Banned Chinese writer Liao Yiwu, speaking in the United States for the first time since fleeing his country, said that his only crime was to resist “brainwashing.” (Bangkok Post)

Liao, who spent four years behind bars for writing the poem “Massacre” about the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, said personal freedom in China is only granted to those who surrender their spiritual freedom.

“In China, the biggest problem is brainwashing. If you don’t have your memory, or your conscience, everything is possible — but you have to forget about your personal stories,” Liao told an event of PEN, a group of authors active on human rights, at New York’s New School.

Liao said he would have “lived a very good life in China” if he had stopped trying to think independently.

The author of the newly released “God is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China,” said he is not a political activist, but was persecuted simply for telling the stories of ordinary people.

…

In his new book, “God is Red,” Liao explores the way that rural Chinese defy official restrictions to follow Christianity.

Liao said that while he is not a Christian, he admires their determination and faith.

Like other forms of self expression, all religions are permitted on one condition: “First you have to believe in the Communist Party.”

“If you are willing to pursue your freedom, seek out your freedom, then you could be in trouble,” he said.

FULL STORY

Banned Chinese writer fights ‘brainwashing’ (Bangkok Post)