Li Chengpeng () (born September 22, 1968) is a prominent writer and social critic in the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, sli ...

. Well known in China for his reportage and social commentary—Li's Sina Weibo blog had nearly six million followers — (it is offline now) Li made international headlines in 2011 when he announced that he would seek political office as an independent candidate in his hometown of

Chengdu Chengdu (, ; simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), alternatively romanized as Chengtu, is a sub-provincial city which serves as the capital of the Chinese provin ...

, Sichuan province. While not technically illegal, the decision represented a rare and bold move in a country where candidates for political office are typically appointed by the

Communist Party of China The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...

.David Cohen and Peter Martin
"Who is Li Chengpeng?"
''The Diplomat'', 9 June 2011.

Career

Li, nicknamed "Li Da Yan" ("big-eyed Li"), began his career as a journalist and first rose to prominence for covering on corruption within China's professional soccer establishment. Li later coauthored a book on the subject, ''Chinese Soccer: The Inside Story'', which documented allegations of pervasive match-fixing involving coaches, players, referees and officials. The book asserted that nearly every professional Chinese soccer player had faced varying degrees of pressure or coercion by gambling syndicates to participate in fixing games. He says his coverage of the issue prompted persistent and anonymous threats against him and his family. His profile grew in the aftermath of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Having experienced the tremors in his apartment in Chengdu, Li committed himself to assisting in rescue efforts in the areas most severely impacted.Li Chengpeng
"Patriotism with Chinese Characteristics"
''The New York Times'', 25 May 2012. He traveled to the Sichaun earthquake region as a volunteer and wrote an essay: "The True Story of the Miracle Survival of the Students and Teachers of Longhan Elementary School in Beichuan". He also published a novel titled, ''Li Kele Protests Demolitions'' in 2011, which took a critical look at forced demolitions in China.David Cohen and Peter Martin
"After Ai Weiwei's Arrest, A Hard Hitting Chinese Author Remains Undeterred"
''The Christian Science Monitor'', 6 April 2011. In 2011, Li announced he would be running as an independent candidate to serve in the

People's Congress People's Congress may refer to: * All People's Congress, political party in Sierra Leone * Goa People's Congress, splinter group of the Indian National Congress in Goa * Indian People's Congress, political party in India * Janta Congress Chhattisga ...

of Wuhou district, Chengdu. Although China's constitution protects the rights of any citizens over the age of 18 to vote and run for local election, in practice these positions are generally filled by Communist Party-appointed candidates. Individuals who attempt to run as independents or self-nominated candidates sometimes face repercussions. A number of prominent cultural figures, writers, and academics endorsed Li's candidacy including blogger

Han Han Han Han (born September 23, 1982) is a Chinese best-selling author, professional rally driver, singer, creator of ''Party'', One (App magazine) and China's most popular blogger. He has published seven novels to date, and is represented by the ...

, film director

Feng Xiaogang Feng Xiaogang (; born 18 March 1958 in Beijing) is a Chinese film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and politician. He is well known in China as a highly successful commercial filmmaker whose comedy films do consistently well at the box o ...

, and legal scholar Yu Jianrong and

He Weifang He Weifang (born July 17, 1960; ) is a former professor at Peking University of China and an activist striving to reform the Chinese judicial system, who has argued that the Chinese Communist Party is an unregistered and therefore an illegal org ...

.''China Digital Times''
"Li Chengpeng: We Are All Shareholders of Our Country"
16 June 2011.

References

External links

"Watermelon vendor died pursuing the Chinese dream"
Translated essay by Li Chengpeng {{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Chengpeng 1968 births Living people Chinese dissidents Chinese sportswriters Sportspeople from Xinjiang People's Republic of China essayists Writers from Xinjiang Chinese bloggers People from Hami Social critics

Career

See also

References

External links