劉曉波逝世八週年：他照亮的路，我們繼續走

今天是 2025 年 7 月 13 日，是劉曉波先生逝世八週年的日子。八年前，他帶著未竟的理想，在中共的嚴密監控下，於獄中離開了人世。劉曉波是自 1938 年德國記者卡爾•馮•奧西斯基以來，首位在關押中去世的諾貝爾獎得主。對我來說，他的離去是中國自由事業的巨大損失，但他的精神與思想，卻像一盞明燈，在漫漫長夜中繼續指引著我們前行。

Today, July 13, 2025, marks the eighth anniversary of Mr. Liu Xiaobo’s passing. Eight years ago, he left this world in custody under the Chinese Communist Party’s strict surveillance, with his ideals unfulfilled. For me, his departure was a great loss for China’s freedom movement, but his spirit and ideas, like a beacon, continue to guide us through the long night.

我一直深信，劉曉波是一位極其獨特且深邃的思想家。他從小聰明叛逆，敢於挑戰權威，即便在學校裡也毫不避諱地批評老師。他閱讀量極廣，不僅熟讀中國古典，也大量涉獵西方哲學，從柏拉圖到亞里士多德，再到法蘭克福學派的哲學家，其知識的廣度和深度遠超一般人。尤其讓我佩服的是，他有著極強的自我批判能力。他會不斷審視自己的行為和思想，一旦發現不足便立即轉變。比如，他曾以西方為尺度衡量中國進步，但很快便意識到，更重要的問題是人類普遍的生存、生死、真假等形而上問題，並撰文批判自己先前的觀點。這種不斷反思和修正的勇氣，是多數人難以企及的。

I have always deeply believed that Liu Xiaobo was an exceptionally unique and profound thinker. From a young age, he was intelligent and rebellious, daring to challenge authority, even openly criticizing his teachers in school. He was an avid reader, not only well-versed in Chinese classics but also extensively exposed to Western philosophy, from Plato and Aristotle to philosophers of the Frankfurt School; his breadth and depth of knowledge far surpassed ordinary people. What particularly impressed me was his strong capacity for self-criticism. He would constantly examine his own actions and thoughts, and if he found deficiencies, he would immediately change direction. For example, he once measured China’s progress against Western standards, but soon realized that the more important questions were universal existential issues such as life, death, truth, and falsehood, and he wrote articles criticizing his earlier views. This courage to constantly reflect and revise is something most people find hard to achieve.

最為人稱道的，是他那句「我沒有敵人」的宣示。許多人可能誤解這句話，以為他沒有對手，但絕非如此。他的意思是，即使對方將他視為敵人，他也不會從自己的立場將對方視為敵人。這是一種拒絕仇恨的道德宣告和政治哲學。他認為，憎恨他人會腐蝕自己的人格，所以他選擇不讓仇恨主導自己的人生，而是將所有人視為「人」，無論其立場如何。這種以非暴力方式推動民主轉型的路徑，是劉曉波一生堅守的信念。他曾說，改變一個政權必須從改變一個社會開始，這是一個漫長而真實的過程。在中共擁有龐大國家機器的背景下，他認為暴力抗爭無異於自殺，非暴力才是唯一可行的道路。

Most notably, there is his declaration, “I have no enemies.” Many people might misunderstand this phrase, thinking he had no adversaries, but that is certainly not the case. His meaning was that even if others considered him an enemy, he would not, from his own standpoint, regard them as such. This is a moral declaration and political philosophy that rejects hatred. He believed that hating others corroded one’s own character, so he chose not to let hatred dominate his life, but rather to see everyone as “human,” regardless of their position. This path of non-violent democratic transition was a conviction Liu Xiaobo upheld throughout his life. He once said that changing a regime must begin with changing society, a long and real process. In the context of the CCP’s vast state apparatus, he believed violent struggle would be suicidal; non-violence was the only viable path.

他對社會變革的洞察，即便在今天，也顯得極為超前。例如，他提出運動應該「去中心化」，不依賴單一領導人，而是基於集體價值觀推進。雖然網路後來被中共用作監控工具，但劉曉波曾迷戀其作為傳播思想、與廣大民眾溝通的潛力。事實證明，即使在嚴格控制下，網路依然是資訊傳播的管道，相比毛時代，它為普通民眾提供了前所未有的發聲機會。當我看到 2023 年 6 月 15 日，在首都體育館一名年輕人衝上球場擁抱梅西，而現場觀眾卻為他歡呼「牛逼」時，這讓我想到劉曉波曾強調旁觀者價值觀的重要性。這類民間自發的反應，正是社會深層變化的證明，是劉曉波所期望的從下而上改變的萌芽。

His insights into social change, even today, appear remarkably prescient. For example, he advocated for movements to be “decentralized,” not reliant on a single leader, but driven by collective values. Although the internet later became a tool for CCP surveillance, Liu Xiaobo was fascinated by its potential for spreading ideas and communicating with the broad populace. It has proven that even under strict control, the internet remains a channel for information dissemination, offering ordinary people unprecedented opportunities to voice their opinions compared to the Mao era. When I saw a young man rush onto the field to hug Messi at the Capital Stadium on June 15, 2023, and the audience cheered him on, shouting “Niu Bi” (awesome), it reminded me of Liu Xiaobo’s emphasis on the importance of bystander values. Such spontaneous public reactions are precisely evidence of deep societal change, the very sprouts of bottom-up change that Liu Xiaobo envisioned.

