A Theoretical Inquiry into the Rational Structure of Human Society

Xu Wenli (徐文立) was born on July 9, 1943, in Anfu City, Jiangxi Province, China. He was a key participant and organizer in the 1978 Democracy Wall Movement in mainland China and served as the chief editor of The April Fifth Forum (《四五论坛》). On October 1, 1979, Xu initiated and co-led the publicly renowned "Stars Art Exhibition" parade in Beijing, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Xu was also one of the founding leaders of the China Democracy Party in 1998. Twice handpicked by Deng Xiaoping (邓小平) and Jiang Zemin (江泽民) for arrest and imprisonment, Xu was sentenced to a total of 28 years, of which he served 16. In both 1993 and 2002, the U.S. governments under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, alongside other democratic nations and international public opinion, successfully secured his release. On Christmas Eve, December 24, 2002, Xu was exiled directly from prison to the United States, where he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Brown University.

Between 1981 and 2002, Xu Wenli spent 16 years in prison. In prison these "family letters" were the only mean of written expression allowed Xu. The content of such letters was restricted to mundane family matters. The only persons with whom Xu was allowed to correspond were his wife and daughter. Xu Wenli has both a good wife and a good daughter. When Xu Wenli was first imprisoned, his daughter was an elementary school student in 3rd grade. When he was early released for medical parole from his second term of imprisonment, his daughter had completed her university studies and became a professional teacher. These five letters are letters Xu Wenli sent to his daughter Xu Jin during his second term in prison. They combine the love and devotion of a father with the didacticism of a teacher and the free exchange of a friend. Reading these letters both moved me and inspired in me profound thoughts.