Famous children's author to quit writers' association
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Children's author Zheng Yuanjie is quitting the Chinese Writers' Association (CWA), the noted writer announced Sunday on his blog.
Zheng said he was disappointed with CWA member Cao Wenxuan's decision to promote his books in Qingdao on April 16, two days after the deadly Yushu earthquake. Cao is also the vice chairman of the Beijing Writers' Association.
"The coldness of Cao to the sufferers in the quake-stricken area is disappointing," Zheng wrote. "I can't stand being a colleague with him."
According to Beijing News, Cao is in Athens and won't comment on the issue until he returns. Chen Qirong, a CWA spokesman, said they haven't received Zheng's formal application to quit.
"As for his criticism, we would correct the mistake if we were wrong," Chen said. "And we hope his comments are objective."
An anonymous writer told Beijing News that Zheng's motivation, which should not be doubted, also cannot be fully trusted. "Cao is Zheng's rival," the writer said. "Zheng doesn't need to count on being a member of the association to survive. He has a huge market to support him."
Widely acclaimed for his fairy tale series Pipilu and Luxixi, Zheng became a household name in the 1980s. He recently donated 1 million yuan (US$146,468) to victims of the Yushu earthquake.
