Tsering Woeser

Tsering Woeser received the International Women of Courage Award from the U.S. Department of State in 2013.

Tsering Woeser (also written Öser; Han name Chéng Wénsà 程文萨; born 1966) is a Tibetan activist, blogger, poet and essayist. She lives in China.

Life

 
Tsering Woeser in 2009.

Woeser is a quarter Han and three quarters Tibetan. She was born in Lhasa. Her grandfather as a Han ethnic. He was an officer in the Nationalist Army of the Kuomintang. Her father was a high ranking Army officer in the People's Liberation Army.

When Woeser was a small child, her family moved to the Kham area of western Sichuan province. In 1988, she graduated from Southwest University for Nationalities in Chengdu with a degree in Chinese literature. She worked as a reporter in Kardzé and later worked in Lhasa. In 2003, she moved to Beijing because of political problems. Woeser is married to Wang Lixiong, a famous author. Lixiong often writes about Tibet. According to Reporters sans frontières, "Woeser is one of the few Tibetan authors and poets to write in Chinese."[1] Because the government refused to give Woeser a passport, Woeser sued the government.[2]

Work

Woeser wrote a book, Notes on Tibet (西藏笔记; Xīzàng Bǐjì). According to the Tibet Information Network, unnamed sources say that the government banned the book about September 2003.[3] According to UNPO, Woeser lost her job shortly after the ban.[4] Radio Free Asia said that she continued to write poems and articles on her two blogs: Maroon Map (绛红色的地图, oser.tibetcul.net), which, according to the author, was visited mostly by Tibetans, and the Woeser blog (blog.daqi.com/weise), which was visited mostly by those of Han ethnicity. According to RFA, on July 28, 2006, both blogs were closed by the government. The blogs were probably closed because she wrote birthday greetings to the Dalai Lama and wrote about other sensitive topics. Woeser said that she would continue to write and to speak.[5]

During the Tibetan unrest of 2008, Woeser and her husband were put under house arrest after they spoke to reporters.[6] In December 2008, Woeser and her husband were among the first of the original 303 people to sign Charter 08,[7][8] Now, thousands more have signed it.[9] Liu Xiaobo, the author of Charter 08, went to prison for 11 years. He received the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize.[10] In July 2009, Woeser and her husband, along with more than 100 other people, signed a petition for the Chinese govenrmnent to free ethnic-Uyghur professor of economics Ilham Tohti.[11] When Woeser won the Prince Claus Awards in 2011, the government did not permit her to receive the prize in the Dutch embassy.[12]

Awards

Writing

  • 2011 Video of award to Tsering Woeser by the Dutch Prince Claus Fund
    Xīzàng zài shàng 《西藏在上》(Live Tibet) (Xining, Qīnghǎi rénmín chūbǎnshè 青海人民出版社 1999), Woeser's first poetry edition
  • Xīzàng Bǐjì 《西藏笔记》(Notes on Tibet) (Guangzhou, Huāchéng chūbǎnshè 花城出版社 2003), ISBN 7-5360-3831-3. Also published in Taiwan as Míng wéi Xīzàng de shī 《名为西藏的诗》 (Taiwan, Dàkuài wénhuà 大块文化 2006), ISBN 986-7291-90-5.
  • Jiànghóngsè de Nímǎ Cìrén 绛红色的尼玛次仁, in: Mǎ Míngbó 马明博, Xiāo Yáo 肖瑶 (eds.): Wénhuà míngjiā huà fóyuán 文化名家话佛缘 (Beijing, Zhōngguó dàng'àn chūbǎnshè 中国档案出版社 2004), ISBN 7-80166-415-9.* Jiànghóngsè de dìtú 《绛红色的地图》 (Taiwan, Shíyīng chūbǎnshè 时英出版社 2003), ISBN 986-7762-04-5; (Beijing, Zhōngguó lǚyóu chūbǎnshè 中国旅游出版社 2004), ISBN 7-5032-2247-6.
  • Bākuò Jiē de cāngsāng 八廓街的沧桑, in: Jīn Zhìguó 金志国 (ed.): Xīzàng dāngdài lǚxíngjì 西藏当代旅行记 (Lhasa, Xīzàng rénmín chūbǎnshè 西藏人民出版社 2004), ISBN 7-223-01587-X.
  • Shājié. Sishi nian de jiyi jinqu《杀劫》(Forbidden memory. Tibet during the Cultural Revolution) (Taiwan, Dàkuài wénhuà 大块文化 2006), ISBN 986-7291-84-0.
  • Tibet’s True Heart. Selected Poems. Dobbs Ferry, NY, 2008 (Ragged Banner Press Exzerpts), ISBN 978-0-9816989-0-8. Poems by Woeser (Weise), translated by A. E. Clark, Review 10−10−2008 Archived 2017-10-31 at the Wayback Machine (highpeakspureearth.com) Review 10−10−2008 Archived 2013-01-10 at the Wayback Machine (savetibet.org)
  • Tibet on Fire: Self-Immolations Against Chinese Rule Verso, London (2016) ISBN 978-1784781538[21]

