Fang Fang
Fang Fang | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Native name | |||||||
Born | Wang Fang ( May 11, 1955 Nanjing, China | ||||||
Occupation | Writer | ||||||
Language | Chinese | ||||||
Alma mater | Wuhan University | ||||||
Years active | 1982–present | ||||||
Notable works | Feng Shui ( Bare Burial (软埋) Wuhan Diary | ||||||
Notable awards | Lu Xun Literary Prize | ||||||
Chinese name | |||||||
Chinese | |||||||
|
Fang Fang (Chinese:
Wuhan Diary
[edit]During the 2020 Hubei lockdowns, Fang Fang used social media to share her Wuhan Diary (
Criticism
[edit]Fang Fang—a member of China Writers Association and the former chairwoman of the officially affiliated Hubei Writers’ Association—was considered to be a "politically trustworthy figure".[5][6] However, her daily diary entries that were posted on Weibo, during the 2020 Hubei lockdowns, were met with harsh criticism and ridicule by Chinese netizens. One of Fang Fang's critics is Zhang Boli—a Traditional Chinese Medicine physician— who spent 82 days working in Wuhan's front lines. Zhang criticized those who had expressed "distorted values," including Fang Fang, in an online speech he gave on May 12, 2020, about the national struggle to fight the virus. Fang Fang then contacted Zhang on Weibo for an apology, which prompted a heated debate on the social media platform. Netizens argued that Fang Fang, who resided in her villa and posting her diary online, did not have as much credibility compared to Zhang, who was a doctor in the front lines.[7]
In Wuhan Diary (2020), and also other sources, Fang Fang continuously insists that her diary is not in any way aimed against the Chinese government. In an interview for Caixin, she makes a point that "there’s no tension between me and the country, and my book will only help the country" and that her "diary is by no means about the so-called negative things in China or deliberately peddling misery as misinterpreted by extremists. They take it out of context"[5][8]
Within China, Fang Fang has faced criticism, being labelled as a liar and "traitor" by users on social media platforms such as Weibo due to her perceived criticism of the Chinese government. She has continued writing, however, despite the fact that some of her works have been blocked from publication.[9]
Awards
[edit]Fang Fang was on the list of the BBC's 100 Women announced on 23 November 2020.[10]
Translated works (English)
[edit]- Wuhan Diary: Dispatches from a Quarantined City, translated by Michael Berry, HarperCollins, 2020.[11]
- The Walls of Wuchang, translated by Olivia Milburn, Sinoist Books, 2022.[12]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Sina.com, Article on Fang Fang (in Chinese, Google English translation)
- ^ Kiki Zhao (14 February 2020). "The Coronavirus Story Is Too Big for China to Spin". The New York Times.
- ^
方方 再 发声:关于我 日 记里的 那 些“听说” [Fang Fang spoke again: about the "heard" in my diary]. Wenxuecity. Archived from the original on 25 April 2021. - ^ Adlakha, Hemant (23 March 2020). "Fang Fang: The 'Conscience of Wuhan' Amid Coronavirus Quarantine". The Diplomat.
- ^ a b c Jandrić, Petar (1 October 2020). "Review of Fang Fang (2020). Wuhan Diary: Dispatches from a Quarantined City. Trans. M. Berry". Postdigital Science and Education. 2 (3): 1025–1030. doi:10.1007/s42438-020-00173-w. ISSN 2524-4868. PMC 7376275.
- ^ "Fang Fang - China.org.cn". www.china.org.cn. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
- ^ Tao, Yingnian (September 2021). "Who should apologise: Expressing criticism of public figures on Chinese social media in times of COVID-19". Discourse & Society. 32 (5): 622–638. doi:10.1177/09579265211013116. ISSN 0957-9265. S2CID 236563309.
- ^ "Blog: Wuhan Diary Author — There Is No Tension Between Me and the Country - Caixin Global". www.caixinglobal.com. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
- ^ "Fang Fang: Author vilified for Wuhan Diary speaks out a year on". BBC News. 19 January 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
- ^ "BBC 100 Women 2020: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. 23 November 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
- ^ "Wuhan Diary: Dispatches from a Quarantined City". HarperCollins.
- ^ "The Walls of Wuchang". Sinoist Books.
- 1955 births
- Writers from Nanjing
- Living people
- Wuhan University alumni
- Chinese women short story writers
- Chinese short story writers
- 20th-century Chinese short story writers
- Short story writers from Jiangsu
- Chinese bloggers
- Chinese women bloggers
- 21st-century Chinese women writers
- Chinese diarists
- Women diarists
- COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan