In exile since 2011, the dissident poet and writer talks about Christians from Yunnan, Hebei and Beijing in his last work. As fashionable as converting to Christianity may be, it is especially important to "resist the pressures of those power." In a country where the past is being erased, it is "important to keep memories alive".

Paris (AsiaNews/Agencies) - More and more people are converting to Christianity, both Catholic or Protestant in 21^st Century China in order to "stop fear" and "find spiritual assistance" against " the pressures of those in power," said writer Liao Yiwu in an interview published in the French daily Le Monde" on 20 February on the occasion of the launch of Dieu est rouge, the French translation of God is Red.

Liao Yiwu, 57, has lived in exile in Berlin since 2011. He was a leading Chinese literary figure until 1989 when he wrote a long poem titled Massacre addressed to the authors of the Tiananmen massacre (4 June 1989). Sentenced to four years in jail, he experienced life behind bars and social exclusion.

Although his books have been banned, they are widely circulated underground. Among the most famous are The Corpse Walker (English translation by Pantheon, 2008) and Dans l'empire des ténèbres ('In the empire of darkness,' in French, by François Bourin Editeur, 2013), in which he describes his experiences in prison.

In God is Red, published in 2011 in English and in French last month, he talks about his encounters with Christians from Yunnan, Hebei, Beijing and other parts of China. Before that, Liwu had never been interested in Christianity.

At present, Chinese children continue to be taught to mistrust religion as superstition and evil. Christianity is always presented as something that serves Western imperialism and the pope as someone who "is plotting"" to bring down the Chinese state and the Communist Party.

In prison, Liao met with Christian prisoners. In doing so, he discovered another group of fellow Chinese. In God is Red, he relates the stories of some 20 people, Catholics and Protestants. Like many Chinese who do not know the history of the Church, he cannot see much difference between the two.

At the book launch on 12 February, he noted that converting to Christianity is "fashionable" in China. "During the 2000s, there was a strong sense of insecurity, of threat, in China," he said in the interview. "Not everyone had Liu Xiaobo's inner strength to resist those in power". A friend of Liao Yiwu, Liu won the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. In 2009, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison for some of his online writings.

"Conversion is a way to find spiritual assistance. Yu Jie, a writer who became famous in the 90s, converted after feeling overwhelmed by the regime's threats. My friend Wang Yi did the same, as did they wives. For them it is a way to stop fear. Moreover, when we would meet, my recently converted friends would urge me to convert as well."

Even though Liao Yiwu is not a Christian, he is impressed by the courage Christians showed. Persecuted by the Communist government, they have remained steadfast in their faith.

"They all impressed me. Their fierce resistance for the freedom to believe inspired me a lot," he said. "The one who impressed me the most was a lady who was more than 100 years old, who was filled with holy anger. It is this holy anger that made her live. She wanted to fight until the complete victory of freedom for her religion."

According to Liao Yiwu, China's problem today is the loss of memory, the impossibility of writing history. For this reason, he sought to document the existence and vitality of those who witnessed 70 years of persecution before they passed on.

Bearing witness has become the main aspect of his work. "In a country like China, telling the truth comes first," he said. "If you weigh literature and the search for truth, the main thing is without a doubt finding the means to account better for this reality through writing."

However, holding out against government pressures "is hard. If you resist those in power, you have three possibilities: either you are forced into exile, you go to jail, or you die."

In view of this, Liao Yiwu is critical of some Chinese writers, even Nobel laureate Mo Yan, who see censorship and submission as inevitable.

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