Recently, internet user “Writer Li Nanfeng” published an article criticizing the poetry of former communist leader Mao Zedong titled “Spring Snow in the Garden,” calling it “mediocre.” As a result, he had his membership revoked by the China News and Photography Association and was banned from social media platforms. Currently, all content posted by Li Nanfeng cannot be found online.
On September 11th, “Writer Li Nanfeng” posted an article online expressing that compared to the bold and powerful lyrics of poets from the Song Dynasty such as Su Dongpo and Xin Qiji, “Spring Snow in the Garden” is not only poorly written but would be considered low quality in the poetry circles of the Song Dynasty, potentially even deemed as “very low quality.”
Li Nanfeng criticized, “The first three lines are very cliché… using 12 words to describe a scene, which comes off as verbose and repetitive.” “The following section is even more forced. A few parallel structures may seem grand, but in reality, it’s just self-praise.”
“In terms of artistic merit, ‘Spring Snow in the Garden’ falls far short, not up to standard even in the Song, Ming, or Qing Dynasties.”
Li Nanfeng also remarked, “Let’s only discuss the artistic aspect and not the author’s identity. This piece should not be elevated just because of the author’s identity.”
The article stirred up a lot of anger among patriotic Chinese citizens, with some even doxing Li Nanfeng and revealing his real name to be Li Anhui, a graduate of the Chinese Department of Central China Normal University and currently serving as the secretary of the first party branch of a construction company under the China Communications Construction Second Navigation Engineering Bureau.
Furthermore, Li Nanfeng is a member of the Chinese Couplets Association, the China News and Photography Association, the Hubei Poetry Society, and the Writers’ Association of Wuhan City. He has written hundreds of thousands of words of prose and poetry. He has won awards in numerous national essay competitions.
After Li Nanfeng’s real identity was exposed, the China News and Photography Association promptly announced the revocation of Li Anhui’s membership.
Previously, renowned contemporary Chinese artist Gao Sheng returned to China from the United States to visit, but due to his sculpture works from years ago, including “Kneeling and Confessing Mao,” which provoked the Chinese Communist Party, he was arrested and detained in Sanhe City Detention Center.
In response, British writer Ma Jian and others initiated an open letter calling for an end to political censorship in the field of Chinese literature and art creation and the release of Gao Sheng. As of September 13th, 180 artists, writers, poets, professors, and citizen scholars from around the world have signed the open letter. This letter will be submitted to various international human rights organizations.
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