Thanks to David Cowhig for translating Radio Free Asia’s interview with Chen Guidi, an author of Survey of Chinese Peasants.
Chen said he was very moved by getting first prize in Germany, that so many people from many countries are concerned.
Despite the banning of the book, very many pirate copies of Zhongguo Nongmin Diaocha have been sold in China said Chen. Seven million. The copies sold overseas are also unauthorized editions.
Chen said they won’t worry about persecution by the government. They have put their names on their work and stand behind it and will insist on their rights as Chinese citizens.
Chen said that some critics have said that their book is about conditions in Anhui not about all of China. Chen responded that they chose material for their book that would represent the situation in China as a whole. Indeed, said Chen, he has received many letters from peasants in the coastal provinces who face the same situations discussed in the book.
The problem of the Chinese peasants is the problem of China. Chinese society cannot achieve the goal of guaranteeing a basic standard of living to everyone (xiao kang) without uplifting the peasants. Chinese peasants are 40% of all the peasants in the world, so the problem of the Chinese peasants is a world problem, said Chen.
Chen said that they are refusing speaking engagements and preparing to write two more books on rural China. They have a great deal of material that they haven’t used yet. They will use the prize money to rebuild their savings — they spent their own money during three years of research on Investigation of Chinese Peasants and will use the money to support their work on their next two books.
Chen said that his lawyers are confident that they can win the libel suits against them. This is clear under Chinese law, said Chen. He is ready to fight for his rights under the PRC constitution to the highest court in China.
