The Corpse Walker introduces readers to a diverse array of individuals at the bottom of Chinese society, including a professional mourner, a human trafficker, a public toilet manager, a leper, a grave robber, and a Falung Gong practitioner, among others. Through sensitive and empathetic interviews conducted between 1990 and 2003, Liao Yiwu captures the lives, desires, and vulnerabilities of these individuals, providing a powerful and revealing portrait of modern China. The book is a testament to the resilience and humanity of those often overlooked by official narratives[1][4][5].
This memoir chronicles Liao Yiwu's four-year imprisonment from 1990 to 1994 for writing and distributing a poem that condemned the Chinese government's crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests. The book provides a personal and poetic account of life in a Chinese prison, highlighting the cruelty, compassion, and complexities of human behavior under totalitarian rule. It includes detailed descriptions of prison life, the author's learning to play the Xiao (a Chinese flute), and his interactions with fellow prisoners. The book also touches on Liao's life before and after prison, including his struggles with the Chinese authorities and his eventual exile to Germany[1][4][5].
In 'Invisible Warfare: How Does a Book Defeat an Empire?', Liao Yiwu recounts his personal struggles with the Chinese Communist regime, including his imprisonment and the clandestine efforts to preserve and publish his writings. The book details his experiences in various prisons, the risks he and others took to smuggle out his manuscripts, and the broader context of political repression and resistance in China.
This book is a compilation of oral histories and interviews conducted by Liao Yiwu with various individuals from the lower strata of Chinese society. The interviews include stories from a diverse range of people such as professional mourners, human traffickers, murderers, beggars, fortunetellers, and others who have been marginalized or oppressed by Chinese society. Liao's methodology involves freestyle conversations and memory-based reproductions of the stories, which have been both praised for their literary value and criticized for their lack of traditional journalistic rigor. The book provides a unique insight into the lives of those often overlooked by mainstream Chinese society and has been recognized for its historical and sociological significance[2][3][4].
Liao Yiwu's "June 4th, My Testimony" is a powerful account of his experiences as a political prisoner in China, focusing on the events surrounding the Tiananmen Square protests. The book details his imprisonment, the challenges he faced in preserving his writing, and his unwavering commitment to documenting the truth. It offers a firsthand perspective on the political climate in China and the consequences of dissent. The book's multiple drafts reflect the author's persistent struggle against censorship and his determination to share his story. It stands as a testament to the importance of preserving historical memory.
Liao Yiwu's "Go On Living" is a powerful four-volume work detailing his experiences as a political prisoner in China. The book chronicles his struggle to preserve his writing amidst harsh conditions, highlighting his resilience and determination. It offers a poignant glimpse into the lives of political prisoners and the challenges they face. The work serves as a testament to the human spirit's capacity to endure and create even under immense pressure. Its publication was a significant act of defiance against censorship and oppression.
Published in 1949, '1984' is a cautionary tale by George Orwell that explores the dangers of totalitarianism. The novel is set in a dystopian future where the world is divided into three super-states, with the protagonist Winston Smith living in Oceania, ruled by the mysterious and omnipotent leader Big Brother. Winston works at the Ministry of Truth, where he rewrites historical records to conform to the Party's ever-changing narrative. He begins an illicit love affair with Julia and starts to rebel against the Party, but they are eventually caught and subjected to brutal torture and indoctrination. The novel highlights themes of government surveillance, manipulation of language and history, and the suppression of individual freedom and independent thought.
My poems were written in anger after Tiananmen Square. But what motivates most prison writing is a fear of forgetting. Today I am free, but the regime has never stopped its war on words. By Liao Yiwu Because of industrial action taking place by members of the National Union of Journalists at the Guardian and Observer this week, we are re-running an episode from earlier in the year. For more information please head to theguardian.com. We’ll be back with new episodes soon.. Help support our independent journalism at
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