References

  1. "Reporters sans frontières - China". En.rsf.org. Archived from the original on 2013-12-19. Retrieved 2014-08-08.
  2. Tibetan writer, a rare outspoken voice against Beijing's policies, sues Chinese government Herald Tribune July 23, 2008 p. 1 (iht.com)
  3. "TAR Authorities Ban Book by Tibetan Author (TIN)". Tibet.ca. Retrieved 2014-08-08.
  4. "Tibet: China persecuting Tibetan Writer for Pro-Dalai Lama Opinion". Unpo.org. 2004-10-28. Retrieved 2014-08-08.
  5. "Banned, Blocked Tibetan Writer Vows to Speak Out in China". RFA. Archived from the original on 2008-07-06. Retrieved 2015-03-29.
  6. "Tibetan revolt has China's empire fraying at the edge". Times Online. Retrieved 2014-08-08.
  7. Macartney, Jane (10 Dec 2008). Leading Chinese dissident, Liu Xiaobo, arrested over freedom charter. Times Online. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5313746.ece. 
  8. "Charter 08". 12 December 2008. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  9. "Charter 08 Signers urged to join Liu Xiaobo's Trial". 19 December 2009. Archived from the original on 26 February 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  10. "'Liu Xiaobo must be freed' - Nobel prize committee". BBC. 10 October 2010. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  11. Chinese intellectuals call for release of Uighur. July 14, 2009. https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090714/ap_on_re_as/as_china_outspoken_uighur_2. 
  12. Tsering Woeser - Writer/Blogger - Lhasa, China Archived 2012-03-03 at the Wayback Machine Prince Claus Awards 2011 (princeclausfund.org) Retrieved January 3, 2013
  13. "Norwegian Authors Union awards Freedom of Expression Prize 2007 to Tsering Woeser". www.phayul.com. Archived from the original on 2017-02-26. Retrieved 2014-08-08.
  14. Tibetan journalists’ body honours Woeser on its 10th Anniversary Archived 2017-02-26 at the Wayback Machine.
  15. "Tibetan writer Woeser wins 'Courage in Journalism award'". Phayul.com. Archived from the original on 2017-02-26. Retrieved 2014-08-08.
  16. "International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF)". Archived from the original on 2010-05-27. Retrieved 2015-03-29.
  17. "International Women of Courage Award". Voatibetanenglish.com. Retrieved 2014-08-08.
  18. "2013 International Women of Courage Award Winners".
  19. "2013 International Women of Courage Award Winners - HumanRights.gov is the official United States Government website for international human rights related information". Archived from the original on 2017-01-05. Retrieved 2017-02-14.
  20. "2013 International Women of Courage Award Winners - International Women of Courage Celebration". Archived from the original on 2017-08-09. Retrieved 2017-02-14.
  21. Woeser, Tsering. "Tibet on Fire". VersoBooks.com. ISBN 978-1784781538. Retrieved 25 July 2017.

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