Note: I have been wanting to write an article to commemorate/support Programming Thoughts, but I haven't been able to write something that satisfies myself. Today, I took the opportunity to share a few words while reposting Xu Zhiyong's court statement. Programming Thoughts was sentenced to seven years, and Xu Zhiyong was recently sentenced to fourteen years (readers who are unfamiliar with him are advised to read Xu Zhiyong's Wikipedia page). Also sentenced on the same day was lawyer Ding Jiaxi (twelve years), whose court statement was shorter and is also being reposted.
Regarding Programming Thoughts' blog, I can only say that I have "read it," but I am not a loyal reader. Perhaps many people are in a similar situation. However, there is a very paradoxical situation regarding this case: if you want to explain this case to someone who is not familiar with Programming Thoughts, it often takes a lot of effort, and others can only understand him as a "blogger," making it difficult to convey the weight he holds in many people's hearts. If we excessively emphasize the more "reactionary" things he has done, such as the several "inciting articles" during the 2011 Jasmine Revolution and the "Prince Party Relationship Network Project," which are indeed "worthy of several years of sentencing," but it seems that these are not the main point. There are others who do similar things, but it is rare for someone like him to receive attention from netizens.
The greatest significance of Programming Thoughts for Chinese users who bypass the Great Firewall is that he can speak freely. This is also his greatest "crime." Bypassing the Great Firewall is a starting point for a certain degree of freedom of speech, but we all know that even if we are outside the wall in the online space (or even physically bypassing the wall), the freedom we obtain is limited: once we have a certain degree of participation and output, we or our families will be harassed. We do not have the freedom to be free from fear. So many people can only read and sigh when they bypass the wall, and that's it.
But Programming Thoughts is different. For twelve years, he has consistently produced output and gained a group of readers. Outside his own professional field, he is not an expert or a condescending internet celebrity; he is just a free-minded netizen who reads a bit more. He has shown us what freedom looks like, like a ray of sunlight shining into a corner through a crack in a high wall. Reading his blog, we can also see his growth over the years. In order to avoid being crushed by the authoritarian machine, he has taken many protective measures (this bit of freedom is hard-won!), but the nightmare eventually arrived.
In a sense, I even hope that Programming Thoughts has not done those particularly "reactionary" things mentioned earlier—not to say that his suffering would be lighter in that case. On the contrary, even in this situation, his suffering would not be reduced by a single bit. And this would highlight even more that those who are determined to eliminate him are not really "rebels," but rather souls who pursue freedom and have the ability to put it into practice.
Finally, borrowing from Chen Yinke's "Inscription for the Memorial Monument of Mr. Jing'an, the King of Haining" (the bold text is added by the author), I express my respect for the recent hardships suffered by several individuals:
The scholar's reading and academic pursuits are meant to free their minds from the shackles of common beliefs, so that the truth can be spread. To think freely, even if it means death. This noble spirit, shared by the virtuous and the saints of the past and present, is not something that ordinary people can hope for. Mr. Jing'an, through his death, demonstrated his independent and free will, not discussing personal grievances or the rise and fall of a surname. Alas! This stone is placed in the lecture hall, tied with grief and never forgotten, expressing the extraordinary integrity of the philosopher and the vastness of the true ruler. The future is unknown. Mr. Jing'an's writings may not always be read; his teachings may not always be accepted. But this independent spirit and free thought, lasting for millions of generations, will endure with the heavens and the earth, shining forever with the three lights.