Lin Zhao
Encyclopedia
Lin Zhao born as Peng Lingzhao (Simplified / Traditional Chinese: 彭令昭) in Suzhou
, December 16, 1932 died on April 29, 1968, was an outspoken dissident
during the Hundred Flowers Movement of 1957. During this time intellectuals such as herself were encouraged to criticize the Communist Party of China
, but were eventually punished for doing so.
In October 1960, Lin Zhao was first arrested in Suzhou for being a counterrevolutionary. She was later sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. While in prison, she famously wrote hundreds of pages of critical commentary about Mao Zedong
using her own blood. She was executed in 1968.
Lin Zhao's life was brought to light by documentary filmmaker Hu Jie, whose documentary 纪录片寻找林昭的灵魂 (In Search Of Lin Zhao's Soul) won numerous awards and also featured in several chapters of Philip Pan
's 2008 book, Out of Mao's Shadow.
Suzhou
Suzhou , previously transliterated as Su-chou, Suchow, and Soochow, is a major city located in the southeast of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, located adjacent to Shanghai Municipality. The city is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Taihu Lake and is a part...
, December 16, 1932 died on April 29, 1968, was an outspoken dissident
Dissident
A dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine, policy, or institution. When dissidents unite for a common cause they often effect a dissident movement....
during the Hundred Flowers Movement of 1957. During this time intellectuals such as herself were encouraged to criticize the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
, but were eventually punished for doing so.
In October 1960, Lin Zhao was first arrested in Suzhou for being a counterrevolutionary. She was later sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. While in prison, she famously wrote hundreds of pages of critical commentary about Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
using her own blood. She was executed in 1968.
Lin Zhao's life was brought to light by documentary filmmaker Hu Jie, whose documentary 纪录片寻找林昭的灵魂 (In Search Of Lin Zhao's Soul) won numerous awards and also featured in several chapters of Philip Pan
Philip Pan
Philip Pan is an American journalist and author. He won the Arthur Ross Book Award Gold Medal in 2009 for his bestselling book about political change in modern China, Out of Mao's Shadow: The Struggle for the Soul of a New China, which was also named a Best Book of 2008 by the Washington Post and...
's 2008 book, Out of Mao's Shadow.