuan,” from Hangzhou. He once severely injured someone and served six years in prison. After release, he fell into drug addiction and was sent to Shiliping for another three years of re-education. Everyone simply called him “Tangyuan.” He once told me, “I’d rather serve ten years of prison than three years of re-education-through-labor.” He said prison, for all its cruelty, still had some rules; it did not enforce such endless labor, nor did it beat people so openly and savagely. His words revealed just how terrifying the laojiao system truly was.

I was sent to Shiliping for the so-called crime of “inciting subversion of state power.” Mr. Fan and I were held in the same labor brigade, though not the same small squad. At first, I didn’t know him. But during the short breaks outdoors, among so many elderly detainees, he stood out immediately—calm, dignified, unbowed. His manner was unlike the others. One bitterly cold day, I saw a “cage head” (a prisoner-appointed overseer acting on the guards’ orders) force this elderly man to stand barefoot on freezing concrete, facing the wall—considered a “light punishment.” The heavier ones were unspeakable.

Later I asked the cage head who he was. “He’s Falun Gong,” the overseer answered. But I later realized that the overseers called all political detainees “Falun Gong,” because the term “inciting subversion of state power” was too long, too obscure, and too bothersome for them to remember.

One day during the outdoor break, the elderly man glanced around cautiously, then quietly asked me, “Do you know Wang Youcai?” He went on to mention several other well-known dissidents of the time. The moment I heard this, I understood—this man was not Falun Gong, but a political prisoner like me. His name was Fan Ziliang. From that moment on, his name was engraved in my memory. We became not only friends across generations, but also comrades-in-spirit.

During those dark days in Shiliping, Mr. Fan became my emotional anchor. Sharing the same political ideals, we encouraged each other. On every anniversary of June Fourth, we would silently conduct a one-day hunger strike inside the camp to honor the victims of Tiananmen. Over time, he became both my close friend and my mentor.

Mr. Fan was born in Linghu, Huzhou, Zhejiang. He once worked for the Shanghai Railway Bureau and later retired. Honest, upright, and never deferential to power, he was persecuted by ultra-left authorities in earlier decades simply for speaking his mind. During the 1989 Tiananmen movement, he publicly announced his resignation from the Chinese Communist Party at a rally and burned his Party membership card. From then on, he devoted himself fully to advocating for political reform and democracy in China. He wrote extensively and tirelessly copied and mailed hundreds of essays from overseas media to friends and readers at a time when information transmission inside China was nearly impossible. He also served as a volunteer liaison with overseas activists such as Lu Siching and Hong Zheshen—an extremely risky task before the age of the internet.

Mr. Fan also participated in numerous signature campaigns and public appeals to support persecuted democracy activists.

He bore the burden of social responsibility with the conviction that “every citizen shares responsibility for the progress of society.” For promoting democratic values, he was interrogated and had his home raided more than ten times. Among the items confiscated by state security were eight computers, none of which were ever returned. He went from a former PLA soldier and Party member to a democracy activist working for the rights of all citizens. Yet he always described himself humbly as merely someone “running supporting roles” in the democracy movement. He once wrote on his blog:

“In traditional Chinese opera, before the general or marshal enters the stage, four (sometimes more) men carry large flags, shouting as they circle the stage. They then stand behind the lead actor. They have no lines, no expression. But without them, the scene would lose its grandeur. The democracy movement also needs hundreds and thousands of such ‘supporting actors.’ At my age and with my abilities, I am best suited to carrying those flags.”

Because of the torture and subhuman treatment in the labor camp, detainees were fed years-old military “reserve grain”—rice so moldy that even pigs would refuse it. After his release, Mr. Fan suffered two major illnesses: stomach cancer and then skin cancer. There is no doubt that these were linked—directly or indirectly—to the abuse he endured in custody.

Fortunately, Mr. Fan survived both imprisonment and illness.

Just days ago, I traveled to Huzhou to visit him. He looked energetic and healthy. My heart filled with relief and gratitude.

Now 89 years old, Mr. Fan still follows the progress of China’s democracy movement with unwavering commitment.

His greatest wish—the wish of a lifetime—is to see freedom and democracy realized in China.

Here, I offer my deepest respect to Mr. Fan Ziliang, one of the countless “supporting actors” who have silently carried the flags of the democracy movement.

HangzhouSikong XianrangOctober 23, 2025

洛杉矶 11月22日 第765次茉莉花行动 白纸运动三周年纪念

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洛杉矶 11月22日 第765次茉莉花行动 白纸运动三周年纪念
洛杉矶 11月22日 第765次茉莉花行动 白纸运动三周年纪念

第765次茉莉花行动

時間:2025年11月22日周六下午2点

地址:中国洛杉矶领事馆

白纸运动三周年纪念

——白纸未言 心声已传

纪念不是停留 而是继续前行

三年过去,白纸依然洁白。

那张无字的纸,写满了沉默与勇气。

我们记得——那一刻,无数人走上街头,

举起白纸,不为喧嚣,只为发声。

那是一代人心中的觉醒,是光穿透黑夜的瞬间。

他们不是英雄,只是拒绝再沉默的普通人。

他们的脚步被风吹散,但留下的勇气,从未消失。

每一个记得的人,都是火种。

当真相仍需被说出,当良知仍需被捍卫,

那张白纸,就在我们心中燃烧。

纪念不是停留,而是继续前行。

为了言语能再度自由,为了光能照亮每一个人。

活动发起人:袁崛 程虹 程筱筱

活动负责人:倪世成 杨皓

策划:程虹、彭小梅、蔡晓丽 牟宗强、韩震

组织:柴松 张晓丽 程筱筱 赵贵玲,黄娟 黄春远

物资物料:郑洲

安保秩序:陳信男 李延龙 王乐

媒体 新闻稿:刘芳

设计:王灵

活动主持人:曾群兰,赵杰

主办:中国民主党全委会/ 中国洛杉矶民主平台

活动协办单位:民主党社团部/ 民主党女权部/ 民主党河南工委

殉道者的背影:我所敬佩的刘晓波先生

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殉道者的背影:我所敬佩的刘晓波先生

作者:卢超
编辑:胡景 责任编辑:侯改英 校对:程筱筱

众所周知,刘晓波先生是诺贝尔和平奖得主,是《零八宪章》的主要起草人之一。可是对我而言,他更是一位特殊的同乡,一位人生的榜样。

我和他同是来自吉林,但真正的“认识”他,却是从我学会“翻墙”开始的。翻到墙外后,我第一次读到了《零八宪章》。那些关于民主、自由、宪政的文字,犹如一道光,瞬间揭穿了我在国内受教育中被灌输的种种谎言。这份震撼,只有一个在封闭环境中长大的人才能深刻体会。

殉道者的背影:我所敬佩的刘晓波先生

从他身上,我看到了知识的力量,看到了文明的曙光。然而真正让我敬佩他的,是他“89.64”之后的所作所为。他曾因参与天安门请愿抗议而被捕入狱。他并非没有机会远走他乡逃离迫害和苦难,而是毅然选择了留下,选择了在这片他深爱的土地上,做一个说真话的“知识分子”。他放弃安逸,选择条最艰难的道路——做民主中国的殉道者。之后的几十年里,他一次次入狱,出来后又一次次的发声。他本可以沉默,但他拒绝沉默;他本可以妥协,但他妥协。他献出了自己的生命,展现了一个民主人士的气节。

他所坚持的,是和平、理性、非暴力的力量。他始终相信,中国的变革不应该靠仇恨和暴力,而是靠理性的对话和渐进的改良。这份坚持,使他在那个充满戾气和犬儒主义的环境中,显得格格不入,也正因为如此,才又显得如此珍贵。他就像“房间里的大象”那个故事中说真话的孩子,以一己之力,维护着一个民族的良知底线。

他最令人敬佩的,莫过于发起了《零八宪章》。这不是一次激进的革命宣言,而是一份温和、理性的宪政蓝图。他试图为中国的未来,寻找一条代价最小、共识最大的和平转型之路。然而,即使是这样卑微的请求,也是中共所无法容忍的,他刺痛了当局脆弱的神经。为此他被重判11年,直至在狱中罹患癌症去世,付出了生命的代价。

在最后的法庭陈述中,他留下了“我没有敌人”的旷世之言。这句话曾让许多人不解,甚至质疑。直到后来,我才逐渐明白,这不是懦弱,而是一种更深沉的勇气和更博大的胸怀。他要通过自己的所言所行,来消弥统治阶级和人民的对立和对抗,从而弥补社会分裂,实现社会和解。他想消解的是那个与民争利和压制人性的制度,而非对抗某个具体的人。他的心中没有仇恨,只有对同胞和这片土地的至深大爱。这种超越个人恩怨的政治信念,正是他作为一个思想者和殉道者的伟大之处。

如今,我身在自由之地,终于可以公开地纪念他。在加州圣莫妮卡海滩的纪念活动中,当海风吹拂着那把象征他荣誉与苦难的“空椅子”,我与众多同道站在一起,缅怀他,纪念他,不仅是缅怀一个逝去的生命,更是在用行动宣告一种精神的传承:我们没有忘记,我们仍在坚持,为在中国实现民主和宪政而奋斗。

刘晓波先生用他的一生为我们铺路。作为他的同乡,我倍感荣幸,也更觉责任重大。他的精神,成为我辈前行的不竭动力,时时刻刻激励着我,激励着我们,为那片我们共同深爱着的土地,尽我们的一份绵薄之力。

The Silhouette of a Martyr: The Man I Admire, Liu Xiaobo

Abstract:Together with many companions who share the same convictions, the author pays tribute to Liu Xiaobo. This is not merely an act of mourning for a departed life, but an affirmation of the continuity of a spiritual legacy: we have not forgotten, and we continue to persevere in the struggle for democracy and constitutionalism in China.

Author: Lu Chao
Editor: Hu Jing Executive Editor: Hou Gaiying Proofreader: Cheng Xiaoxiao

It is well known that Liu Xiaobo was a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and one of the principal drafters of Charter 08. Yet, for me, he represents something more personal—he was not only a distinguished figure but also a fellow native of Jilin, and a model whose life has guided my own.

We both came from Jilin, but my true “encounter” with him began only after I learned how to “scale the firewall.” Beyond that barrier, I read Charter 08 for the first time. Its words—on democracy, freedom, and constitutional governance—struck me like a beam of light, instantly piercing through the many lies instilled in me through domestic education. The shock of that moment is something only someone raised in a closed environment can fully grasp.

殉道者的背影:我所敬佩的刘晓波先生

From him, I came to understand the power of knowledge and to glimpse the dawn of a more civilized future. Yet what truly earned my respect were his actions after “89.64.” He was arrested for participating in the Tiananmen petition and protest. He was not without opportunities to go abroad, to escape persecution and suffering. Instead, he chose to stay. He chose to remain on the land he loved, to be an intellectual who still dared to speak the truth. He gave up comfort and chose the hardest path—becoming a martyr for a democratic China.

In the decades that followed, he was imprisoned again and again, and each time he emerged, he raised his voice once more. He could have chosen silence for the sake of safety, but he refused to be silent; he could have compromised in exchange for survival, but he never compromised. He gave his life, embodying the moral integrity of a democrat.

What he upheld was the power of peace, reason, and nonviolence. He consistently believed that China’s transformation must not rely on hatred or violence, but on rational dialogue and gradual reform. This commitment made him stand out—almost out of place—in an environment filled with hostility and cynicism; and for precisely this reason, his presence was all the more precious. He was like the child in the story of “the elephant in the room,” the lone voice who continued to speak the truth and guard the moral baseline of an entire nation.

Perhaps most admirable was his initiative in launching Charter 08. It was not a radical revolutionary manifesto but a moderate, rational blueprint for constitutionalism. He sought a path for China’s future that would achieve peaceful transition with the least cost and the greatest consensus. Yet even such a humble request was intolerable to the Chinese Communist Party. He struck a nerve—one so fragile that the authorities reacted with fear and severity. For this, he was sentenced to eleven years, and eventually died of cancer while still in custody, paying with his life.

In his final statement to the court, he left behind the immortal words: “I have no enemies.” Many were puzzled, even skeptical. Only later did I gradually understand: this was not weakness, but a deeper courage and a broader magnanimity. Through his words and actions, he sought to dissolve the antagonism between rulers and the ruled, to repair social fractures and enable reconciliation. What he opposed was a system that exploits the people and suppresses human dignity—not any particular individual. There was no hatred in his heart, only profound love for his compatriots and his homeland. This political conviction—one that transcends personal grievances—is precisely what made him great, both as a thinker and as a martyr.

Now, living in a land of freedom, I can finally commemorate him openly. At the memorial event on Santa Monica Beach in California, as the sea breeze brushed against the “empty chair” symbolizing both his honor and his suffering, I stood together with many companions who share the same convictions. We mourned him and remembered him—not only to honor a life that has passed, but to declare through our actions the continuation of a spiritual legacy: we have not forgotten, and we continue to persevere in the struggle for democracy and constitutionalism in China.

Liu Xiaobo devoted his entire life to paving the way for us. As his fellow native of Jilin, I feel deeply honored—and all the more burdened with responsibility. His spirit has become an inexhaustible source of strength for our generation, inspiring me, inspiring all of us, to contribute what little we can to the land we all love so profoundly.

出狱一周年之四:保持独立人格

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作者:谢文飞
编辑:李聪玲 责任编辑:罗志飞 校对:冯仍

注意:我所要阐述的人格独立,是超越字面意义上的一种最高形态。它包含但不囿于个体在性格、情感、思想及物质上的独立自主。

在中国,对权力的态度是人格独立的标尺。在我出狱一周年之际,我为什么要写这么一篇文章?正是为了保持人格的独立,不愿意为了改善自己的际遇而向权力屈服,才会导致我一直处在权力的严控和打压之下,处处碰壁,不能自由地发展。正是在这种尴尬的处境下,一些人认为我是不合时宜的落伍者。他们认为,在当今世道下,首要的目的是让自己获得财富自由。而像我这样无力实现财富自由的人,在很多人看来是不配谈人格独立的。

这种论点是把人完全物化了的。如果以这种论点来看,在中国99%的人一出生,就注定无法实现人格的独立了。因为在我们这代人之前的99%的中国人,穷其一生是不可能实现财富自由的。恰恰相反的是,众所周知,在一个权力本位的社会中,尤其是私有财产不受保护的制度下,权力随时都可以剥夺任意一个人的私有财产。因此在中国,越是拥有巨额财富的人,越是不可能保持人格的独立。

几乎所有的中国成年人都知道,在中国的巨富群体当中,想要持久的保有巨额财富,不与权力相媾合几乎是不可能的。无论是李嘉诚的财产转移,顶级富豪的群体移民,还是如江苏铁本案,湖南曾成杰案,太子奶李途纯案,都彰显了权力对资本的宏观控制和“必要时”的生杀予夺。一把悬在头上的达摩克利斯之剑,提醒着中国的富豪居安思危,他们如履薄冰,战战兢兢,何来的人格独立。正如大清的红顶商人胡雪岩,不过是权力的附庸罢了。顶级富豪如此,遑论升斗小民。

最近20年来,将近一半的大学毕业生首选考公务员,而考取公务员的概率基本上百分之一、二,一些热门岗位甚至不及千分之一。俗话说,官大一级压死人。在一个遴选官员和提拔官员都没有一套公平合理的体系里,对考取公务员,人们趋之若鹜,显然是笃定以放弃人格尊严为代价,换取晋升之路乃至荣华富贵的。对他们讲人格独立无异于对牛弹琴。

而被西方认同为独立人格的代言群体的知识分子,在中国是根本不可能存在的。即使有,在这个庞大的群体中也是凤毛麟角,要么被噤声,要么被权力所排挤打压,或入狱,或远走他乡。

而在中国官方媒体中光鲜亮丽之学界名流,他们匍匐在权力面前的卑微丑态,更是令即便如我这般寒微之人也深为不齿。比如半个世纪前的中国科学界领军人物钱学森,为水稻亩产几万斤的大跃进保驾护航。今年才去世、老年才回国的爱国诺奖得主杨振宁,为文革浩劫的正当性辩护。至于“反美是工作、赴美是生活”之流,额头上就明写着“不要人格”的了。总之,中国知识界凡为庙堂所嘉许的学界名流不外是文化保镖,知识打手。

至于说占中国绝大多数人口的底层芸芸众生,即我自己厕身的阶层的人,终日忙于一日三餐,看着新闻联播长大,原本人生的字典里就不需要有人格独立这四个字。正如当年梁漱溟先生说,中国人的观念中没有自由的概念。所以视人格独立为性命如我者,在我所出生的桂阳县近百万人口中,竟找不到一个盟友。这十几年来我一直被当成一个出身于底层的异类,很多人对我的觉醒表示怀疑,那是因为极少有人知道自30年前我知道孟夫子的名号开始,我就无可救药地成了孟夫子的信徒。

在孟夫子眼里,一怒而诸侯惧,安居而天下息者,不足以称大丈夫。富贵不能淫,贫贱不能移,威武不能屈。方为大丈夫。孟夫子眼中的大丈夫显然是人格独立者,古典意义上的标杆。有人问他有什么长处时,他竟毫不犹豫地说,吾善养吾浩然之气。而这也是我唯一的长处。

30岁之前的我,虽有一身浩然之气,但多少有些浪漫主义色彩,对自身所处的社会并不具备理论上的批判性思维。直到08年开始上网之后,才逐渐看清自身所处世界的真实面目,之后误打误撞地认识了众多所谓的“异议人士”。从他们身上我学到了很多,同时深感自己不学无术,见识短浅,于是又阅读了大量思想启蒙类著作,一个跳出所处社会制度桎梏下的独立人格,在40岁之前才完全成型。

回首这几年经历的种种炼狱和磨难,使得我坚持走到今天而聊以自我宽慰的,便是人格的独立和思想自由。这一年来虽然没有在实际事务上取得任何进展,甚至连自己预期的将身心调整至正常状态也未全然实现,唯一无需感到惭愧的,便是保持了人格独立。

题外话:这一年多来,如果要我说出我对外界最大的不满,便是整个世界荒诞地分成了川粉和川黑两大阵营。我如果说,数以千万计在网上唾沫横飞,一遇川普议题便如干柴烈火,一点就着的英雄好汉们没有独立人格的话,我会成为众矢之的,无处安身。原本我把这一年定位为休整之年,恨不得躲到山洞里去静养,川普还是找上了我。

先是一位反川的教授问我对川普的看法,我说我不喜欢他,也没兴趣去反对他。我自顾不暇,哪有兴趣去关注一个万里之外的外国总统?况且他既然是被一个成熟的民主国家几千万选民通过选票选上去的,如果他特不靠谱的话,自然就会将他选下去,不劳我操心。

慢慢的微信平台上很多反川的公众号写手推到我面前来,写的文章千篇一律。一言以概之,就是川普不是个东西,川普危害全人类的民主自由人权。为了捍卫全人类的正义,必须反川。

我检索了其中几个公众号写手的过往。他们在邻居家的房子被强拆时未发一言;在城管当街暴打小贩的时候冷眼旁观;在农民工讨薪被捕、上访者维权被拦时冷嘲热讽;在我们这些异议人士抗争者身陷牢狱时置若罔闻;甚至视我这个在我们的国家最底层挣扎生存了几十年的人为国家的敌人。可是他却标榜自己反对一个外国总统是为了追求正义。

于是我在2025年2月15日有感而发,写了一篇《给墙内激进反川者泼点冷水》。里面提了三个问题:

第一,作为一个墙内人是反川重要还是反墙重要?

第二,川普、普京、邪帝,哪个对人类更具破坏力和潜在的威胁?

第三,墙内川黑是否认为比美国选民更具备清醒的认知,更有资格反川?还是因为比起做一个中国民间反对者,反川更高光更安全?

结果,我的问题刺激到了一些朋友,也导致了一些误会。竟然有朋友笃定我是川粉。一些川粉朋友也视我为盟友。

为了澄清朋友之间的误会,2月21日我又写了篇《给激进反川者泼冷水并非受他人影响》。然而误会并没有消除。情非得已,隔了一天我又写了一篇寓言,标题是《能解此寓言者可为我知己》,最后以“奈莫何,奈莫何”结尾。

随着时间的推移,我无意中发现川普话题已导致简中圈严重分裂,按捺不住自己的深度关切,又硬着头皮写下《导致简中圈的严重分裂,甚至不必要的严重对立,不外乎这几个主要因素》。因为精力有限,也没有去思考如何构思行文问题。有兴趣的朋友可以去检索一下前文的内容。

对那些完全具备独立人格,甚至还以特立卓识自许的挺川反川大佬来说,我写的这些文字显然是不入法眼的,但我起码可以告诉那些关心我的朋友:任何人,包括川普本人,都不能让我成为一个川粉或川黑。

但同时我也知道,我无需也无力改变任何一个人挺川或反川的立场,尤其是当每个人都想证明自己是正确的时候。比如我建微信群一年来,有的铁杆川粉发在我群里的信息 100%都是关于川普的,只为了证明一件事:川普永远是100%正确的;如有任何质疑,100%是质疑者的错。有的川黑做得更绝:只要发现我群里有一个川粉,立马闪退,并留言:粪坑群。即使这位“川粉”是理性挺川的也不行。在我看来,极端的川粉和极端的川黑都是无限放大了川普在美国政治上的影响力,然后又无限放大了美国在全球的影响力。他们忘了:地球不是一个村,川普更不是地球村的村长。

未来在互联网信息洪流的冲刷下,对大多数人来说更难以准确地找到自己的坐标。这是一个巨大而荒诞的悲剧,需要经历一个重新觉醒的时代,方能让我们更好地看清自己,看清这个世界的真相,看清我们每个人和世界的关联,以及我们每一个人在这个世界上应有的位置和该做什么样的事情。这就需要我们时刻警醒,保持人格独立,以安静的内心抵御外界的喧嚣。

One Year After Prison, Part IV: Maintaining an Independent Character

Abstract:The author reflects on the meaning of preserving personal independence under oppressive conditions during his first year after release from prison. He argues that in a power-dominated China, wealth, official rank, and fame cannot grant true independence. He recounts his own process of intellectual awakening and critiques the absurd polarization within the Chinese online sphere over Donald Trump, stressing that only by maintaining independent character can one truly understand the world and oneself.

Author: Xie Wenfei
Editor: Li Congling Executive Editor: Luo Zhifei Proofreader: Feng Reng

What I aim to articulate here is a form of personal independence that transcends its literal meaning—a highest state of being. It includes, but is not limited to, autonomy in temperament, emotions, thought, and material life.

In China, one’s attitude toward power is the true measurement of personal independence. On the first anniversary of my release from prison, why do I choose to write such an essay? It is precisely because I refuse to yield to power in exchange for improving my circumstances that I continue to live under heavy surveillance and repression, stumbling everywhere and unable to develop freely. In this awkward situation, some people regard me as an outdated misfit. They believe that in today’s world the primary goal is to secure “financial freedom.” Someone like me—incapable of achieving financial freedom—is, in their eyes, not qualified to speak of personal independence.

This argument reduces the human being to a mere object. By that logic, 99% of Chinese people are destined from birth to never achieve personal independence, for 99% of the generations before us could never attain financial freedom. The truth, however, is exactly the opposite: in a society where power is supreme and private property is insecure, those with vast wealth are the least able to maintain personal independence, for power can seize any individual’s assets at any time.

Every Chinese adult knows that among China’s wealthy elite, it is nearly impossible to retain immense wealth without aligning oneself with power. Whether it is Li Ka-shing’s asset relocation, the collective emigration of top tycoons, or cases like the Tieben Steel incident in Jiangsu, the execution of Zeng Chengjie in Hunan, and the downfall of Taizinai’s Li Tuchun—each illustrates the state’s overwhelming control over capital and its unlimited “right” to destroy. A Damoclean sword hangs over the heads of China’s rich, warning them to remain vigilant. They tread on thin ice, terrified at every step—how could such people possess independent character? Just as the Qing dynasty’s great merchant Hu Xueyan was merely an appendage of power, so too are today’s tycoons. If this is true for the wealthy, what more for ordinary people?

In the past twenty years, nearly half of Chinese university graduates have made the civil service exam their first choice, even though the acceptance rate is one to two percent, with the most competitive positions below one-tenth of one percent. As the saying goes, “The higher the rank, the greater the power to crush.” In a system without any fair or rational mechanism for selecting or promoting officials, the frenzy to become a civil servant clearly reflects a willingness to trade personal dignity for a path toward promotion, privilege, and wealth. Speaking to them about independent character is like playing music to cattle.

As for intellectuals—the group most associated with independent character in the West—they are essentially nonexistent in China. Even among the few who do exist, most are silenced, marginalized, or repressed; some are imprisoned, others forced into exile.

Meanwhile, the glamorous academic celebrities featured in China’s state media display a level of obsequiousness before power that even someone as humble as I finds shameful. During the Great Leap Forward, Qian Xuesen—then a leading figure in Chinese science—defended claims of rice yields in the tens of thousands of jin per mu. Yang Zhenning, the Nobel laureate who returned to China in his old age and died this year, justified the Cultural Revolution’s devastation. As for those who chant “Opposing America is my job, living in America is my life,” they practically wear “No Interest in Personal Integrity” on their foreheads. In short, the academic elites praised by the establishment are little more than cultural bodyguards and intellectual enforcers.

As for the ordinary masses—by far the majority of China’s population, and the class from which I myself come—people are consumed by the daily struggle for food and survival. Raised on state news broadcasts, the word “freedom” does not even appear in their life vocabulary. As Liang Shuming once observed, Chinese traditional thought simply lacks a concept of freedom. Thus, for someone like me who treats personal independence as precious as life itself, it is unsurprising that among the nearly one million people in my hometown of Guiyang County, I could not find a single ally. For more than a decade, I have been regarded as an oddity—a deviant emerging from the lower strata. Many doubt my awakening, unaware that since the day I learned of Mencius’ name 30 years ago, I became incurably devoted to his teachings.

In Mencius’ eyes, the true “great man” is one whom “princes fear when he is angry, and the world is at peace when he dwells in tranquility.” Wealth cannot seduce him, poverty cannot sway him, power cannot intimidate him. This is the classical ideal of an independent character. When asked about his greatest strength, Mencius answered without hesitation: “I am skilled at nurturing my noble spirit.” That, too, is my only strength.

Before age 30, though I possessed a kind of lofty spirit, I was somewhat romantic and lacked critical theoretical understanding of the society I lived in. Only after I began using the internet in 2008 did I gradually see the true nature of my world. By chance, I met many so-called “dissidents.” I learned much from them and felt deeply my own lack of education and narrow horizons. I then read extensively in enlightenment thought. My independent character—one that had broken out of the chains of the existing system—was fully formed only before I turned forty.

Looking back at the purgatory and hardships of recent years, what sustains me and gives me solace is precisely my independence of character and freedom of thought. Although this past year I made no concrete progress in practical matters, and did not fully achieve the physical and mental recovery I had hoped for, the one thing for which I feel no shame is that I preserved my personal independence.

A brief aside: Over the past year, if I were to name my greatest frustration with the outside world, it would be the absurd split into two hostile camps—Trump supporters and Trump opponents. If I were to say that the tens of millions of people who erupt into online fury whenever Trump is mentioned lack independent character, I would instantly become the target of all sides, with nowhere to hide. I had planned to make this a year of rest and recovery, even fantasizing about retreating into a mountain cave—but Trump still found his way to me.

First, a professor who opposes Trump asked for my opinion. I told him I neither liked Trump nor had any interest in opposing him. With my own life in disarray, how could I afford to care about a foreign president thousands of miles away? In any case, since he was elected by tens of millions of voters in a mature democracy, if he truly proved unreliable, they would vote him out. That is no concern of mine.

Gradually, many anti-Trump public accounts on WeChat were pushed before me. Their articles were formulaic: Trump is terrible; Trump threatens global democracy, freedom, and human rights; therefore, opposing Trump is a moral obligation for all humanity.

I looked into some of these writers’ pasts. They had remained silent when neighbors’ homes were demolished; indifferent when urban-management officers beat street vendors in public; mocking when migrant workers fighting for owed wages were arrested, or when petitioners defending their rights were blocked; indifferent when dissidents like me were imprisoned; some even regarded someone like me—a person struggling at society’s lowest rung—as an enemy of the state. And yet these same people proclaimed that their opposition to a foreign president was for the sake of justice.

So on February 15, 2025, I wrote A Splash of Cold Water for Radical Anti-Trumpers Inside the Great Firewall. I posed three questions:

For someone inside the Great Firewall, is opposing Trump more important than opposing the Firewall itself?

Of Trump, Putin, and China’s dictator, who poses the greater threat to humanity?

Do anti-Trump netizens inside China believe they possess clearer understanding than American voters, making them more qualified to oppose him? Or is opposing Trump simply more glamorous—and much safer—than opposing China’s authoritarian system?

My questions irritated some people and caused misunderstandings. Some became convinced I was a Trump supporter. Meanwhile, some Trump supporters regarded me as their ally.

To clarify the confusion among friends, on February 21 I wrote Cold Water on Radical Anti-Trumpers Is Not Influenced by Anyone. But the misunderstanding persisted. Reluctantly, the next day I wrote a fable titled Those Who Can Understand This Fable Shall Be My Kindred Spirits, ending with the line: “What more can be said? What more can be said?”

Over time, I inadvertently discovered that the Trump issue had caused severe fragmentation—and needless hostility—within the Chinese online sphere. Unable to hold back my concern, I forced myself to write The Main Factors Behind the Severe and Unnecessary Polarization in the Chinese Online Community over Trump. Due to limited energy, I did not carefully plan its structure. Interested readers may search for it.

For those with truly independent character—especially the self-styled visionary leaders of both pro-Trump and anti-Trump camps—my writings may seem insignificant. But I can at least assure the friends who care about me: no one, not even Trump himself, can make me a Trump supporter or a Trump opponent.

But I also know I cannot change anyone’s stance on Trump, especially when everyone insists on proving their own righteousness. In the WeChat group I created over the past year, some staunch Trump supporters posted messages exclusively about Trump, all dedicated to proving one thing: that Trump is always 100% correct, and any criticism is always 100% the critic’s fault. Some Trump opponents acted even more drastically: upon discovering a single Trump supporter in my group, they immediately left, calling the group a “cesspit”—even if the supporter was rational. To me, both extreme Trump supporters and extreme Trump opponents greatly exaggerate Trump’s influence in American politics and then further exaggerate America’s influence on the world. They forget: the Earth is not a village, and Trump is certainly not the village chief.

In the future, under the overwhelming flood of information on the internet, most people will find it increasingly difficult to locate their true coordinates. This is a profound and absurd tragedy. Humanity must undergo a new period of awakening before we can better understand ourselves, understand the true nature of the world, grasp the relationship between each individual and the world, and know where each of us stands and what we ought to do. This requires constant vigilance—maintaining an independent character and using a quiet mind to resist the clamor of the outside world.

参与香港反送中六周年记

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参与香港反送中六周年记

作者:袁崛 中国民主党党史法规部部长
编辑:周志刚 责任编辑:侯改英 校对:程筱筱

中共于1997年收回香港后,对香港自由人权的打压一直没有停止,香港人的言论自由被逐步压缩。2015年原锣铜湾书店股东桂民海被中共从泰国绑架回港审判,香港人连批评政府、出版书籍的自由都没有了。中共承诺给香港人的特首和立法委员普选则完全沦为一场欺骗。2019年特区政府在北京授意下提交《逃犯条例修订草案》,该草案将允许把香港居民及在港人士直接移交至中国大陆受审,被普遍视为破坏香港原有独立法制的最后防线。从而引发了一场香港各阶层的全民抗议运动。

我当时在广州工作,每天都在关注香港运动局势,希望香港民主力量能够早日实现他们的诉求,实现香港人对特区行政长官和立法会的双普选。

参与香港反送中六周年记

但7月21日晚发生的元朗袭击事件,警方与黑社会合谋蓄意中伤民主运动并致和平示威者被暴力袭击引发流血事件引发了香港人的空前愤怒,推动了冲突的加剧。8月份正好是暑假,我决定亲赴香港见证并参与这场历史性的运动,支持香港人的民主诉求。

8月28日我从广州出发,29日中午到达香港,一到旺角,就看到尖沙咀街道上,到处都涂鸦着“林郑下台!”、“五大诉求,缺一不可!”、“光复香港,时代革命”的文字。30日,我到新亚书院原址和香港中文大学参观,这是余英时先生曾就读和工作的母校,也是上世纪六十年代新儒家文化运动发起的重镇。中文大学校园里有陈维明老师创作的“民主女神像”。当年我只是在线上久闻老师大名,没想到4年后,我也来到了美国洛杉矶,可以常去陈老师的自由雕塑公园,甚至还主持了陈老师的讲座。接触越深越被陈老师彻底反共的实干精神所折服,这是后话。

我从网络上得知8月31日会有大规模的抗议活动,上午我来到香港的民主圣地维多利亚公园。这里每年都举办六四纪念活动,最多时参加人数达上百万。我到达时,维园人群正在聚集,气氛已隐约紧绷。

附近的遮打花园则有较多市民聚集,媒体记者几乎占据了现场每一个角落。我第一次亲身经历这样大规模的抗议场面,心中既紧张又激动。

后我又坐地铁去香港特区政府,我看到办公楼被水马团团围住了,根本进不去。特区政府外面,聚集了上千的示威者,他们向政府办公楼里面的警察愤怒抗议,我深感现场情绪激烈压抑,仿佛冲突一触即发。

我在那里碰到了一位香港市民彭哥,他是广州白云区石井人,小时候便来了香港。问他现在居住环境怎么样,他说一家人挤在30多平米的房子里。我好奇30多平米怎么容得下一家四口?他说勉强住得下,这在香港已经算得上是很不错的居所了,因为大部分人都买不起房,只能租住十来个平米的房子,租金每月五千多港币。彭哥告诉我,这场反送中抗议主要是社会因素,香港房价高启,普通人根本买不起房看不到未来。他们希望政府能倾听他们的诉求,能够考虑普通民众的利益,而不是被权贵势力所挟持。我和彭哥跟着抗议人群走了一段时间,聊起香港人关心的话题随后我们便坐地铁到铜锣湾,那时已经是下午,我们又跟着抗议的人群一起走。我还记得我在九记牛肉吃了碗牛肉面,花费80港币。——在紧张混乱的氛围中,那一碗热气腾腾的面如今回想起来依然显得格外真实。

到了傍晚,铜锣湾街头愈发紧张起来。有上千名示威者在和警方对峙。示威者有序持续的抗议口号声此起彼伏,情绪高涨而凝重。对面几十辆警车开过来,后面的警察还拿着枪,我紧跟示威队伍,跟着他们一起喊口号抗议。警察依托着警车的阵线步步紧逼,抗议人群被压迫后退,警方时不时释放催泪弹划出一道道白色的烟雾,试图驱散游行队伍。勇武派也很有经验,冲在前面的戴有防毒面具,并用雨伞来抵挡催泪弹。中间有催泪弹打过来时,我没反应过来,以为是普通烟雾。闻到后感觉非常呛人,不到一分钟就眼睛很痛睁不开,眼泪鼻涕不停的流,头也痛,我受伤了。旁边的年轻人看到了,立即把我扶到街边,用药水为我清洗眼睛和脸部,疼痛才逐渐好转,我强忍不适,不断向他道谢。那一刻,在混乱与压迫中,这份陌生人的善意就像为民主所作的抗争那般格外沉重而温暖。休息片刻后,我再加入示威人群,我们逐步后退,也在路上设置路障,想阻止警察往前推进。旁边的群众大多是同情和支持示威者的人,他们不断地责骂警察,向示威人群呐喊助威,可见大多数民众是支持示威者的,这也是这场运动的民意基础。人群中我碰到一个来自重庆的外国青年王为,他会中文,和他交流得知他是波兰人。在上海给中国银行的员工做培训,因为写文章批评中共的新疆政策,借上海警察传唤之机,买机票来到了香港。跟我一样他希望亲眼见证并声援这场运动。

最终,赤手空拳的示威者对抗不住警察的武装压迫,逐步向后退散。我一直走到维多利亚公园附近,返回旺角。那晚地铁线金钟站不停,我在荃湾线上车了,但地铁又不开动,只得绕远路走到香港站,转机场线到达奥运站。回到酒店,我在附近吃点东西充饥时,看到新闻上说警察在太子地铁站抓人,逢人查包,不分男女老少,很多示威青年在地铁站被戴口罩的黑衣人暴力击伤,场面一度暴力混乱。我又赶到太子站附近的旺角警署,发现已经有几百人聚集在门口与警察对峙,高喊口号“光复香港,时代革命”,也有骂警察的,用镭射笔照楼上的警察。那时已经是凌晨2-3点,这群年轻人没有一丝畏惧和退意,我在门口又碰到了那个外国青年王为,因为是第二次碰到,我们便多聊了会。他是跟着示威人群一起走过来的,我们互加了微信。他现在也投奔了自由,来到洛杉矶,这是后话。

对峙持续到凌晨4-5点,警察开始发动大规模的冲击,我们只得撤退并逃散,我很幸运地在混乱中只跑了两条街就搭乘一辆的士回到了酒店。

作者(方格衬衣斜挎包者,可惜没拍到正脸)在旺角警署门口与示威青年一起抗议

后记

发生在铜锣湾和太子站的抗议活动是整个反送中运动中最重大的抗议与袭击事件,我有幸见证并参与其中。这场声势浩大,香港人广泛参与的抗议运动极大地改变了香港的政治形势。中共虽然短时间内让特首林郑宣布撤回《逃犯条例修订草案》,但是不久借中国人大通过《香港国家安全法》,把香港所有的抗议游行活动都以违反国家安全法为由取消,并把香港所有的民主运动人士一网打尽,如香港知名的反对运动领袖人物如黎智英、黄之锋,香港民主党的李卓人、何俊仁、邹幸彤等,更有香港2020年立法会选举民主派初选案参与者胡志伟、戴耀廷、区诺轩、何桂蓝等47人被指违反《香港国家安全法》,以涉嫌“颠覆国家政权罪”逮捕并判刑,至此,香港的民主与法治荡然无存,香港的司法机关已经完全沦为中共专制控制香港人的工具,中共所谓的“五十年不变”的虚假承诺已经完全被拆穿。

Participating in the Sixth Anniversary of Hong Kong’s Anti–Extradition Movement

Author: Yuan Jue, Director of the Historical and Legal Affairs Department of the China Democracy Party
Editor: Zhou Zhigang Executive Editor: Hou Gaiying
Proofreader: Cheng Xiaoxiao Translator:Xiaomei Peng

Abstract

The author recounts his experience during Hong Kong’s “Anti–Extradition Bill” movement, including conversations with local citizens about their demands and his eyewitness account of the August 31 police assault at Prince Edward Station and Causeway Bay.

Since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) resumed sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, its suppression of freedoms and human rights has never ceased. Hong Kong’s space for free expression has been steadily shrinking. In 2015, Gui Minhai—shareholder of the Causeway Bay Books—was kidnapped by CCP agents from Thailand and brought back to China for trial. Hong Kongers realized that even the freedom to criticize the government or publish books had been taken away. Beijing’s promise of universal suffrage for both the Chief Executive and Legislative Council became a blatant lie. In 2019, under Beijing’s direction, the Hong Kong government introduced the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance Amendment Bill, which would allow Hong Kong residents and visitors to be extradited directly to mainland China for trial. This was widely seen as the final blow to Hong Kong’s judicial independence. As a result, citizens from all walks of life launched a massive, territory-wide protest movement.

参与香港反送中六周年记

But the July 21 Yuen Long attack—where police colluded with triad gangs to assault peaceful protesters—triggered unprecedented public fury and dramatically escalated the conflict. As August coincided with summer break, I decided to travel to Hong Kong, to witness and take part in this historic movement, and to stand in solidarity with Hong Kong’s fight for democracy.

I left Guangzhou on August 28 and arrived in Hong Kong at noon on the 29th. As soon as I reached Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui, I saw graffiti everywhere: “Carrie Lam must step down!”“Five demands, not one less!” “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times! “On the 30th, I visited the original site of New Asia College and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)—the alma mater and workplace of the late historian Yu Ying-shih, and a major center of the New Confucian movement in the 1960s. On campus stands Master Chen Weiming’s “Goddess of Democracy.” Back then, I had only admired Chen’s work online. I never imagined that four years later I would come to Los Angeles, regularly visit his Liberty Sculpture Park, and even host his lectures. The deeper I interacted with him, the more I admired his steadfast and action-oriented anti-CCP spirit—but that is another story.

I learned online that a large protest was scheduled for August 31. In the morning, I went to Victoria Park, Hong Kong’s “democracy sanctuary,” where the annual June Fourth vigil once drew over one million people. When I arrived, crowds were gathering, and the tension was palpable.

Nearby, at Chater Garden, more citizens and media reporters filled nearly every corner. It was my first time personally experiencing a protest of such scale—I felt both nervous and exhilarated.

Later, I took the MTR to the Hong Kong government headquarters. The building was completely barricaded. Thousands of protesters had gathered outside, shouting in anger toward the police behind the barriers. The atmosphere was so intense it felt like violent clashes could erupt at any moment.

There, I met a Hong Kong citizen named Brother Peng, originally from Shijing in Guangzhou’s Baiyun District. He told me that four family members squeezed into a 30-square-meter apartment. I was shocked—how could four people fit into such a small space? He said that, in Hong Kong, this was already a “good” home; most people couldn’t afford to buy any property and had to rent rooms of barely ten square meters, with rent exceeding HK$5,000 a month. He told me the Anti–Extradition movement was rooted in social inequality—sky-high housing prices had crushed young people’s hopes for the future. They simply wanted their government to listen to ordinary citizens, instead of being controlled by powerful interest groups. We walked with the protest marches for a while, then took the MTR to Causeway Bay. I still remember eating a bowl of beef noodles at Kau Kee for HK$80—a small moment of warmth amid the tension, still vivid in my memory. (It is said Leslie Cheung used to dine there often.)

By evening, the streets of Causeway Bay were growing increasingly tense. Thousands of protesters faced off with lines of police. Protest slogans rose again powerful, disciplined, and filled with determination. Dozens of police vehicles advanced, officers armed with guns marching behind them. I stayed with the protesters, chanting slogans. The police, shielded behind their vehicles, kept pushing forward. Tear gas canisters streaked across the air, leaving trails of white smoke. Veteran frontline protesters, equipped with gas masks and umbrellas, expertly blocked the canisters. One tear gas round landed near me. I didn’t realize what it was at first—until the strong, choking fumes hit me. Within seconds my eyes were burning, tears streamed uncontrollably, and my head throbbed. I was injured. Immediately, a nearby young protester rushed over and pulled me to the side, using medical solution to wash my eyes and face. The pain gradually eased. I thanked him repeatedly. In that moment—during chaos and oppression—the kindness of a stranger felt overwhelmingly powerful, a reminder of the humanity behind this struggle. After resting briefly, I rejoined the crowd. We continued retreating while setting up roadblocks to slow the police advance. Many bystanders were openly supportive, shouting encouragement and cursing the police. The people’s sympathy for the protesters formed the backbone of the entire movement. Among the crowd I met a foreigner named Wang Wei, a Polish man who spoke Chinese. He had trained employees at the Bank of China in Shanghai. After being summoned by Shanghai police for criticizing Beijing’s Xinjiang policies, he seized the opportunity to flee to Hong Kong. Like me, he wanted to witness and support the movement firsthand.

Eventually, the unarmed protesters could no longer withstand the police’s armed assault and dispersed. I walked back toward Victoria Park and returned to Mong Kok. That night, service on the MTR’s Admiralty line was suspended. I boarded a train on the Tsuen Wan Line, but it remained stuck. After detours through Hong Kong Station and the Airport Express, I finally reached Olympic Station and returned to my hotel. As I was eating near the hotel, news broke police stormed Prince Edward Station, indiscriminately beating passengers and checking bags. Masked men in black brutally assaulted many young protesters. The scene was chaotic and violent. I rushed to the Mong Kok Police Station. Hundreds of people had gathered outside, confronting the police, chanting “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times!” and shining laser pointers at officers in the building. It was already 2–3 a.m., yet these young people showed no fear or retreat. Unexpectedly, I ran into Wang Wei again. Since it was our second meeting, we chatted longer and added each other on WeChat. He has since also embraced freedom and made his way to Los Angeles—another story.

The standoff lasted until 4–5 a.m., when the police launched a large-scale assault. We were forced to flee. Fortunately, I managed to run only two streets before catching a taxi back to my hotel.

(Photo: The author—wearing a checked shirt and shoulder bag—protesting with young demonstrators at Mong Kok Police Station.)

The clashes at Causeway Bay and Prince Edward Station were among the most significant events of the entire Anti–Extradition movement. I was fortunate to witness and participate in them. This massive, city-wide protest fundamentally reshaped Hong Kong’s political landscape. Although the CCP eventually forced Carrie Lam to withdraw the extradition bill, Beijing soon used the National People’s Congress to impose the Hong Kong National Security Law, banning all protests and arresting nearly every pro-democracy figure. Prominent leaders such as Jimmy Lai and Joshua Wong were jailed; Democratic Party figures Lee Cheuk-yan, Albert Ho, and Chow Hang-tung were imprisoned. The 47 participants of the democratic primary—including Wu Chi-wai, Benny Tai, Au Nok-hin, and Gwyneth Ho—were charged with “subversion” and sentenced. Hong Kong’s democracy and rule of law have since been eliminated. Its judicial institutions have become tools of CCP authoritarian control. Beijing’s promise of “fifty years unchanged” has been exposed as a complete lie.

中国需要自由与多元:唤醒沉睡的公民力量

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作者: 赵书广 中国民主党党员
编辑:彭小梅 责任编辑:刘芳 校对:冯仍

在这个世界上,真正强大的国家,并非靠恐惧与压制维系,而是靠人民的智慧、声音与参与建立的。长期以来,中国社会的巨大潜力被一党专政所束缚——言论被限制,思想被控制,公民的权利被剥夺。这样的国家,看似繁荣,却缺乏真正的自由与活力。

自1949年掌握政权以来,中国共产党以“稳定”为名控制社会一切领域。不同声音被压制,异议被消音;媒体与网络成为权力的喉舌,而非公民表达的平台。每一个敢于发声的人,都可能遭受威胁、被约谈,甚至失去自由。政治垄断掩盖了社会的不公,恐惧扼杀了创造的活力。

然而,历史与现实一再证明:没有监督与制衡的权力,必然走向腐败。真正的进步,需要制度的自我约束与公民的主动参与。中国需要真正意义的在野党,需要不同意见的存在,需要一个能公开讨论国家事务的平台。所谓“和谐社会”,如果建立在沉默与恐惧之上,只是脆弱的假象;它的平静下,潜伏的是不满与怨怒。

在野党的存在,并非为了分裂国家,而是为了让权力受到监督,让国家在和平中修正错误,让人民能自由表达愿望与意见。不同声音的存在,是国家健康的标志,是社会成熟的体现。它让执政者明白:权力不是无限的,必须对人民负责;也让普通公民相信:即使身处权力之外,也能通过制度与法律参与国家治理。

今天的中国,经济的辉煌掩盖着社会的不平等与权力的垄断;高楼林立的城市之下,是无数被压抑的个人声音。网络上,言论被严格监控,许多人学会了自我审查。那些敢说“不”的人被封口,那些渴望改变的青年被教育要“听话”“服从”“爱国”。然而,真正的爱国,不是对权力的盲目服从,而是让国家更加公正、自由、有尊严。

民主不是混乱,而是秩序的更高形式。它允许错误,却能纠正错误;它包容分歧,却能在分歧中找到共识。建立在野党,是让中国走出恐惧与控制的第一步,是唤醒沉睡公民力量的关键一步。只有当人民能够自由表达、当不同意见被认真对待,中国才能迎来真正的稳定与发展。

中国需要思想的自由,需要公开讨论国家事务的空间,需要让权力受到制度监督的机制。权力不应是一块无法触及的巨石,而应如河流,被规则引导、由人民监管。

未来的中国,应当是——每个公民都能发声,每个意见都被尊重;权力受到限制,法律高于一切;人民有尊严,思想有自由。

独裁让人沉默,民主让人觉醒。让我们用理性照亮黑暗,用勇气唤醒沉睡的社会力量——让中国走向自由,让公民重新成为国家的主人,让民主的种子,在这片沉寂已久的土地上生根发芽。

2025年10月30日

China Needs Freedom and Diversity: Awakening the Dormant Power of Its Citizens

Author: Zhao Shuguang
Editor: Peng Xiaomei Executive Editor: Liu Fang Proofreader: Feng Reng Translator:Xiaomei peng

In this world, truly powerful nations are not built on fear or repression—they are built on the wisdom, voices, and participation of the people. For decades, China’s immense potential has been bound by one-party rule: speech is restricted, thought is controlled, and citizens’ rights are stripped away. Such a country may appear prosperous, yet it lacks genuine freedom and vitality.

Since taking power in 1949, the Chinese Communist Party has controlled every aspect of society in the name of “stability.” Different voices are silenced; dissent is erased; the media and the internet have become instruments of power rather than platforms for public expression. Anyone who dares to speak risks intimidation, interrogation, or even imprisonment. Political monopoly hides injustice, and fear suffocates creativity.

History and reality repeatedly show that power without checks and balances inevitably leads to corruption. True progress requires institutional restraint and active citizen participation. China needs a genuine opposition party, the presence of diverse opinions, and a platform where national affairs can be openly discussed. A so-called “harmonious society” built on silence and fear is nothing but a fragile illusion—beneath its surface lie discontent and anger.

The existence of an opposition party is not to divide the country, but to ensure power is supervised, to allow the state to correct its mistakes peacefully, and to give people the freedom to express their wishes and ideas. The presence of diverse voices is a sign of a healthy nation and a mature society. It reminds those in power that authority is not limitless and must remain accountable to the people; it reassures ordinary citizens that even outside the halls of power, they can still participate in national governance through law and institution.

Today’s China boasts economic brilliance, but behind it lie social inequalities and political monopoly. Beneath the skyscrapers are countless suppressed individual voices. Online speech is tightly controlled, pushing many to practice self-censorship. Those who dare say “no” are silenced, while young people who long for change are taught to “obey,” “submit,” and “love the country.” Yet true patriotism is not blind obedience—it is striving to make the nation more just, free, and dignified.

Democracy is not chaos; it is a higher form of order. It allows mistakes but can correct them; it embraces disagreements but can find consensus within them. Establishing an opposition party is the first step for China to break away from fear and control—it is the key to awakening dormant civic power. Only when people can speak freely, and when diverse opinions are taken seriously, can China achieve real stability and development.

China needs freedom of thought, a public space to discuss national affairs, and mechanisms to place power under institutional oversight. Power should not be an untouchable boulder; it should be like a river—guided by rules and monitored by the people.

The China of the future should be—

Where every citizen can speak,Every opinion is respected;Where power is limited,And the law stands above all;Where people possess dignity,And thought enjoys freedom.

Dictatorship renders people silent; democracy awakens them.

Let us use reason to illuminate the darkness, and courage to awaken a long-dormant civic force—Let China move toward freedom,Let its citizens reclaim ownership of their nation,And let the seeds of democracy take root in this long-silent land.

