Kang Yuchun
Doctor and writer
Kang Yuchun, a doctor at Beijing Anding Hospital, sentenced to 17 years in prison for political issues in 1992, was released on the 28th October 2003 due to an imprisonment reduction of 5 years and 7 months.
This profile is part of a cooperation with Independent Chinese PEN Center. It has been written by Secretary-General Yu Zhang and was first published in From Wang Shiwei to Liu Xiaobo - Prisoners of Literary Inquisition Under Communist Rule in China (1947-2010). It’s part of our ongoing effort to support freedom of speech and human rights.
Kang Yuchun was born in Beijing. He began studying at the Beijing College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 1981. After obtaining his Master’s degree in 1990, he began practicing TCM at Beijing’s Anding Hospital.
In June 1991, Kang joined An Ning, Lu Zhigang, Lu Mingxia, Wang Peizhong and others in establishing the Chinese Progressive Alliance and became editor of the group’s flagship publication, Freedom Forum. In October that year, he joined CFDP founded by Hu Shigen and others.
On May 29, 1992, Kang Yuchun was detained, and formally arrested on September 27. On December 16, 1994, the Beijing Municipal Intermediate People’s Court sentenced him to 17 years’ imprisonment for “organizing and leading a counterrevolutionary clique” and “counterrevolutionary propaganda and incitement”. His appeal was rejected.
PEN International expressed concern about Kang Yuchun’s case, and he was adopted as an honorary member of the English and German Centers.
While in prison, Kang took college classes in law and English, and also served as a prison doctor. He was released on October 28, 2003, after serving 11 years and five months of his sentence. He currently works at Beijing’s Chaoyang District No. 3 Hospital, using TCM in psychiatric treatment. He continues to write in his spare time, and has published his prison writings along with translations of works by Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky and American political scientist Kenneth Janda.
Meet Kang Yuchun here:
