COVID-19: Chinese award-winning author faces backlash over 'Wuhan Diary'

Award-winning Chinese writer Fang Fang has been facing backlash for publishing her ‘Wuhan Diary’ which carries the stories of coronavirus tragedy that unfolded in her hometown. Fang started documenting about fear, anger, and hope of people in Wuhan after it was placed under lockdown on January 23 and drew millions of readers in China.

However, the 64-year-old author is facing severe criticism from nationalist forces after it got published abroad in seven different languages. In one of her entries, she touched upon politically sensitive issues such as shortages of face masks, overcrowded hospitals turning away COVID-19 patients, and difficulties faced by medical staff.

“A doctor friend said to me: in fact, we doctors have all known for a while that there is a human-to-human transmission of the disease, we reported this to our superiors, but yet nobody warned people," she wrote in her online diary.

As the diplomat turf of US-China has turned bitter due to blame games over the COVID-19 handling, critics are now accusing Fang of providing ammunition to western countries. Some social media users even called her “treacherous” and accused her of making money over the victims of coronavirus.

Read: US State Of Missouri Sues China Over Its Handling Of Coronavirus Outbreak

The description of the book by US publisher HarperCollins has added fuel to the fire in which they have called her writing close to the line of “dissident”. It said that Fang courageously speaks out against social injustice, corruption, abuse, and systemic political problems which impeded the response to the epidemic. Fang took to Weibo to complain about “cyberbullying” by fringe nationalists and also talked about death threats during an interview.

Read: Australia Dismisses Stung China's Criticism Over It Seeking Information On Covid's Origin

Lack of press freedom

China, which has been ranked 177 out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index, has used the coronavirus pandemic to further tighten the grip on media by banning the publication of any reports that question how it has been managed. China’s attempt to conceal information became a major concern amidst pandemic after two whistle-blowers, who revealed the devastation of coronavirus in Wuhan, went missing.

Read: COVID-19 Crisis: US Accuses China Of Hoarding PPE Kits And Selling Them At Higher Rates

Read: Press Freedom Index: Norway Tops List, N Korea Ranks Last As Pandemic Worsens Media Threat

(Image credit: AP)