Liu Xia (刘霞) is a poet, painter, and photographer whose work became internationally known during the years she was held under extralegal house arrest in Beijing after the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize award to her husband, Liu Xiaobo. This archive collects verified interviews, statements, books, exhibitions, and other public material.
Interviews and statements
- 2010 — Telephone interviews after the Nobel announcement, shortly before authorities isolated her from media and visitors; background preserved by PEN America.
- December 2012 — Rare in-person interview with Associated Press reporters who reached her Beijing apartment after more than two years of isolation; see the PEN America case history.
- June 2013 — Open letter to Xi Jinping describing the restrictions imposed on her and calling for relief: PEN America.
- July 2017 — Public material following Liu Xiaobo’s death and sea burial, after which Liu Xia again became largely unreachable.
- September 2018 — First major public appearance after leaving China, associated with the Václav Havel Library Foundation in New York: event report.
- April 2019 — Profile on rebuilding her life and artistic career after exile: The New Yorker via MCLC.
Books and published work
- Empty Chairs: Selected Poems (2015), an English-language collection of her poetry in translation; biographical information is available from Poets.org.
- Liu Xiaobo and Liu Xia: Selected Poems (Hong Kong, 2000), a shared poetry collection.
Exhibitions and photography
- The Silent Strength of Liu Xia — an international exhibition centered on her black-and-white photographs, including the “ugly babies” doll series: Columbia Italian Academy.
- Post-release exhibitions continued in Europe and Asia, including work shown in Taipei and later exhibitions of photography and poetry.
Archival notes
Public reporting after 2019 is limited. This archive does not infer her present-day residence, health, or activity where recent reliable reporting is absent.
Selected sources
- PEN America — Liu Xia
- Amnesty International — 2018 release
- English PEN — 2018 release report
- IFEX — arrival in Germany
- Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission — case page
Companion profile: Liu Xia (刘霞).