Renowned Chinese writer Yan Ge Ling attended the global premiere of the uncut version of her epic novel “Youth” in Manhattan, New York on April 12th. She delivered a speech on the theme of “The Cost of Writing Freely”, reflecting on her experience of being completely banned in mainland China in recent years for speaking the truth publicly and accepting the price of losing income to be true to herself.
The event took place at the cultural space “Latitude 40°”. The organizers stated that the platform is dedicated to providing a “soil of freedom for the growth of Chinese literature and thought” beyond the censorship system. The “Youth” released on that day represents Yan Ge Ling’s “uncompromising version”.
“I am tired of censorship,” Yan Ge Ling frankly expressed. She said the most dreadful aspect is not external restrictions, but the long-standing “self-censorship” that has been formed – “the words have already been confined to a narrow channel before flowing out of the mind, making it unacceptable for me.”
Yan Ge Ling used to be a popular bestselling author in mainland China, with her works adapted into film and television productions numerous times, collaborating with renowned directors on projects like “The Homecoming” (adapted from her novel “We Are Déjà Vu”) and “Youth”. She mentioned since she published critical articles during the initial phase of the pandemic in 2020, such as “Deception, Deception, Deception,” and spoke up during the “Iron Chain Woman” incident and the “Blank Page Movement,” her works were completely taken down in mainland China, film and television works were stripped of her name, new books could not be published, and published works were prohibited from being reprinted. She said, “It’s like a social death.”
The restrictions from the Chinese authorities also attempted to extend overseas. Once she was invited to speak and sign copies of her novel “Migrati” at the Los Angeles Public Library, but the Chinese Consulate notified some Chinese restaurants not to allow her to dine there.
Yan Ge Ling stated that she anticipated the consequences when publishing her articles, but she is “willing to bear such sacrifices” because she believes that any respectable intellectual should be willing to take responsibility. In her speech, she repeatedly emphasized the responsibility and value of writers: “What I most want to win is my own approval.” She presented a creative perspective of “truth, goodness, beauty”, believing that “to achieve beauty, one must first be true and then good; without truth or goodness, one cannot attain beauty.”
Yan Ge Ling said in today’s mainland China, no one dares to speak the truth, “I think if every writer speaks just one sentence of truth, China will not be in its current state.”
“If you do something against your conscience, you twist your own conscience, the words you speak out are completely wrong, will you feel comfortable?” she said, “Anyway, I am composed; I haven’t done anything wrong, I have written some words that needed to be said.”
Besides the current situation, Yan Ge Ling also shared her writing philosophy. She mentioned that writing is a “spiritual homework, even a kind of religion”. She writes every day during her “best energy and brainpower time,” usually from 6 or 7 in the morning until one or two in the afternoon. What satisfies her most is producing a piece of inspired writing, and when the “inspiration flows” she gets excited.
Regarding the future, she described herself as walking “on a path that is not a road,” enduring trials is inevitable, and she will continue to “write in solitude and publish in solitude,” believing that only by persisting in truth can literature survive and endure.