October 30, 2025

谢文飞:铁笼、噩梦与自由的代价

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谢文飞:铁笼、噩梦与自由的代价

采访人:张致君 录音:常坤 资料整理:张致君/林小龙 编辑:张致君 翻译:彭小梅

谢文飞:铁笼、噩梦与自由的代价

视频接通的那一刻,映入眼帘的是南方永恒的灰白天空——潮湿、沉闷,像随时会落下雨,却又一直憋着。我坐在一个普通得不能再普通的出租屋里:一张桌子,一壶凉掉的茶。谢文飞在电话另一端左右环视了一下,看了看身边路过的人对我说:屋子里讲话不方便,我在外面和你通话。

    谢文飞比我想象得瘦。皮肤有点黑,脸颊有些凹,眼下轻微浮肿。说话声音不大,但每一句都像是从一个很深、很暗的地方被捞起来的。我先按惯例问一些很“日常”的问题——睡得好不好,吃得正不正常。他回答习惯先停一停,再开口,好像在确认自己说出的每个字,都不是随便丢出来的。

    他笑了笑,把头稍微侧过去:“睡得不好是常态了。身体非常糟糕,精神也在崩溃的边缘,整个人像被掏空了一样。”

    我问:“出狱以后一直这样?”

    他点头:“经常是这样,我给自己限定了一个时间,把状态尽可能调整回来。还没完全达到自己设想的“恢复水平”,但总算从谷底爬上来一点”。

“我愿意陪他一起坐牢”

 我问他:“最早,是从什么时候开始关注公共议题的?是什么让你从一个普通打工者,走上街头?”

 他想了几秒,视线掠过去,像是在从一条漫长而混乱的记忆隧道里,摸索一个起点。

“我从小就是嫉恶如仇的性格,十六岁出来打工,期间也遇到很多不公的事情。”他说。

     2013 年,他在网上看到中国民主党安徽党员张林的女儿“张安妮”事件,刘卫国律师在琥珀小学门口点着蜡烛,手里拿着文件,在街上宣读《国际人权公约》。这一幕非常打动他。当时的谢文飞还在工厂上班,没有机会到现场。但是从此以后他知道了在这个国家里还有可以播种希望的人,这是他所向往的。一直到7月16日,许志永因为关注教育平权、呼吁官员公开财产、组织公民讨论会的公民运动被关进看守所。他说“我当时看到网上有很多人在为许志永呼吁,但我想要去所有的公共场所为他呐喊。”那天他手机屏幕的光晃得眼睛发酸,他一口气敲了好几篇微博。“我当时发了一系列微博,大意就是:‘许志永是为了13亿人的自由失去了自己的自由。如果13亿人没有几个人敢站出来,这个民族是没有希望的。我愿意陪他一起坐牢’。”他说这段时没有夸张,没有激昂,只是平静。“我当时觉得总得有人说点什么。 我把手机号公开发出去了。”

刚开始很长时间,没有人联系他。 “大概都觉得我很可疑,”他笑,“后来很多人告诉我,当时觉得我是出来钓鱼的。直到后来,一个又一个人联系他 “到了广州之后,我才意识到:原来这个国家还有这么一群人。以前都以为自己是孤独的。”那几年,他陆续接触到更多在街头举牌、散传单、呼吁权利的人。

“街头,是最能让普通人看到现实的地方。”他说这句话时,语气很笃定。“你站在那里,就是在告诉别人:‘我不是屏幕上的头像,我是真人在这里,我公开的表达我的诉求。’ 那种冲击力,通过网络传播到全世界,感染更多人。街头运动的大家相互配合,没有在任何的人的指示和指导下进行”。

有时候,他们在公园举牌,也有人好奇地停下来,有人远远看看,又很快走开。当周围的人一个个被抓、被判刑,他说,“有的人被关押被失踪突然就失联了。 旁观,也是逃避。如果因为害怕你什么都不做,那就跟默认这个体制没区别。”之后一年多,他们在广州、佛山等地做了无数街头行动:

在江边呼吁释放良心犯;在市政府附近举牌,要求官员公开财产;在公园门口纪念被遗忘的死者;在车站、地铁口,向匆匆赶路的人递上一张写有主张公民权利,呼吁建立民主中国的小卡片。

“每一次出门,都要做好随时消失的准备。”他说这句话很慢。“在这种环境下,你不可能每次都能平安到家。但站在街头那一刻,我反而更踏实——因为至少那一分钟,我知道自己在做什么。这是我内心里抑制不住的冲动。”

有人误以为他是语文老师,或者某种“知识分子”。“很多人说我写文章像文化人,”他笑了一下,“其实我初中都没毕业。我写东西,不是为了当作家,而是一个普通人对社会最基本的追问。”

“工厂里的那些年,可能就是把那些问题一点一点憋在心里,后来,一旦有了说出来、写出来的机会,就再也装不回去了。”

131专案

“我早就做好了被抓捕的准备”谢文飞平静地说,“和我同案的王默被抓后,身边的朋友就劝我得低调行事,如果运动的人都被抓进去就无人在外声援。我知道或早晚都要被抓,我不能停止对正义的守护。”

警察虽对外说是“429”抓捕的谢文飞,但是早就在1月28日准备好了材料,18本卷宗。“我进去的第一周,他们就给我看了我的2本卷宗,立的是131专案,说是他们掌握的材料显示,许志永来郴州找我,我和他一起去了趟长沙,这一个事情就是一件专案。”而谢文飞的回答是,他和许志永素未谋面,即使同坐一辆出租车去长沙,也不知道旁边那位戴着口罩和帽子的人就是许博士。一个星期后当局就决定完全以谢文飞的推特言论给他定罪。

“判刑判了两次,派出所是家常便饭。2013年10月第一次进看守所,10个小时就被戴上了手铐脚镣,然后持续半个月带“背背枷”和脚镣。2014年10月,我也是进去不到10个小时就戴上了戒具,然后就是‘穿针铐’。”

铁环和0.18 平方米的铁笼子

我们谈到他多次被捕,其中聊到了在里面的酷刑。谢文飞停顿一刻长舒一口气:“到现在我的状态也不是那么稳定,既然聊到了,就简单说一下”。他低头想了几秒,说:“穿针铐,他们把我四肢都固定在一个直径只有十公分左右的铁环上,四肢被迫并拢,不是躺,也不是坐,你整个人是被‘钉’在那里。”那种姿势,人不是完全悬空,但也不存在所谓的“支撑点”。所有重量都集中在关节和骨头上,每一分每一秒都在提醒你——你是在遭受酷刑的。

“二十多个小时,不给喝水,不让上厕所。实在憋不住,就让你对着桶解决。”他停顿了一下,像是在斟酌用词。“这是羞辱,不只是肉体折磨,是要让你觉得自己已经不是人。”二十多个小时后,双脚仍然要固定在同一个位置,持续了5天,接着又是持续10天的“8字镣”——一双脚被铁镣成“8”字铐在一起。这是我第3次进看守所。”

“他们这样虐待您,是要从您这里获取消息,还是让您认罪还是单纯的取乐?”

谢文飞说警察知道这样的方式不会让他认罪,只是想让他屈服。第一天,看守所的牢头狱霸就在警察默许下对他群殴,看守所再利用“打架”的名义惩罚他。“你只要写个认错保证书,我们就放了你”,我坚决不写。后来在郴州监狱,我还被关进过 0.18 平方米和0.7平方米、3米多高的铁笼子。

我在脑海里试图想象 0.18 平方米——那是一个成年人无法转身,也伸不开腿的空间。

“我在铁笼子里被持续关了半个月。”衣服湿透、再干、再湿透。空气里像是蒸着铁锈和汗水。“那一瞬间,你知道你已经不是‘人’了,你只是他们关押的物理对象。”谢文飞说。“我甚至觉得我不能活着走出监狱。”

疼痛,会留下影子。

“所谓自由,不过是思想苟且、灵魂麻木、行动有限” 

我念给他听他写的一句:“世人以为的自由,只不过是思想上的苟且,灵魂的麻木,加上行动上的有限自由罢了。”

他听完,轻轻点头。“大多数人觉得自己自由,是因为他们不去想、不去碰那些不舒服的地方,”他说,“只要不去触碰那些禁区,在自己的小圈子里转,就会以为,这就是正常生活。”

我问:“那你想要的自由是什么?”

他想了想,说:“能自由的坚持公义”,他说这几个字的时候,特别慢。 “我没有选择在恐惧里闭嘴。如果连最基本的说话都不敢,那活着对我来说就没什么意义了。”

只要事实摆在那里,只要有人出来说真话,只要有足够多的痛苦被看见,就会有人愿意承担一点代价,一点责任。

总会有人在这些坚持里得到启发。

给年轻一代:保持思考,就是在反抗

我问他:“你会对现在的年轻人说什么?”

他沉默了几秒,似乎是在字斟句酌,“别以为沉默能换来安全。”他说,“公共表达不是英雄主义,而是义务。”

他说“白纸运动”让他看到一些希望——那些深夜举着白纸、在街头默默站立的年轻人,让他知道:这个社会的麻木不是绝对的。“但我也明白,真正准备好长期承受代价的人,还是极少数。”他对年轻人说的不是“去上街”,而是:“请保持独立思考。”

“当你觉得哪里不对劲时,那不是你想多了——而是你还活着。”

他承认,有时候,「活着并保持清醒」,本身就是一种沉重的负担。但如果人人都选择把眼睛关上,这个社会就只剩下官方允许你看到的那一块小天地。

“我以前以为自己是孤独的人。后来才发现,如果没有前面的人启蒙,我不会走上街头;如果没有现在和未来的人,这条路就会断掉。你可以不去承担我这样程度的代价,”他说,“但至少不要嘲笑那些承担代价的人。如果你做不到站出来,至少在内心,不要替压迫者鼓掌。”

采访结束的时候,天已经暗下来,窗外的灰白变成了介于蓝和黑之间的颜色,路灯一盏一盏亮起。而谢文飞所在的城市却没有把他脸侧映得清楚,雾蒙蒙一片,叫人看不真切。

我准备告别,最后问他:“在监狱里这么久,是否曾经接受到海外民运对您的帮助?而对于一直在中国抗争者,海外如何做能最大程度帮助到这些人呢?”

他沉思了一下“公开的声援是很有用的”他说,“只是过程中外界不知道的事不要主动曝光出来。技术、资金方面的支持也非常有必要。”

“在您坐牢这期间,海外的哪个动作对您有了帮助”

“我在越秀区看守所受酷刑的半个月时间中,我的律师王勋和谢阳会见我之后,曝光了我受的酷刑,外界对我的公开关注后,他们就把我转到了广州第一看守所,在那边的2年时间,就没有对我有过任何惩罚了。”

“您自己在监狱里的抗争经验,对还在国内的年轻觉醒者有什么经验吗?”

