Hongwei Bao, a professor at the University of Nottingham, read to the small, predominantly Asian audience. His poem, "White Paper," was inspired by the protests that erupted in China in late 2022, driven by outrage over harsh zero Covid measures. The poem encapsulates the pain and suffering endured by people in China during the pandemic, especially in light of the fire that led to a historic uprising. Bao noted this was the biggest mass uprising against the government in decades.
Baos' reflections highlight the challenging landscape for writers in China: "I can't imagine that my book would be sold in China, partly because it is written in English, partly because it touches on political and social issues such as queer rights and feminism. It is no longer possible to sell those books or publish those books in China," he lamented. His poetry collection cannot circulate freely within the country due to the repressive atmosphere toward such themes.
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