Murong Xuecun is one of China’s most celebrated writers. His criticisms of China’s censorship regime led to him being silenced by the government several years ago. In April 2020, he traveled to Wuhan to discover how the people of that city were coping with the harsh Covid lockdown. It was a dangerous mission. Deadly Quiet City: Stories from Wuhan, Covid Ground Zero, based on his interviews, has just been published by Hardie Grant Books. Murong left China and is now in Australia.

On 5^th March, at the Adelaide Writers Festival, Murong talked about his experiences with Clive Hamilton. The transcript of their conversation is published here. On the stage in Adelaide, the interpreter was Peter Barker. A translator, who wishes to remain anonymous, revised the text.