Country of Origin: China

Main Focus: Democracy, Journalism, Human Rights, Activism, Literature

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Sheng Xue (born Zang Xihong) grew up in Beijing and moved to Canada soon after the Tiananmen Square protests 1989.

Sheng Xue is a member of PEN Canada and The Independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC), both of which belong to International PEN. She is also a member of the Writers in Prison Committee of ICPC.

She works as a Canadian correspondent of Radio Free Asia and the North American correspondent of Deutsche Welle (Voice of Germany) and also regularly writes columns for various media outlets.

Sheng Xue won Canada's National Magazine Award and the Canadian Association for Journalists Award for Investigative Journalism in 2001 for an investigation she conducted for the Canadian magazine Maclean's called "The Smuggler's Slaves" about the life of Chinese boat migrants. She has won these prestigious honours as the first Chinese Canadian.

Sheng received the Journalism and Media Award from the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada in 2005 in recognition of her outstanding accomplishments, contributions, and volunteer work as well as for her leadership, courage, and commitment to the causes of multiculturalism, human rights, respect for human and cultural values, integrity, and equality among all people.

“Unveiling the Yuan Hua Case”, a book written by Sheng Xue in 2001 based on her investigation into China's most notorious smuggling case, quickly became a top seller in Chinese communities outside of mainland China and sent shockwaves throughout the country. The Communist Party of China's Propaganda Department instantly outlawed the book.

“Seeking the Soul of Snow”, a book of poems by Sheng Xue was released by United Writers Press, Hong Kong, in January 2008. The mainland Chinese government has similarly outlawed the poetry anthology.

Lyricism From a Fierce Critic, a compilation of Sheng Xue's articles, was also released by United Writers Press in August 2008 in Chinese. China has likewise outlawed this book.

She further appeared in two Canadian films, Chinese Chocolate) in 1995 and Small Pleasures in 1993. In 1997, she also had a lead role in the stage production He Zhu Xin Pei.

Sheng Xue held the positions of Writer in Residence at Carlton University in Ottawa in the winter of 2007, Writer in Residence at McMaster University in the winter of 2009, Writer in Exile of Edmonton from September 2009 to August 2010, and Writer in Residence at McMaster University in the winter of 2010.

Sheng Xue is a prominent figure in the overseas Chinese pro-democracy movement and a vocal opponent of the human rights record of the Chinese government. She serves as the head of the investigation into the June 4 massacre, vice chair of The Federation for a Democratic China, and board member of the Forum for the Democratization of China and Asia. In 2004, she founded the organization "Ten Dollar Can," which advocates for monthly donations of $10 to be sent to political prisoners in China, including writers and journalists who are imprisoned. She is also the creator of the China Rights Network, a grouping of organizations united in opposition to the CCP's policies.

Jason Kenney, Canada's Minister of Citizenship, Immigration, and Multiculturalism, presented Sheng Xue with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal on September 29, 2012, at a Mid-Autumn Festival celebration held in Sheng Xue's home by about 50 Asian political exiles.

Sheng Xue was chosen to lead the Federation for a Democratic China on October 8, 2012, at the FDC's 11th Global Congress in Budapest.

Read Sheng Xue’s blog: Springtime for Hope

On January 31, 2023, the third issue of the China Spring online magazine was published, and as its editor-in-chief, I felt relieved. Looking out the window at the snow settling in the wake of strong winds, I couldn't help but think of Dr. Wang Bingzhang, the founder of this magazine. He has been in solitary confinement for twenty years, serving a life sentence in prison in China.