Wuhan writer’s diary of life during coronavirus angers China, translated to English
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A diary written by a Chinese author living in Wuhan in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak gives a glimpse inside the city where the pandemic emerged – and local authorities aren't happy.
Fang Fang, a 65-year-old award-winning author whose real name is Wang Fang, began publishing online diaries of her experience as early as January.
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Weibo, a Chinese social media website, became her platform and her popularity grew as Wuhan was cut off from the world.
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In her entries, she wrote about the challenges of daily life and the physiological impact of forced isolation, the BBC reported.
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Eventually, her words reached outside of China and have since been translated into English.
Publisher HarperCollins said Wang “gave voice to the fears, frustrations, anger, and hope of millions of her fellow citizens.”
She “speaks out against social injustice, abuse of power, and other problems which impede the response to the epidemic and gets herself embroiled in online controversies because of it,” the publisher said.
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Her popularity attracted the attention of Chinese authorities, who have attempted to control information about what actually happened within its borders.
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A piece by the Global Times, which is supported by the Chinese government, attacked Wang, saying she “might have become just another handy tool for the West to sabotage Chinese people’s efforts.”
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“Her diary only exposes the dark side in Wuhan while ignoring the efforts that local people made and the support extended across the nation,” the piece continued.
The book was made available Friday.