Yomiuri Shimbun interviews author Zhou Qing, whose expose “What Kind of God: A Survey of the Current Safety of China’s Food” was nominated for the Lettres Ulysses Prize:
Though I intended to ask for his opinion on freedom of speech in China, Zhou apparently thought I lacked a proper understanding of the situation in the country.
“I find your [question] absurd. [So-called liberalization] is not the result of changes made by the Chinese government. It’s a result of pressure from the international community,” he said. “Dictators will never change.”
Zhou, who took part in the pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square in 1989, was later arrested and imprisoned for nearly three years. [Full text]
Read an excerpt of Zhou’s book, via OpenDemocracy.
[Image: Zhou Qing, via Lettres Ulysses site]