“每个人的性格、抗争理念和承受程度不一样。我关在湖南的4年半里,一开始就被明确告知:绝对不会让我见到任何一个人权律师,没有律师就没有消息传递出去。我很清楚,我作为一个草根抗争者,够不上大多数人权机构的关注,我知道在里面只能靠自己。我会很清楚的给看管我的警察阐述我的立场,有一定的效果。”

谢文飞说之后的日子里,他还会继续写下去——写看守所里的夜晚,写监狱里的铁笼,写街头短暂的光,写那些被打断、被抹去、被迫终止的生命轨迹。

他说,他并不指望自己能改变什么庞然大物。一个人的力量改变不了这个体制,但这个体制,也不能改变他的坚持。

至少,在这个被不断删改和封存的时代,他还在说话。只要还有人愿意听,他就还没有彻底被关进沉默的监狱里。

记者语:

谢文飞出狱一周年后,陆续又发布了很多文章记录自己的心路历程。在《要不要活下去》中写到自己在出狱后持续受到的当局骚扰,让他一度瞬间想到了死亡,但坚守的信仰支撑他活了下去。我无法想象现在的他处境之艰难,内心之煎熬,但让更多的人关注到他,或许也是黑暗中的一丝温暖的烛火。这世界上又有什么英雄呢,都是像他一样挺身而出的凡人,在那一片土地上,燃烧着自己。

Xie Wenfei: Iron Cages, Nightmares, and the Price of Freedom

Interviewer: Zhang Zhijun Recording: Chang Kun
Materials Compiled: Zhang Zhijun / Lin Xiaolong Editor: Zhang Zhijun Translator: Xiaomei Peng

谢文飞:铁笼、噩梦与自由的代价

The moment the video call connected, what came into view was the eternally gray-white sky of the South—humid, heavy, as if it might rain any moment yet endlessly holding back. I was sitting in a room that couldn’t be more ordinary: a table and a pot of cold tea. On the other end of the line, Xie Wenfei glanced around and looked at people passing by. He said to me: “It’s inconvenient to talk inside. I’ll talk to you from outside.”

Xie Wenfei was thinner than I expected. His skin was a bit dark, his cheeks slightly sunken, with mild swelling under the eyes. His voice was not loud, but every sentence sounded as if it had been pulled up from somewhere very deep and very dark. I began with the usual, “everyday” questions—sleep, appetite. He always paused before answering, as though making sure every word he spoke was not casually thrown out.

He smiled a little and tilted his head slightly: “Sleeping badly is the norm. My health is very poor, and my mental state is on the verge of collapse. I feel completely hollowed out.”

I asked, “Has it been like this since you were released?”

He nodded: “Often like this. I set a time frame for myself to adjust as much as possible. I haven’t fully reached the ‘recovery level’ I imagined, but at least I’ve climbed up a bit from the bottom.”

“I was willing to go to prison with him.”

I asked him: “When did you first begin paying attention to public issues? What made you, an ordinary migrant worker, step onto the streets?”

He thought for a few seconds, his gaze drifting, as if searching for a starting point in a long and chaotic tunnel of memories.

“I’ve hated injustice since I was a kid. I started working at sixteen and saw a lot of unfair things.”

In 2013, he saw online the incident involving Zhang Lin, a China Democracy Party member in Anhui, and his daughter, “Zhang Anni.” Lawyer Liu Weiguo lit candles outside Hupo Elementary School, holding documents and reading the International Covenant on Human Rights on the street. That scene deeply moved him. At that time, Xie Wenfei was still working in a factory and could not go to the site. But from then on, he knew there were still people in this country who could plant seeds of hope—something he longed for. Then on July 16, Xu Zhiyong was detained for his involvement in the New Citizen Movement—advocating education equality, calling for officials to disclose their assets, and organizing public discussions. “I saw many people online calling for support for Xu Zhiyong,” he said, “but I wanted to go to every public place and shout for him.” The light from his phone screen made his eyes sore as he typed post after post. “I posted a series of Weibo messages. The general idea was: ‘Xu Zhiyong lost his freedom for the freedom of 1.3 billion people. If among 1.3 billion people only a few dares to stand up, this nation has no hope. I am willing to go to prison with him.’” He said this calmly, without exaggeration or dramatic tone. “I just felt someone needed to say something. I even published my phone number.”

At first, no one contacted him. “Probably everyone thought I was suspicious,” he laughed. “Later many people told me they thought I was fishing for information.”Eventually, one person after another reached out. “When I got to Guangzhou, I realized—there really is such a group of people in this country. Before that, I always thought I was alone.” In the following years, he met more people who held signs in the streets, handed out flyers, and called for rights. “The streets are where ordinary people can see reality most clearly,” he said with certainty. “When you stand there, you’re telling others: I am not just an avatar on a screen—I am a real person here, expressing my demands publicly. That kind of impact spreads through the internet, reaching the world, inspiring more people. Street actions were coordinated among everyone, without instructions from anyone.”

Sometimes they held signs in parks; sometimes pedestrians paused in curiosity; sometimes people glanced from afar then walked away. When people around him began being detained or disappeared without a trace, he said: “Some were arrested, some simply vanished. Watching from the sidelines is also a kind of escape. If fear makes you do nothing, then you’re no different from accepting the system. “For more than a year, they carried out countless street actions in Guangzhou, Foshan, and other cities: calling for the release of prisoners of conscience by the riverbank;holding signs near city hall demanding officials disclose assets;commemorating forgotten victims at park gates;handing out small cards advocating civic rights and calling for a democratic China at train stations and subway exits.

“Every time I went out, I prepared myself for disappearing at any moment,” he said slowly. “In this environment, you can’t expect to return home safely every time. But when I stood on the street, I felt steadier—because at least for that minute, I knew what I was doing. It was an urge I couldn’t suppress.”

Some mistook him for a Chinese teacher or some kind of “intellectual.”“People say I write like an intellectual,” he smiled. “But I didn’t even finish middle school. I write not to be a writer, but because an ordinary person must ask basic questions about society.”

“The years in the factory—maybe that’s when all those questions built up. Once I had a chance to say them or write them out, I could never bottle them up again.”

The 131 Case

“I had long prepared myself for being arrested,” Xie Wenfei said calmly. “After Wang Mo—the co-defendant in my case—was arrested, friends told me to keep a low profile. If every activist is arrested, no one will remain outside to support others. I knew sooner or later I would be taken. But I could not stop defending justice. “Police publicly claimed he was arrested as part of the “429 crackdown,” but materials had already been prepared on January 28—eighteen volumes of files. “In my first week inside, they showed me two volumes of my file. It was registered as the ‘131 case.’ They claimed evidence showed Xu Zhiyong came to Chenzhou to find me, and we went to Changsha together. That alone was filed as a special case. “Xie replied that he had never met Xu Zhiyong before; even if they had shared a taxi, he had no idea the masked and hatted passenger beside him was Dr. Xu. A week later, authorities decided to convict him entirely based on his Twitter posts.

“I was sentenced twice. Being taken to the police station was routine. The first time I entered the detention center in October 2013, I was shackled within ten hours, then strapped into the ‘back-back shackle’ and leg irons for half a month. In October 2014, again within ten hours, I was restrained and then put in the ‘needle-threading shackles.’”

Iron Rings and the 0.18-Square-Meter Iron Cage

We talked about his arrests, including torture. Xie paused, exhaled deeply: “My state is still unstable. Since you asked, I will say it briefly”. He lowered his head for a few seconds. “‘Needle-threading shackles’ means they fixed all four of my limbs to an iron ring about ten centimeters in diameter. Your limbs are forced together. You’re not lying, not sitting—you’re pinned there.” In that posture, one is not fully suspended yet has no point of support. All weight is borne on joints and bones. Every moment reminds you—- you’re being tortured.

“More than twenty hours. No water, no toilet. If you can’t hold it, you go in a bucket.”He paused again, choosing his words. “This is humiliation. Not just bodily torture—it’s meant to make you feel you’re no longer a human being.” After more than twenty hours, his feet remained fixed in place for five days, followed by ten more days of “figure-eight shackles”—legs locked together in the shape of an 8. “That was my third time in the detention center.”

“Did they do this to get information from you, force a confession, or simply for pleasure?” I asked.

Xie said the police knew such methods would not force a confession—they simply wanted him to succumb. On the first day, with police approval, cell bullies beat him. The detention center then punished him under the pretext of “fighting.” “They told me: ‘Write a statement admitting wrongdoing, and we’ll release you.’ I refused.” Later in Chenzhou Prison, he was locked in iron cages of 0.18 square meters and 0.7 square meters, each over three meters high.

I tried to imagine 0.18 square meters—space where an adult cannot turn or extend legs.

“I was kept in the cage for half a month. Clothes soaked, dried, soaked again.The air smelled of rust and sweat.” “In that moment, you know you’re no longer ‘a person.’ You are merely an object they detain,” he said. “I even thought I wouldn’t leave alive.”

Pain leaves shadows.

“What people call freedom is just compromised thought, numb souls, and limited action.”

I read him a line he once wrote: “What people believe is freedom is merely compromised thought, a numbed soul, and limited freedom of action.”

He nodded gently. “Most people think they are free because they avoid thinking about unpleasant things,” he said. “As long as they don’t touch the forbidden zones, they think their little circle is normal life.”

I asked: “Then what kind of freedom do you want?”

He thought for a moment. “To freely uphold justice,” he said slowly. “I chose not to be silent in fear. If I can’t even speak the most basic truth, then living has no meaning for me.”

“As long as facts exist, as long as someone tells the truth, as long as enough pain is seen—someone will be willing to bear a little cost, a little responsibility.”And someone will be inspired.

To the Young Generation: To Keep Thinking Is to Resist

I asked: “What would you say to the young people now?” He was silent for a few seconds. “Don’t think silence will bring safety,” he said. “Public expression is not heroism—it is a duty.”

He said the “White Paper Movement” brought him some hope—those young people standing silently at night with blank papers showed that numbness is not absolute.“But I also know that very few are ready for long-term consequences.” His message to the young is not “go to the streets,” but: “Please keep independent thinking.”

“When you feel something is wrong, it’s not that you’re overthinking—it’s proof that you’re still alive.”

He admitted that sometimes “to live and remain conscious” is a heavy burden.But if everyone closes their eyes, society is left only with what the authorities allow you to see.

“I once thought I was alone. Later I realized—without the people who came before, I would never have gone to the streets; without those now and in the future, this path will break. You don’t have to pay the kind of price I paid,” he said, “but at least don’t mock those who do. If you cannot stand up, at least don’t applaud the oppressor in your heart.”

At the End of the Interview

By the time the interview ended, the sky had darkened. The gray had turned into a color between blue and black. Streetlights lit one by one. But the city where Xie Wenfei stood did not illuminate his face clearly—just a foggy blur.

Before we said goodbye, I asked: “During your long imprisonment, did you receive support from the overseas pro-democracy movement? And for those still resisting inside China, how can people overseas help most effectively?”

He thought. “Public support is very useful,” he said. “But outsiders shouldn’t expose things that activists themselves haven’t made public. Technical and financial support is also very necessary.”

“What action from overseas helped you the most during your imprisonment?”

“During the half month I was tortured in the Yuexiu District Detention Center, my lawyers Wang Xun and Xie Yang met me and exposed the torture. After international attention, they transferred me to the No.1 Guangzhou Detention Center. During the two years there, they didn’t punish me at all.”

“What experience from resisting inside prison can help young people still in China?”

“Everyone has different personalities, beliefs, and limits. In my four and a half years in Hunan, they told me at the start: I would never meet a human rights lawyer. No lawyer means no information gets out. I knew as a grassroots activist, I wasn’t important enough for most human rights organizations. I knew I had to rely on myself. I clearly expressed my stance to the guards, and it had some effect.”

Xie Wenfei said that in the days ahead, he will continue to write—about the nights in the detention center, the iron cages in prison, the brief moments of light on the streets,and the trajectories of lives interrupted, erased, or forcibly ended.

He said he does not expect to change anything enormous. One person cannot change the system. But the system cannot change his persistence either.

At the very least, in an era of constant deletion and silence, he is still speaking.As long as someone is willing to listen, he has not been locked into a prison of silence.

Reporter’s Note

One year after his release, Xie Wenfei continued to publish articles describing his emotional journey. In “To Live or Not to Live,” he wrote about the harassment he endured after release, which made him momentarily think of death. But the faith he held onto kept him alive. I cannot imagine how difficult his situation is today, nor the torment inside him. But allowing more people to pay attention to him may be a small candle of warmth in the darkness. What heroes are there in this world? They are all ordinary people like him, who step forward and burn themselves on that piece of land.

东北三省联合组党,王文江退出共产党

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东北三省联合组党,王文江退出共产党

作者:袁崛(中国民主党党法规部长)
编辑:李聪玲 责任编辑:罗志飞 校对:冯仍 翻译:刘芳

继1998年9月湖北第三波组党,申请成立中国民主党湖北筹备委员会后,东北三省的民运人士联合起来,开始跨省组建,成立了中国民主党东北三省委员会筹备委员会,并向中共民政部直接提出注册申请。这是继浙江,山东,湖北三地“中国民主党事件”三波之后的又一次冲击,在规模和级别上都更上一个台阶。这次东北三个省的民运人士联合成立跨省的民主党东北筹委会,是国内民运组党又向前跨越了一个台阶,是向全国委员会迈进的一个重要的中间步骤。东北地区在历史、地理、政治、经济上,一直是一个整体概念。三省联合,共组民主党东北筹委会,是顺理成章的事。由于跨越省市,民主党东北委员会的注册申请,在行政上,应当由中央政府民政部审理,不能由省级民政部门审理。这对测试中共政府和中共高层对跨地区联合组党的态度,有重要意义。可视为注册申请民主党全国委员会的前哨步骤。

东北三省联合组党,王文江退出共产党

东北民主党人冷万宝、唐元隽与民主党人赵昕等人合影(从左至右)

这次东北三省发起注册民主党的人士,多是从事多年反对运动、具有丰富运作经验的老民运战士。辽宁的王泽臣、黑龙江的傅俊保、吉林的冷万宝等发起人,都是七九、八九年就投入民运、坐过牢房的久经考验的民运老战士。联系人王文江,八九年参加民运,组党时是鞍山第一律师事务所执业律师。浙江的王有才因组党被捕后,王文江挺身而出,愿意为王有才担任辩护律师,但被中共当局加以阻拦。

中国民主党东北筹备委员会的申请书中写道:

“中华人民共和国民政部:

根据中华人民共和国宪法和社团管理登记条例的规定,按照国际法的普遍准则,我们申请成立中国民主党东北三省筹备委员会。我们赞成中国民主党的章程,愿意履行民主党章程规定的义务。我们承诺,中国民主党东三省委员会成立后,将承认和尊重江泽民主席国家元首的地位,将承认和尊重中国共产党的执政党地位。同时,在宪法和其它法律的范围内,开展我党的社会和政治活动。政治活动的有序和多党参与,是国家长治久安和实现民主制度的必由之路。人类的历史表明,监督和制衡是现代文明国家权力结构的强大支柱。合法组建政党乃是国家政治处于正常运作的重要特征。

……

我们希望,我们的建党申请能够获得批准。

中国民主党东北地区筹备委员会

一九九八年九月十四日”

中国民主党东北三省筹委会联系人、辽宁省鞍山市第一律师事务所律师王文江,于九月十四日,也就是东北三省民运人士向民政部申请注册民主党东北筹委会的当天,向外界公开发表声明,为了促进民主化进程,宣布退出共产党。王文江说,他在一九八八年加入中国共产党。但他逐步认识到,中共实际上已经腐烂。中国要走向现代化之路,非要有一个新型民主政党不可。基于这个认识,王文江积极投入民运,近来特别活跃。浙江王有才等组党一度被捕,王文江自动站出来,愿意为王有才进行辩护。他又公开与一批东北三省的民运人士一道,筹组民主党东北筹备委员会。由于王文江公开认同了纲领与中共迥异的中国民主党,因此,王文江认为有必要公开宣布退出中国共产党,与之彻底决裂。

唐元隽(左一)与冷万宝(左三)

中国民主正义党发言人王炳章博士指出,除了八九年六四屠杀后,有一批共产党员宣布退党外,王文江这次退党举动,是八九年后第一次共产党员公开宣布退党的行为。将大大地激励中国民主人士争取民主,与中共抗争的勇气。

Northeast Three Provinces Unite to Form a Party,Wang Wenjiang Withdraws from the Communist Party

Author: Yuan Jue (Director of Party Regulations, China Democracy Party)
Editor: Li Congling Executive Editor: Luo Zhifei Proofreader: Feng Reng Translator: Liu Fang

Abstract: Democracy activists from China’s three northeastern provinces jointly submitted an application to the Ministry of Civil Affairs to establish the Preparatory Committee of the China Democracy Party (CDP) Northeast Region. Meanwhile, lawyer Wang Wenjiang issued a public statement announcing his withdrawal from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Following the third wave of party formation in Hubei in September 1998—with an application to establish the China Democracy Party Hubei Preparatory Committee—democracy activists in China’s three northeastern provinces united to form an interprovincial organization, establishing the Preparatory Committee of the CDP Northeast Region. They submitted a direct registration application to the CCP’s Ministry of Civil Affairs. This marked a new level of challenge following the previous “China Democracy Party incidents” in Zhejiang, Shandong, and Hubei. In scale and political significance, this effort represented a further step toward building a national CDP structure.

Historically, geographically, politically, and economically, the three northeastern provinces have long formed a coherent regional concept. Their joint formation of a unified CDP Northeast Preparatory Committee was therefore a logical step. Because this cross-provincial organization exceeded the jurisdiction of provincial authorities, its registration had to be reviewed by the central Ministry of Civil Affairs. This made the application a crucial test of the CCP leadership’s attitude toward interregional opposition organizing and signified an important preparatory step toward applying for a national CDP committee.

东北三省联合组党,王文江退出共产党

A group photo of Northeast CDP members Leng Wanbao and Tang Yuanjun with CDP member Zhao Xin (from left to right)

Many of the initiators of the Northeast CDP effort were seasoned democracy activists with years of experience in opposition movements. Wang Zechen of Liaoning, Fu Junbao of Heilongjiang, and Leng Wanbao of Jilin—all founding members—had participated in the 1979 and 1989 democracy movements and endured imprisonment. Liaison representative Wang Wenjiang, a practicing lawyer at Anshan’s No.1 Law Firm, had joined the 1989 movement. After Zhejiang activist Wang Youcai was arrested for founding the CDP, Wang Wenjiang bravely volunteered to serve as his defense lawyer, though the CCP authorities obstructed him.

The CDP Northeast Preparatory Committee wrote in its application:

“To the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People’s Republic of China: In accordance with the Constitution of the PRC and the Regulations on the Registration and Management of Social Organizations, and consistent with universal international norms, we hereby apply to establish the Preparatory Committee of the China Democracy Party for the Three Northeastern Provinces. We agree with the CDP Charter and are willing to fulfill the obligations it outlines. We affirm that after its establishment, the CDP Northeast Committee will acknowledge and respect the status of Jiang Zemin as head of state and recognize the CCP’s position as the ruling party. Within the framework of the Constitution and relevant laws, we will carry out legitimate social and political activities.

Orderly political participation and multiparty involvement are essential for lasting national stability and the realization of democratic governance. Human history demonstrates that checks and balances constitute the structural foundation of modern civilized states. The lawful formation of political parties is an important sign of normal political functioning.

We hope our application will be approved. China Democracy Party Northeast Preparatory Committee September 14, 1998”

On the same day the application was submitted—September 14—CDP Northeast liaison representative Wang Wenjiang publicly announced his withdrawal from the Chinese Communist Party. Wang stated that he had joined the CCP in 1988, but over the years came to understand that the Party had decayed. He believed that China’s path to modernization required a new type of democratic party. Based on this conviction, he became active in the democracy movement and took a leading role in the founding of the Northeast CDP Preparatory Committee. Having openly endorsed the CDP’s platform—which fundamentally differs from that of the CCP—Wang declared that it was necessary to sever ties fully and publicly withdraw from the Party.

Tang Yuanjuan (leftmost) and Leng Wanbao (third from the left)

Dr. Wang Bingzhang, spokesperson for the China Democratic Justice Party, noted that since the wave of resignations following the June Fourth Massacre in 1989, Wang Wenjiang’s withdrawal was the first public declaration of Party resignation by a CCP member. He emphasized that this act would significantly encourage democracy activists across China in their struggle against authoritarian rule.