劉曉波的「沒有敵人」哲學，與我們今天所見的許多抗爭者的風骨一脈相承。當中共用盡手段打壓異議時，總有像他一樣的人選擇堅守原則，甚至付出生命。在香港，我們就看到了黎智英先生，他也是一位為自由與民主獻身的殉道者。他曾是香港商界的傳奇人物，但 1989 年天安門事件的震撼，促使他轉身投身媒體事業，創辦了倡導民主自由的刊物。

Liu Xiaobo’s “no enemies” philosophy is consistent with the integrity of many protesters we see today. When the CCP uses every means to suppress dissent, there are always individuals like him who choose to adhere to their principles, even sacrificing their lives. In Hong Kong, we have seen Mr. Jimmy Lai, who is also a martyr dedicated to freedom and democracy. He was once a legendary figure in Hong Kong’s business world, but the shock of the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident prompted him to turn to the media industry, founding publications that advocated for democracy and freedom.

黎智英先生的遭遇，是中共對香港自由與法治無情踐踏的縮影。僅僅因為他行使言論自由，發表批評政府的文章，便被羅織「勾結外國勢力」等罪名。這與劉曉波先生因《零八憲章》被重判 11 年的境遇如出一轍。黎智英先生在獄中長期遭受單獨囚禁，其條件甚至違反了 UN 聯合國關於禁止酷刑的規定。香港曾經是全球新聞自由的燈塔之一，然而，在《港版國安法》和《基本法 23 條》實施後，新聞自由已跌至全球最低點之一，異議之聲被徹底扼殺。香港媒體的寒冬，以及像《立場新聞》記者被定罪入獄的案件，無一不昭示著中共對普世價值的蔑視。

Mr. Jimmy Lai’s experience epitomizes the CCP’s brutal disregard for Hong Kong’s freedom and rule of law. Merely for exercising his freedom of speech, publishing articles critical of the government, he was charged with “collusion with foreign forces” under the national security law and other offenses, and handed a severe sentence. This situation mirrors Mr. Liu Xiaobo’s harsh 11-year sentence for “Charter 08”. Mr. Lai has endured prolonged solitary confinement in prison, with conditions that even violate UN prohibitions on torture. Hong Kong was once a beacon of press freedom globally; however, following the implementation of the “Hong Kong National Security Law” and “Basic Law Article 23,” press freedom has plummeted to one of the lowest points worldwide, with dissenting voices completely suppressed. The chilling winter for Hong Kong’s media, and cases like the conviction and imprisonment of “Stand News” journalists, all demonstrate the CCP’s contempt for universal values.

此刻，我們不能再保持沉默。劉曉波曾是人類普世價值的一個象徵。今天，黎智英先生，以及所有在中國大陸、香港、西藏、新疆和南蒙古等地為自由而奮鬥的人們，也都是這樣的象徵。我們作為身在海外的中國人，以及國際社會的一員，有責任銘記這段歷史，並繼續為他們發聲。西方世界不應只將中國視為地緣政治或經濟的對手，而忽視其內部社會與人權的深層問題。這種「東方主義」的偏見和對金錢的追逐，使得許多像劉曉波、黎智英這樣重要人物的故事，難以在主流媒體上獲得應有的關注。

At this moment, we cannot remain silent. Liu Xiaobo was once a symbol of universal human values. Today, Mr. Jimmy Lai, and all those fighting for freedom in mainland China, Hong Kong, Tibet, Xinjiang, and Southern Mongolia, are also such symbols. As Chinese living abroad, and as members of the international community, we have a responsibility to remember this history and continue to speak out for them. The Western world should not only view China as a geopolitical or economic rival, but neglect its deep-seated internal social and human rights issues. This “Orientalist” bias and pursuit of money have made it difficult for the stories of many important figures like Liu Xiaobo and Jimmy Lai to receive the attention they deserve in mainstream media.

我們應該向各國政府呼籲，加大對中共的壓力，要求其釋放黎智英先生，並停止對所有異議人士的迫害。普世人權價值不容交易。儘管中國當局不斷抹殺記憶，試圖讓我們遺忘劉曉波，但他的精神將永遠存在。我相信，只要自由的渴望不滅，只要我們持續以非暴力的方式從下而上推動社會的改變，終有一天，中國會真正成為一個擁有自由、尊嚴和法治的國度。

We should call on governments worldwide to increase pressure on the CCP, demanding the release of Mr. Jimmy Lai and an end to the persecution of all dissidents. Universal human rights values are not negotiable. Although the Chinese authorities continuously attempt to erase memories and make us forget Liu Xiaobo, his spirit will live forever. I believe that as long as the desire for freedom remains, and as long as we continue to promote social change from the bottom up through non-violent means, one day China will truly become a nation with freedom, dignity, and the rule of law.