 Chinese freelance internet writer Li Jianhong (pen name “Xiao Qiao”) was born in the city of Bangbu, Anhui Province, in 1968. She graduated from Huadong Normal University in Shanghai with an MA in North American studies in 1994, and has since worked as a teacher, journalist and administrative manager. Li is a leading Shanghai-based dissident, and vocal advocate for freedom of expression and the press. In August 2002 Li Jianhong founded and edited the independent Chinese website Qimeng Luntan (Enlightenment Forum), followed by Ziyou Zhongguo Luntan (Free China Forum), both of which are now blocked.
She has been subjected to intense police harassment since January 2005 for her critical writings published online and peaceful dissident activities. She has suffered numerous brief detentions and interrogations, repeated periods of house arrest, and several dismissals from posts of employment. She is a member of Independent Chinese PEN Centre (ICPC) and was the recipient of the 2007 Lin Zhao Memorial Award, but she was prevented from collecting it. Li provided PEN with a first-hand account of the crackdown on the December awards dinner hosted by the ICPC at which she was to be honored.
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