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Chinese Author Is Detained by Beijing Police Author Held In Beijing After a Spate Of Detentions
(about 4 hours later)
BEIJING — Murong Xuecun, a prominent Chinese author and a frequent critic of the Communist Party, was detained by police officers in Beijing on Tuesday afternoon, his girlfriend said. BEIJING — A prominent Chinese writer and frequent critic of the Communist Party who goes by the pen name Murong Xuecun was detained by police officers in Beijing on Tuesday afternoon, his girlfriend said.
The officers took Mr. Murong away at 5 p.m. and by early Wednesday he still had not been freed from custody, said his girlfriend, Wang Ling, who teaches at a university in Hong Kong. Ms. Wang said Mr. Murong had been “invited to have tea,” a euphemism the Chinese often use to refer to an interrogation session by police officers. Around 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Mr. Murong posted on Twitter: “At the Wanshou Temple police station, waiting for the police to come find me to have tea.” The officers took Mr. Murong away at 5 p.m., and by early Wednesday, he still had not been freed from custody, said his girlfriend, Wang Ling, who teaches at a university in Hong Kong. Ms. Wang said Mr. Murong had been “invited to have tea,” a euphemism the Chinese often use to refer to an interrogation session by police officers.
Mr. Murong returned to his home in Beijing last week from a trip abroad and had expected to be approached by the police. While outside the country, he had announced on the Internet that he would turn himself over to the Beijing police when he returned because they had detained several of his friends for gathering at an apartment on May 3 to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests, which ended when party leaders ordered a military crackdown in which hundreds or thousands of civilians were killed. The 25th anniversary of the crackdown took place on June 3 and 4 this year. Around 6 p.m. Tuesday, Mr. Murong posted on Twitter: “At the Wanshou Temple police station, waiting for the police to come find me to have tea.”
The gathering in early May was held at the apartment of Hao Jian, a professor at the Beijing Film Academy, who had a cousin who was killed during the Tiananmen massacre. Mr. Hao was detained on May 6 on suspicion of “picking quarrels,” and was released on bail one month later, after the 25th anniversary had passed. Some others who had attended the gathering and had been detained afterward have also been released, but the most well-known participant, Pu Zhiqiang, a rights lawyer, remains in custody. Dozens of other liberal Chinese were detained in the weeks before the June anniversary. Mr. Murong, 40, whose real name is Hao Qun, returned to his home in Beijing last week from a trip abroad and had expected to be approached by the police. While outside the country, he had announced on the Internet that he would turn himself over to the Beijing police when he returned because they had detained several of his friends for gathering at an apartment on May 3 to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests. Those protests ended when party leaders ordered a military crackdown in which at least hundreds of civilians were killed. The 25th anniversary of the crackdown took place on June 3 and 4 this year.
Mr. Murong, 40, whose real name is Hao Qun, was not at the May 3 conclave because he was in Australia, where he was a writer in residence at the University of Sydney for three months. But one person read aloud an essay he had written about Tiananmen. The gathering in early May was held at the apartment of Hao Jian, a professor at the Beijing Film Academy, who had a cousin who was killed during the Tiananmen massacre. Mr. Hao was detained May 6 on suspicion of “picking quarrels,” and was released on bail one month later, after the 25th anniversary had passed.
After the spate of detentions, Mr. Murong wrote an essay for the opinion pages of The New York Times, where he has been a regular contributor since 2013, stressing his intention to turn himself into the police on his return to China this month. Some others who had attended the gathering and were detained afterward have also been released, but the most well-known participant, Pu Zhiqiang, a rights lawyer, remains in custody. Dozens of other liberal Chinese were detained in the weeks before the June anniversary.
“Hard as it may seem to believe — I have a law degree, and I myself can hardly believe it — reciting such an essay at a private gathering can violate China’s laws,” he wrote in the opinion piece, which was published online on May 22 and in the print edition the next day. “By the government’s logic, I too have committed the crime of ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble.'  ” Mr. Murong was not at the May 3 conclave because he was in Australia, where he was a writer in residence at the University of Sydney for three months. But one person read aloud an essay he had written about Tiananmen.
After the spate of detentions, Mr. Murong wrote an essay for the opinion pages of The New York Times, where he has been a regular contributor since 2013, emphasizing his intention to turn himself into the police on his return to China this month.
“Hard as it may seem to believe — I have a law degree, and I myself can hardly believe it — reciting such an essay at a private gathering can violate China’s laws,” he wrote in the opinion piece, which was published online on May 22 and in the print edition the next day. “By the government’s logic, I too have committed the crime of ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble.’ ”
“I am going to turn myself in,” he added.“I am going to turn myself in,” he added.
Mr. Murong said later in an interview with Foreign Policy that he would not go to the police station after returning to Beijing, but would wait for the police to come to him. He said he was “worried, but not that worried,” since most of his friends who had been detained after the May 3 gathering had been released.Mr. Murong said later in an interview with Foreign Policy that he would not go to the police station after returning to Beijing, but would wait for the police to come to him. He said he was “worried, but not that worried,” since most of his friends who had been detained after the May 3 gathering had been released.
“Of course I realize this assessment is relatively foolish,” Mr. Murong said in the interview. “Many of my friends also thought they wouldn’t get detained and then suddenly, one day, they were detained.” He added that “there are no rules in China; it’s a lottery. But I am a novelist. My mother tongue is Chinese. I ought to be in China.” “Of course I realize this assessment is relatively foolish,” Mr. Murong said in the interview. “Many of my friends also thought they wouldn’t get detained and then suddenly, one day, they were detained.” “There are no rules in China; it’s a lottery,” he added. “But I am a novelist. My mother tongue is Chinese. I ought to be in China.”
Mr. Murong, who has written novels and nonfiction, had gone to a literary festival in France earlier this summer and met with his European agent in Italy before flying back to Beijing. His recent opinion essays for The Times have discussed the Communist Party’s misguided propaganda efforts, its crackdown on religious groups and its arrests or silencing of prominent liberal bloggers. Mr. Murong was the subject in 2011 of a long profile in The Times that was part of a series called “Culture and Control,” on the tensions between China’s authoritarian political system and cultural production. Mr. Murong, who has written novels and nonfiction, had gone to a literary festival in France this summer and met with his European agent in Italy before flying back to Beijing. His recent opinion essays for The Times have discussed the Communist Party’s misguided propaganda efforts, its crackdown on religious groups and its arrests or silencing of liberal bloggers.
Mr. Murong was the subject in 2011 of a long profile in The Times that was part of a series called “Culture and Control,” on the tensions between China’s authoritarian political system and cultural production.