‘Truth is Under Threat.’ Ten Questions for Chinese Dissident Author Ma Jian

Ma Jian has a flair for the provocative. In 2012, the London Book Fair partnered with the all-powerful Chinese state agency responsible for regulating publications and the Internet—the General Administration for Press and Publication. In protest, the author smeared an X across his face in red paint. He then attempted to hand a copy of a book he had written, its cover also marked with a red X, to the head of the agency, who was attending the fair.

Ma Jian has a flair for the provocative. In 2012, the London Book Fair partnered with the all-powerful Chinese state agency responsible for regulating publications and the Internet—the General Administration for Press and Publication. In protest, the author smeared an X across his face in red paint. He then attempted to hand a copy of a book he had written, its cover also marked with a red X, to the head of the agency, who was attending the fair.