Nobel winner Mo sued for ‘insulting’ China’s heroes
Mo Yan’s writings won China’s first Nobel Prize for Literature, but are these patriotic enough for Xi Jinping’s China? That’s the question at the center of a high-profile lawsuit now driving a debate about nationalism in the East Asian country.
Patriotic campaigns have become more common in recent years in China, as online nationalists attack journalists, writers or other public figures they say have offended the country’s dignity, but it is unusual for a figure as prominent as the author of the 1986 novel “Red Sorghum” to be targeted.
Patriotic blogger Wu Wanzheng, who goes by “Truth-Telling Mao Xinghuo” online, sued Mo under a law that carries civil penalties and, in some cases, criminal punishments for perceived offenses against China’s heroes and martyrs.
Wu claimed Mo’s books have smeared the Chinese Communist Party’s reputation, “beautified” enemy Japanese soldiers and insulted former revolutionary leader Mao Zedong.
The lawsuit filed last month demands that the author apologize to all Chinese people, the country’s martyrs and Mao, and pay damages of 1.5 billion yuan ($209 million) — 1 yuan for each Chinese person. He also requested that Mo’s books be removed from circulation.
Wu based his grievances on the 2018 law that made insulting heroes and martyrs a crime punishable by up to three years in prison. The law is part of Xi’s campaign to fight “historical nihilism,” a phrase the party uses for any interpretation of historical events that runs counter to its official narrative.
Mo, whose real name is Guan Moye, won the Nobel in 2012. He is known for portraying Chinese rural life and delving into some of the downsides of the country’s rapid economic development.
“Literature and art should expose the darkness and injustice of society,” he said in 2005 while accepting an honorary doctorate from a Hong Kong university. But the 69-year-old has had few conflicts with Beijing.
In 2011, he became vice chairman of the state-backed Chinese Writers Association. After he received his Nobel, a top party official praised him as an “outstanding representative” of China’s rising economic might and international influence.
It seems unlikely that Wu would win the lawsuit. The Chinese government has not formally commented on the saga, but state-run tabloid Global Times published on Tuesday a story quoting a recent speech by Mo, indirectly signaling support for the author.
The blogger said on the Chinese social media platform Weibo that a Beijing court rejected his first lawsuit because he failed to provide Mo’s home address.
His current lawsuit is based on part of the 2018 law that would hold someone civilly liable if they insult or slander “heroes and martyrs to the detriment of the public interest.” The Associated Press (AP) could not independently verify his claims because the court has not made the documents public.
Online discussion on the lawsuit was divided: some called it a reflection of growing nationalism in China, while others condemned the accusers. The controversy has trended on Weibo, where the hashtag #MoYanbeingsued has been viewed about 2 million times. At least one other related hashtag has been censored.
Murong Xuecun, a well-known Chinese writer who lives in exile in Australia, said he saw no evidence the government was backing the targeting of Mo, but it had created an environment where such patriotic attacks are encouraged.
“This trend has incited people to report, to inform on and to expose each other, targeting those who diverge from mainstream ideologies or promote universal values,” he said. “That’s what authorities have been doing.”