Prentiss Riddle: Language

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Write Tang Dynasty poetry, go to jail

This isn't the plea for Chinese human rights that you're expecting, or not exactly.

The fascinating Maktaaq, (former?) expatriate in Romania, writes funnily about some unfunny interactions with the authorities, beginning at age 14 for writing Chinese poetry in chalk on the sidewalk (scroll down). She ends with being mistaken for her own kidnapper.

(Cf. Austin's Chalk Girl.)

Addendum: I don't know why it didn't occur to me as I first posted this, but there's a more language-oriented pointer to pass along about jail and Chinese writing. The February 16 & 23, 2004 issue of the New Yorker has an article by Peter Hessler about Chen Mengjia, a scholar who spoke out in 1957 against Mao's proposal to replace China's ancient logographic writing system with an alphabetic one. There were several systems under consideration, not only romanized but cyrillic and four original "Chinese" ones. Mao ultimately decided for more modest reforms, apparently not because of Chen's arguments, but Chen's outspokenness cost him his career and possibly his life anyway. Alas, the article isn't online.

language 2004.03.04 link