The message contained in this book is so powerful that Liu has been imprisoned solely for exercising his right to free expression. The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu is a testament to the strength of his message and to all the Chinese activists who sacrificed their lives and so much else in the pursuit of freedom and democracy in China. The essays of Liu Xiaobo have inspired freedom loving people not only in China but around the world. -- Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader Liu Xiaobo insists on "living in truth." Each time I re-read his astute essays and merciless self-dissections, I am struck again: here truly is a different kind of Chinese intellectual. The essential value of the essays in this volume springs from that very source: Liu Xiaobo lives in truth; he is different. -- Ding Zilin, Founder of the Tiananmen Mothers Presented in a lucid and persuasive manner with obvious but well restrained moral passion, this book offers a leading Chinese intellectual dissident's thoughts over the past two decades on his persistent efforts to bring about a free, democratic and civilized China. Liu's engage writings keep alive the modern Chinese tradition of intellectual pursuit of liberal democracy and constitute another page of individual struggle for human freedom and dignity. This book is for anyone who is concerned with a better China and a better world. -- Josephine Chiu-Duke, University of British Colombia The massacre in Beijing in 1989 turned Liu Xiaobo, almost literally overnight, toward passionate pursuit of democracy, constitutional government, and respect for the dignity of the individual person. The quest has sent him to prison four times, yet he insists that he "has no enemies." Some day, I am sure, his works will be available in China for his fellow citizens to read and discuss. He has never let go of the present, and is sure to win the future. He belongs to China--just as China, in part, belongs to him. -- Pu Zhiqiang, rights lawyer, Beijing The voice of Liu Xiaobo, though silenced in his motherland, is a voice that conveys the long-cherished aspirations of the Chinese people. It is our good fortune that we now have this voice in English translation which, while faithful to the original meaning, also preserves the power of his original message. -- Ying-shih Yu, Princeton University Liu Xiaobo's brilliant essays express more than political dissidence in China. They do that too, heroically. But they are also the work of a first rate literary intellectual, whose ideas are of universal value. In three words: sharp, witty, and above all, humane. -- Ian Buruma, author of Bad Elements: Chinese Rebels from Los Angeles to Beijing I am happy to learn that the selected writings of Liu Xiaobo are being published in a book entitled No Enemies, No Hatred. In 2008, when hundreds of Chinese intellectuals and concerned citizens inspired by Liu Xiaobo signed Charter 08, calling for democracy and freedom in China, I was personally moved and expressed my admiration for their courage and their goals in public. The international community also recognized Liu Xiaobo's valuable contribution in urging China to take steps towards political, legal and constitutional reforms by supporting the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to him in 2010. Considering the writer himself remains imprisoned, this book is a powerful reminder of his courage and his vision for a new China. I believe that in the coming years, future generations of Chinese will enjoy the fruits of the efforts that Chinese citizens today are making towards the introduction of a more open and responsible governance. I would also like to take this opportunity to renew my call to the Chinese government to release him and other prisoners of conscience. -- The Dalai Lama Presented in a lucid and persuasive manner with obvious but well restrained moral passion, this book offers a leading Chinese intellectual dissident's thoughts over the past two decades on his persistent efforts to bring about a free, democratic and civilized China. Liu's engage writings keep alive the modern Chinese tradition of intellectual pursuit of liberal democracy and constitute another page of individual struggle for human freedom and dignity. This book is for anyone who is concerned with a better China and a better world. -- Josephine Chiu-Duke, University of British Colombia Freedom of expression may be irritating to some, but its absence is harmful to all. Without the freedom of expression there can be no lasting progress because without critical voices in the society there is no protection against error and abuse in the exercise of power. Liu Xiaobo is paying a harsh price for speaking out. I invite you to read his work, as a tribute to his courage, and as an inspiration for your own. -- Thorbjorn Jagland, Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee
Liu Xiaobo, winner of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, was a Chinese writer and human rights activist. Perry Link is retired from a career teaching at Princeton University and now is Chancellorial Chair for Teaching Across Disciplines at the University of California, Riverside. He publishes on Chinese language, literature, and cultural history, and also writes and speaks on human rights in China. Tienchi Martin-Liao born in Nanjing, China and educated in Taiwan and Germany-has dedicated much of her life to advocating for democracy and human rights in China. Martin-Liao has authored and translated numerous books on Chinese cultural and social subjects, and frequently appears in the US and international media as an expert on Chinese human rights issues. She is currently the Senior Research Analyst and the Editor-in-Chief at the Laogai Research Foundation in Washington, D.C. Liu Xia, the wife of 2010 Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, is a painter, poet, and photographer from Beijing, China. Since her husband's formal arrest in 2009, Liu Xia has often had to speak out on behalf of her husband in the public arena.
The message contained in this book is so powerful that Liu has been
imprisoned solely for exercising his right to free expression. The
awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu is a testament to the
strength of his message and to all the Chinese activists who
sacrificed their lives and so much else in the pursuit of freedom
and democracy in China. The essays of Liu Xiaobo have inspired
freedom loving people not only in China but around the world.
*Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader*
Liu Xiaobo insists on "living in truth." Each time I re-read his
astute essays and merciless self-dissections, I am struck again:
here truly is a different kind of Chinese intellectual. The
essential value of the essays in this volume springs from that very
source: Liu Xiaobo lives in truth; he is different.
*Ding Zilin, Founder of the Tiananmen Mothers*
Presented in a lucid and persuasive manner with obvious but well
restrained moral passion, this book offers a leading Chinese
intellectual dissident's thoughts over the past two decades on his
persistent efforts to bring about a free, democratic and civilized
China. Liu's engagé writings keep alive the modern Chinese
tradition of intellectual pursuit of liberal democracy and
constitute another page of individual struggle for human freedom
and dignity. This book is for anyone who is concerned with a better
China and a better world.
*Josephine Chiu-Duke, University of British Colombia*
The massacre in Beijing in 1989 turned Liu Xiaobo, almost literally
overnight, toward passionate pursuit of democracy, constitutional
government, and respect for the dignity of the individual person.
The quest has sent him to prison four times, yet he insists that he
"has no enemies." Some day, I am sure, his works will be available
in China for his fellow citizens to read and discuss. He has never
let go of the present, and is sure to win the future. He belongs to
China--just as China, in part, belongs to him.
*Pu Zhiqiang, rights lawyer, Beijing*
The voice of Liu Xiaobo, though silenced in his motherland, is a
voice that conveys the long-cherished aspirations of the Chinese
people. It is our good fortune that we now have this voice in
English translation which, while faithful to the original meaning,
also preserves the power of his original message.
*Ying-shih Yu, Princeton University*
Liu Xiaobo's brilliant essays express more than political
dissidence in China. They do that too, heroically. But they are
also the work of a first rate literary intellectual, whose ideas
are of universal value. In three words: sharp, witty, and above
all, humane.
*Ian Buruma, author of Bad Elements: Chinese Rebels from Los
Angeles to Beijing*
I am happy to learn that the selected writings of Liu Xiaobo are
being published in a book entitled No Enemies, No Hatred. In 2008,
when hundreds of Chinese intellectuals and concerned citizens
inspired by Liu Xiaobo signed Charter 08, calling for democracy and
freedom in China, I was personally moved and expressed my
admiration for their courage and their goals in public. The
international community also recognized Liu Xiaobo's valuable
contribution in urging China to take steps towards political, legal
and constitutional reforms by supporting the award of the Nobel
Peace Prize to him in 2010. Considering the writer himself remains
imprisoned, this book is a powerful reminder of his courage and his
vision for a new China. I believe that in the coming years, future
generations of Chinese will enjoy the fruits of the efforts that
Chinese citizens today are making towards the introduction of a
more open and responsible governance. I would also like to take
this opportunity to renew my call to the Chinese government to
release him and other prisoners of conscience.
*The Dalai Lama*
Presented in a lucid and persuasive manner with obvious but well
restrained moral passion, this book offers a leading Chinese
intellectual dissident's thoughts over the past two decades on his
persistent efforts to bring about a free, democratic and civilized
China. Liu's engagé writings keep alive the modern Chinese
tradition of intellectual pursuit of liberal democracy and
constitute another page of individual struggle for human freedom
and dignity. This book is for anyone who is concerned with a better
China and a better world.
*Josephine Chiu-Duke, University of British Colombia*
Freedom of expression may be irritating to some, but its absence is
harmful to all. Without the freedom of expression there can be no
lasting progress because without critical voices in the society
there is no protection against error and abuse in the exercise of
power. Liu Xiaobo is paying a harsh price for speaking out. I
invite you to read his work, as a tribute to his courage, and as an
inspiration for your own.
*Thorbjørn Jagland, Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee*
During the Nobel ceremony in December 2010, an empty chair was
placed in Oslo City Hall to honor Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo,
whose outspokenness not only earned him the prize but a prison term
as well. The award catapulted him to international stardom, shining
a penetrating light on his own imprisonment much as he had often
shined light on the troubles of his country. These essays provide
an up-to-date account of the country's current political and
cultural climate, touching on a wide array of issues from the
plight of the Chinese farmer to the eroding spirituality of Chinese
youth. The essays are tempered by poems, many of which are
interwoven throughout the book to provide a much-needed calming
effect. Yet Liu Xiaobo's widespread appeal comes not from his
poetry, but in his ability to move beyond platitudes and deal in
personal stories--e.g., the tale of a local police department's
gross mishandling of the rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl and
the protests that developed soon after. Equally powerful is the
author's assault on China's closed society, noting that while
prostitution is technically illegal in China, thanks to sexual
suppression, China is now "number one in the world."...For the
world that knew Liu Xiaobo only for his empty chair in Oslo, this
much-needed book fills the void.
*Kirkus Reviews*
Liu, the 2010 Nobel Peace laureate currently imprisoned in China
for "incitement to subvert state power," registers wide-ranging
dissent against the Chinese system in these withering essays and
stark poems ("From the grins of corpses/ you've learned/ that it is
only death/ that never fails"). Included are manifestos and trial
statements denouncing China's dictatorship and calling for human
rights, free speech, and democracy. Other pieces criticize the
subtler corruptions of a repressive society: the frenzied
nationalism of the Beijing Olympics; mass evictions and child
slavery; soulless urban youth; the craze for Confucius, whom the
author views as a mediocrity whose legacy is a Chinese "slave
mentality"; the guilty compromises that prodemocracy
leaders--himself included--make to protect themselves. Liu's
alienation comes through in his strong, if conflicted,
identification with Western ideals, Madisonian politics, and
crypto-Catholic religiosity ("we will have passion, miracles and
beauty as long as we have the example of Jesus Christ")...Though
personal and idiosyncratic at times, Liu's ringing universalist
defense of democratic rights and freedoms will resonate with
American readers.
*Publishers Weekly*
It is scarcely credible that the government of a country of 1.4
billion people, one of the largest economies, an emergent great
power that is flexing its muscle in all directions, can be so
scared of one individual, a writer whose crime is to write about
what is happening in China and to disseminate his ideas online.
What has [Liu] done that is so bad? Only by reading his work can we
find out. Liu's colleagues outside China, Perry Link and Tienchi
Martin-Liao, and Liu Xia, are to be thanked for a timely
compilation in English that introduces the man and his thoughts
from his early years as a literary critic at a Beijing university
to his status as the new century's most famous Chinese
intellectual, even while he is silenced and incarcerated in his
country. It's gutsy for Harvard University Press to publish it,
too. Harvard has interests in China, as do many institutions these
days. Just to mention Liu Xiaobo's name is taboo for Chinese
academics, and even academics outside China can be wary of
discussing his work in case they offend officialdom. No Enemies, No
Hatred lets us judge for ourselves. It covers a range of recent hot
topics in China: the role of sex and political humor in
contemporary culture, the Confucius revival, the Beijing Olympics,
Hong Kong, Tibet, Obama, Jesus Christ. There's commentary on abuses
that attracted grassroots protest: farmers evicted from their land,
children forced into slave labor, violent crimes unpunished and
covered up.
*The Australian*
Though he is an equal in many respects to Václav Havel, who
contributed a foreword to this volume, Liu is not as literary a
figure. Instead, his voice is humble and inelegant, if vigorous.
Liu's style reflects his enthusiastic adoption of the Internet, and
his strong identification with netizens everywhere. His writing
would be simply informative if his subjects were not so urgent, and
the clarity of his moral stance not so gem-hard, crystal-clear, and
necessary.
*Booklist*
Like so many who admire Liu Xiaobo--a Chinese author and critic who
was awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize for his human rights
work--until I read No Enemies, No Hatred, I was so awed by his
nobility as a fighter that I had overlooked his depth as a thinker.
If, as Mr. Liu believes, a society's morality is its backbone, the
book raises difficult questions about China's future as a
superpower. He wonders, for example, what will happen as the
Internet ultimately forces China's authoritarian ruling class to
confront the ugly truth about its rule. Yet even as he walks the
reader through China's dark side, Mr. Liu's optimism shines
through--and it's hard not to come away believing, as he does, that
history is on his side.
*Wall Street Journal*
This is a book everyone should read, as Australian citizens and as
human beings, because our national stake in what happens in China
has become enormous and our human engagement with it must take the
side of those who, like Liu, have the greatest integrity and the
most generous vision of their country's future. Whether from a
scenario planning or moral point of view, this man's ideas need to
be a key part of how we see China...It's a brilliant collection and
belongs in the great tradition going back to The Apology of
Socrates and The Consolation of Philosophy.
*Sydney Morning Herald*
No Enemies, No Hatred [is] a collection that shows why the
Communist Party fears this 56-year-old intellectual-turned-activist
and his ideas. In essays on China's rise, Tibet, the impact of
materialism and nationalism on morality and sex, the 2008 Olympics,
and much more, Liu advances the antithesis to the Party line,
writing "free from fear," as co-editor Perry Link puts it in his
valuable introduction...Liu's writing is most personal when writing
about Tiananmen, but all of the essays display a distinctly humane
spirit. He takes evident pride in the changes that ordinary Chinese
have brought about despite the Communist Party's tight grip on
power...Liu has a keen eye for the cynicism and hypocrisy that
warps Chinese society, fed by propaganda extolling wealth, power
and national pride.
*Wall Street Journal*
In No Enemies, No Hatred: Selected Essays and Poems, the
well-translated collection edited by Perry Link, Tienchi
Martin-Liao and Liu Xia--Liu's wife--Liu demonstrates a
considerable amount of anger while retaining his Gandhian
nonviolent spirit. Taken together, his essays offer the best
analysis I have read of what's wrong in the People's Republic of
China.
*New York Times Book Review*
Bookshops are now submerged by a tidal wave of new publications
attempting to provide information about China, and yet there is (it
seems to me) one new book whose reading should be of urgent and
essential importance, both for the specialist and for the general
reader alike--the new collection of essays by Liu Xiaobo,
judiciously selected, translated, and presented by very competent
scholars, whose work greatly benefited from their personal
acquaintance with the author.
*New York Review of Books*
No Enemies, No Hatred is the first English-language collection of
Liu's poems and essays, including works that the Chinese government
cited when convicting him in 2009. Editors' notes included in the
book do an excellent job of providing foreign readers with
background on some of the topics that Liu writes about...This
collection begins with Liu's writings about [the Tiananmen Square]
protests, including poignant poems about those who died. Elsewhere,
he takes aim at both Chinese and Westerners who believe that the
other's culture holds all the answers to humanity's
problems...Liu's sentence ends in June 2020. It's unknown how much
China's political system will have changed by then. But one thing
seems certain: If the injustices that Liu has railed against are
still in place, he will not be timid about speaking his mind.
*Christian Science Monitor*
Although the Nobel Peace Prize recipient Liu has been unable to
publish anything since his most recent detention, which began in
late 2008, Link, his co-editors, and a superb group of translators
have assembled an impressive sampling of Liu's courageous and
insightful writings from the past two decades in this remarkable,
highly readable new book. Liu's critical essays and moving prison
poetry combine to form a fascinating portrait of China during a
period of rapid development and political change. If there was ever
any doubt that Liu deserved the Peace Prize, this book erases
it...Neither China specialists nor newcomers will soon forget this
powerful book.
*Foreign Affairs*
Like so many who admire Liu Xiaobo--a Chinese author and critic who
was awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize for his human rights
work--until I read No Enemies, No Hatred, I was so awed by his
nobility as a fighter that I had overlooked his depth as a thinker.
If, as Liu believes, a society's morality is its backbone, the book
raises difficult questions about China's future as a superpower. He
wonders, for example, what will happen as the Internet ultimately
forces China's authoritarian ruling class to confront the ugly
truth about its rule. Yet even as he walks the reader through
China's dark side, Liu's optimism shines through--and it's hard not
to come away believing, as he does, that history is on his
side.
*Wall Street Journal*
Offers a glimpse into the coruscating mind of one of China's
greatest dissident thinkers...Chinese officials regularly describe
Liu as a dangerous criminal who threatens the very foundations of
the state. The conclusion many readers of this powerful and
fascinating collection of Liu's writings will reach is that those
foundations are not as strong as the Chinese government likes to
portray to the outside world...Even for those unfamiliar with
Chinese politics or the country's human rights record, this book
should appeal because of the moving poetry and beautifully written
essays...The best chance yet for those who cannot read Chinese to
hear the voice of China's conscience.
*Financial Times*
A fascinating...compendium and an important read for anyone
interested in the Quaker injunction to "speak truth to power." Liu
is virtually a paragon of that injunction, and of the words of the
Gospel according to John: "You will know the truth, and the truth
will set you free." In No Enemies, he rebukes his fellow Chinese
elites who "have yet to learn how to draw spiritual meaning from
our encounters with suffering, how to live in human dignity, or how
to feel concern for the suffering of actual, ordinary people." He
not only criticizes the politically privileged he sees as stifling
human growth and expression, he also admonishes his fellow Chinese
who know the truth, but are too easily intimidated to attempt
unmasking and opposing it. But Liu saves his most incisive analysis
for the Chinese government, tracking its legacy of nationalism from
ancient times through Mao and beyond, as well as its perennial
campaign to muzzle dissent and clamp down popular unrest...Liu's
essays are efforts to persuade his readers to recognize that the
world is moving in the direction of freedom and democracy, and to
encourage us to do what we can to help achieve change... No
Enemies, No Hatred is a virtual ethnography of China's political
and economic corruption and what he calls an "atrophied sense of
justice."...In bringing the plight of his people to the world, and
being suitably honored for it with the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, Liu
Xiaobo positions himself as a teacher and an advocate in a freedom,
democracy, and justice movement that does seem to be growing around
the world...No Enemies, No Hatred is strong in many ways and a bit
lacking in others, which puts it in league with most other great
books on such loaded topics as freedom and totalitarianism. Liu
does belong in that pantheon, and I am delighted to find him firmly
placed there.
*Los Angeles Review of Books*
Much like Vaclav Havel's collection Open Letters, No Enemies, No
Hatred seeks to give readers the most comprehensive summary of the
immense output of this literary scholar and social critic...The
writings span from just before the Tiananmen Square demonstrations
to just before [Liu's] imprisonment 20 years later...The
translations create for English language readers a sense of a man
who writes with eloquence, knowledge and moral clarity in the
impassioned defense of human rights...Liu's vision for China is
sweeping, even epic. Its expression harkens not to the theoretical
obfuscation of Mao, but to the clarity of Thomas Paine and Niccolò
Machiavelli. Like their works, Liu's comes at a critical time: when
Western citizens need to truly learn about the multitudes that
define the rising superpower that is Liu's China; and when they
need to be led not just by a rousing voice but by a guiding
one.
*Open Letters Monthly*
No Enemies, No Hatred marks the inaugural English-language
collection of Liu's work...[It] demonstrates the breadth--and
intellectual and emotional potency--of a powerful writer and
political advocate...[No Enemies, No Hatred] is a wonderful
introduction to Liu's work. Liu writes with ease and persuasiveness
on subjects ranging from land grabs of farmland by corrupt
officials, to child slavery, to Confucius. He has a knack for
nailing contemporary China.
*The Independent*
This book surprised me with its bold and outspoken perspective of
modern China, seen from inside by a passionate advocate for
individual rights in the world's largest-ever mass state. The terms
of reference offer reflections on our own society as well as on
China's.
*Canberra Times*
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