Fang Fang | |||||||
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| Native name | 方方 | ||||||
| Born | Wang Fang (汪芳) (1955-05-11)11 May 1955 (age 69) Nanjing, China | ||||||
| Occupation | Writer | ||||||
| Language | Chinese | ||||||
| Alma mater | Wuhan University | ||||||
| Years active | 1982–present | ||||||
| Notable works | Feng Shui (万箭穿心) Bare Burial (软埋) Wuhan Diary | ||||||
| Notable awards | Lu Xun Literary Prize | ||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||
| Chinese | 方方 | ||||||
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Fang Fang (Chinese:方方),pen name ofWang Fang (汪芳; born 11 May 1955), is a Chinese writer, known for her literary depictions of the working poor. She won theLu Xun Literary Prize in 2010. Born inNanjing, she attendedWuhan University in 1978 to study Chinese. In 1975, she began to write poetry and in 1982, her first novel was published. She has since written several novels, some of which have been honored by Chinese national-level literary prizes.[1] Fang garnered international attention for herWuhan Diary, documenting the early stages of theCOVID-19 pandemic in China, and has used her platform to call for an end tointernet censorship in China.[2]
During the2020 Hubei lockdowns, Fang Fang used social media to share herWuhan Diary (武汉日记), a daily account of life in the locked-down city ofWuhan. In addition to her own writing,Wuhan Diary utilized anonymous interviews with other people in the city.[3] The account drew international public attention.[4] In the west, Fang Fang was met with almost unanimously positive reaction. Fang Fang’s publishing house,HarperCollins mentions that her work is a display of courage to expose social injustice, corruption and sociopolitical problems that hindered the response to the pandemic.[5]
Fang Fang—a member ofChina 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 onWeibo, during the2020 Hubei lockdowns, were met with harsh criticism and ridicule by Chinesenetizens. One of Fang Fang's critics isZhang Boli—aTraditional 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]
InWuhan Diary (2020), and also other sources, Fang Fang continuously insists that her diary is not in any way aimed against theChinese government. In an interview forCaixin, 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 asWeibo 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]
Fang Fang was on the list of the BBC's100 Women announced on 23 November 2020.[10]
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| Previous: Wang Xianpei [zh] | President of Hubei Writers Association 2007-2018 | Next: Li Xiuwen (李修文) |
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