Rights Defense Network: Deeply Mourning Mr. Zhou Yuanzhi — Pen and Ink as a Sword, His Bones Left by the Han River

Special Commentator：Chu Jiangfeng

On October 14, 2026，Zhou Yuanzhi，a former official with the Zhongxiang City Tax Bureau in Hubei and an independent writer，died suddenly of a heart attack，aged 65。The news came with very little warning，and on his home soil by the Han River，a writer who dared to face reality、and held firm under immense pressure until the very last moment，has left this world。

For the first half of his life，Zhou Yuanzhi was part of the system，and served as deputy director of the urban district tax bureau in Zhongxiang City。Years of tax work gave him a firsthand understanding of the realities of grassroots society。While many who had witnessed events firsthand chose to keep the struggles for fame and gain and the dark side of power within the system to themselves，he was unwilling to go along with worldly hypocrisy。As early as the 1990s，he was removed from his post for submitting articles to overseas media exposing the system’s ills；in 2008，he was arrested by the National Security Bureau for writing articles about official corruption and human rights，on suspicion of “inciting subversion of state power”。The ups and downs of his life proved that，after leaving public service，he had truly found a pen of his own as an independent writer，one that refused to whitewash or embellish。

As a member of the Independent Chinese PEN Center，Zhou Yuanzhi’s gaze was always both cold and fervent。In some of his writing，under the pen names “Zeng Renquan” and “Hua Liangxing”，he analyzed the shifting desires and political entanglements of official careers；in other work，he turned his attention to society’s margins and its most vulnerable people，and his most representative novel，Murky Wan’er River (also titled Diary of a Hostess)，stands as the strongest testament to his integrity。In this work，he confronted the plight and fate of disadvantaged women workers whose roles were overlooked by the mainstream gaze。He did not make simplistic moral judgments，but used words like a scalpel，faithfully recording the suffering and struggles of ordinary people caught in the cracks。

Yet the price of writing truthfully was the prison bars and walls that shadowed much of his life。In November 2017，he was arrested again for taking part in rights defense activities and publishing critical articles。In June 2019，the Duodao District Court in Jingmen，Hubei，sentenced him in a secret trial：two years for “organizing an illegal gathering”，three years for “online picking quarrels and provoking trouble”，and one year and six months for “defamation”，with the sentences combined and a prison term of four years and six months imposed。In this long literary inquisition，he was deprived of the freedom of speech that should belong to every citizen，and even when he became critically ill in prison in 2020，was diagnosed with a serious heart tumor and faced a threat to his life，his family’s application for medical parole was cruelly rejected。

By the time he was released after completing his sentence in May 2022，the long years behind bars had completely devastated his health。After his release，he fell into dire circumstances，stricken by both poverty and illness，and even the retirement and medical benefits he should have been entitled to were entirely taken away。Then in 2023，simply for reposting online a social media post about flooding，he was again forcibly taken away by state security and placed in administrative detention。Having lived for a long time under this all-pervasive surveillance，he remained constantly on guard。Though he spent his days at home making videos with complete concentration，he was often apprehensive when talking on the phone or sending voice messages to friends，deeply feeling that he was under someone else’s gaze at all times。This ever-present wariness，and the sudden silence that descended on his world after October 4，became the cruelest shackles weighing on the final stage of his life。

In his everyday life，Zhou Yuanzhi had a chivalrous spirit。When ordinary people ran into difficulties defending their rights and had nowhere to turn for help，they would always find their way to him through one channel or another。Whenever it was clear that a vulnerable person had been wronged，he would spend his own time and energy helping ordinary people sort out the facts and speak on their behalf。He knew that every time he stepped forward，he could bring new trouble upon himself，but his sense of justice left him unable to turn away。The pen was his weapon，and standing up for others was the principle he upheld throughout his life。

Looking back on his life，writing meant resisting pressure from the outside，speaking up for others meant taking on additional risks，and his own path had its share of ups and downs。Even as the winds howled around him，he never set aside the words that needed to be written；nor did he ever withdraw the helping hand that needed to be extended。

Now，the pen that accompanied him for half his life has fallen silent forever。The Han River still flows ceaselessly，and the bustle of everyday life in Yingzhong goes on as usual，but this land has lost a pen that dared to question reality，and a person willing to speak for those who were silent。

“The truly courageous dare to face the bleakness of life。”The body will eventually return to dust，but in his own way，he left a mark for the voices of the grassroots。People will remember，that there was once an ordinary person who did not chase the fashions of the day，and did not shrink from danger，and whose integrity will live on in a place beyond all fear、all eavesdropping。

Sir，rest in peace。