Yang Hengjun
Encyclopedia
Yang Hengjun is an Australian novelist, born in Hubei
Province, central China in 1965. After graduating from Fudan University
in 1987, he worked in the Foreign Affairs Department in Beijing. From 1992 to 1997, he worked in Hong Kong as the manager of a mainland Chinese company. He then went to the U.S. as a senior fellow of the Atlantic Council
.
His novel, Fatal Weakness, is the first in his spy trilogy using himself as a role model. It is the story of a U.S.-China double agent who ultimately works for neither side but instead serves his own personal agenda. It is only available on his blog and is written only in Chinese. There is no other translations available.
He is now an Australian citizen, and divides his time between Sydney
and Guangzhou, China with his wife and two sons. He also holds PRC passport.
On March 20th, 2011, it was alleged Yang disappeared from Guangzhou airport after phoning a friend to report that three men were following him. Commentators imagined that he has been detained as a result of government crackdown on activists, lawyers and bloggers following calls for a 'Jasmine' revolution in China since February 2011. He later contacted his family in Australia saying his disappearance was all a "misunderstanding" and "I've been sick, nothing else, and my phone battery was dead for two days so I could not contact my family. I'm very sorry about stirring up so much trouble in both countries."
During the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay
and ensuing protests, Yang called for Chinese students in Australia to show restraints, and warned that overt Chinese nationalism might create racial tensions between Asians and white Australians.
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
Province, central China in 1965. After graduating from Fudan University
Fudan University
Fudan University , located in Shanghai, is one of the oldest and most selective universities in China, and is a member of the C9 League. Its institutional predecessor was founded in 1905, shortly before the end of China's imperial Qing dynasty...
in 1987, he worked in the Foreign Affairs Department in Beijing. From 1992 to 1997, he worked in Hong Kong as the manager of a mainland Chinese company. He then went to the U.S. as a senior fellow of the Atlantic Council
Atlantic Council
The Atlantic Council is a Washington, D.C. think tank and public policy group whose mission is to "promote constructive U.S. leadership and engagement in international affairs based on the central role of the Atlantic community in meeting the international challenges of the 21st...
.
His novel, Fatal Weakness, is the first in his spy trilogy using himself as a role model. It is the story of a U.S.-China double agent who ultimately works for neither side but instead serves his own personal agenda. It is only available on his blog and is written only in Chinese. There is no other translations available.
He is now an Australian citizen, and divides his time between Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and Guangzhou, China with his wife and two sons. He also holds PRC passport.
On March 20th, 2011, it was alleged Yang disappeared from Guangzhou airport after phoning a friend to report that three men were following him. Commentators imagined that he has been detained as a result of government crackdown on activists, lawyers and bloggers following calls for a 'Jasmine' revolution in China since February 2011. He later contacted his family in Australia saying his disappearance was all a "misunderstanding" and "I've been sick, nothing else, and my phone battery was dead for two days so I could not contact my family. I'm very sorry about stirring up so much trouble in both countries."
Self presentation
He wrote about many approaches made by secret service agents of various Western powers to recruit him and other writers as a spy and to write anti-China articles in order to demonise Chinese people and to "sell his soul to the devil". He said he found such approaches despicable and he was warned not to talk about or publish such approaches. He used such experience to write his novels.During the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay
2008 Summer Olympics torch relay
The 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay was run from March 24 until August 8, 2008, prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics, with the theme of "one world, one dream". Plans for the relay were announced on April 26, 2007, in Beijing, China...
and ensuing protests, Yang called for Chinese students in Australia to show restraints, and warned that overt Chinese nationalism might create racial tensions between Asians and white Australians.
External links
- Yang's Twitter account
- Collection of blog articles, some in English
- Yang's blog posts translated on China Digital Timesq:zh:楊恆均 Quotations of Yang Hengjun