| Wang Xizhe | |
| Office1: | writer and a political critic- China |
| Birth Date: | 1948 |
| Birth Place: | Sichuan (China) |
| Nationality: | Chinese |
| Occupation: | Writer, Critic |
| Profession: | Human right activist Politician |
Wang Xizhe, born in 1948 in Sichuan, is a Chinese writer and a political critic.[1]
Wang was born on August 13, 1948, to a middle-class family in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. Raised in Guangdong, Wang became involved with the rebels during the Cultural Revolution and was sent to the countryside in 1968.[2]
In 1974, Wang, together with Li Zhengtian and Chen Yiyang, under the pseudonym "Li Yizhe," posted a big-character poster entitled "Socialist Democracy," in which they questioned the ideological system of the Gang of Four and Lin Biao, and even Mao Zedong's authority, claiming that a "newborn bourgeoisie" had emerged, and calling for the establishment of a socialist system that was more democratic and based on the rule of law.[3]
Together with Liu Xiaobo he wrote and signed a letter that was published on September 30, 1996.[4] This letter called on the Chinese authorities to reconcile the Chinese Communist Party and Guomindang,[5] and have dialogue with the Dalai Lama, the exiled head of the Tibetan government.
Liu Xiaobo was later arrested and sentenced to 3 years of "re-education through labor" camp. To escape from arrest, Wang Xizhe took refuge in Hong Kong.[6] His escape was revealed on October 13. Two days later on October 15, he arrived in the United States where he obtained political asylum.[7]