Wang Shiwei: The Buried Writer

Wang Shiwei was a very special figure in the history of Chinese modern literature. He is known to most as the first victim of Chinese Communist Party’s literary persecution, who was killed “by mistake” in 1947 while CCP troops were retreating from Yenan. Mao Zedong was enraged by this “mistake” and in later years kept bringing up Wang Shiwei’s essay titled “Wild Lily” as speaking from the wrong standpoint. In the essay, Wang criticized the inequality and prerogative in the Communist Yenan that China still faces today. The documentary combines a historical search with sentiments and details we can relate. It incorporates oral history from those who lived through Wang Shiwei’s times, citations from writings by himself and his contemporaries, and the writer-director’s own reflections with rarely seen newsreels, poignant animations, and stunning visuals. Those being interviewed include Wang Shiwei’s son Wang Xufeng, his former student Bo Ping, his Yenan colleagues Zeng Yanxiu and He Fang, and those who studied his case—famous journalist Dai Qing, Chinese historian Gao Hua, CCP specialist Song Jinshou and Trotskyist expert Gregor Benton.

Writer/Director: S. Louisa Wei
Co-writer/Assistant Director: Joyce Y. Huang
Executive Producer: Lo Chi Wa
Production Coordinator: Renee Leung
Original Music: Robert Jay Ellis-Geiger
Sound Effect/ Mixing/ Editing: Charles C.W Chan
Editing: Alice L. Wu

Running Time: 52 Mins
Language: English and Chinese
Subtitle: English and Chinese
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Production: RTHK 2016

魏時煜很了不起，她做了一件別人無心也無力做的事情。

Shiyu Wei is amazing, she has done something that others have no intention or power to do.

-Liu Zaifu, literary critic and writer 劉再復 文學評論家、作家

「整風批判,改造思想」是毛澤東發明的整治知識分子方程式，它發軔於王實味個案。本書史料豐富，考據充足，從側面揭示了中國共產黨與知識分子的歷史演變。

“Reform of thinking” is a formula for rectifying intellectuals invented by Mao Zedong, which originated from the case of Wang Shiwei. This book is rich in historical materials and sufficient textual research, and reveals the historical evolution of the Chinese Communist Party and intellectuals from the side.

– Huang Yu, Chair Professor & Dean of Communication, HK Baptist University 黄煜 香港浸會大學傳理學院院長

對於歷史，作者不會滿足於作純客觀的呈現，而是自始至終，帶着思考的熱情介入其中；在富於節奏的敍述中，我們可以明顯地聽到心的激跳,看到基於人本價值之上的理性判斷的閃光。

Regarding history, the author is not satisfied with purely objective presentations, but intervenes in it with the enthusiasm of thinking from beginning to end; in the rhythmic narrative, we can clearly hear the heartbeat, and see that the humanistic values are based on the enlightening rational judgment.

-Lin Xianzhi, editor and writer /林賢治 花城出版社編輯、作家

作者自由思考、獨立寫作，其切入角度之新穎，表現手段又契合現代影象的特徵，故能發掘真像，還原史實，皆屬可圈可點，是一部值得一讀的好書。

The author thinks freely and writes independently. His innovative perspective and means of expression are in line with the characteristics of modern images. Therefore, his ability to unearth real images and restore historical facts is remarkable. It is a good book worth reading.

-Sun Lichuan, Editor-in-Chief, Cosmo Books/孫立川天地圖書總編

本書尤其形象可感，不只是王實味之冤魂在字裏行間形銷骨立，也有一整個現代中國知識分子屈辱的陰影在狂舞、在變幻，不得超生。

This book is particularly vivid. Not only is Wang Shiwei’s grievances standing between the lines, but there is also a whole shadow of the humiliation of modern Chinese intellectuals dancing wildly, changing, and cannot be reincarnated.

– Liu Waitong, writer and critic/廖偉棠 香港作家、評論人

作者將史料系統梳理，透徹剖析了王實味案的發展過程，力圖以個案分析為起點，展現出中國知識分子在思想改造的大背景下的群體選擇和各自的命運。本書既是一本重回歷史現場的紀實性著作，又是一本研究中國知識分子問題的現代史。

The author systematically sorts out the historical materials, thoroughly analyzes the itinerary and development process of Wang Shiwei’s case, and tries to use the case analysis as a starting point to show the group choices and their respective fates of Chinese intellectuals in the context of thought remoulding. This book is not only a non-fiction book that returns to the historical scene, but also a modern history that studies the problems of Chinese intellectuals.

-Li Xin, former editor-in-chief of Beijing Joint Publishing House /李昕 前北京三聯書店總編

作者魏時煜不僅是一位勤勉的學者，更像一位自覺的藝術創作者。她用數年時間，走訪眾多當事人、已故人物的親屬，與王實味研究中的重要學者們對話，查找散落於海內外的各類文獻，然後用她受過的敍事學訓練，將所有材料編織成一個細密的有機體。材料，而非論述和結論,賦予該書最扎實的質地。

Shiyu Wei is not only a diligent scholar, but also a conscious artist. She spent several years visiting many parties and relatives of deceased characters, talking with important scholars in Wang Shiwei’s research, searching for various documents scattered at home and abroad, and then using her narratology training, weaving all the materials into a dense organism. The material, not the arguments and conclusions, gives the book its most solid texture.

– April Y. Wei, Media Critic / 衛禹蘭 媒體人、評論人