Attacked by leftists, author Li Chengpeng mulls over filing charges
Liberal writer threatened and punched while promoting book dealing with sensitive issues
The incident highlighted renewed tension between leftists and liberals in the country, particularly after the Southern Weekly newspaper's censorship row saw both camps hotly debate the issue and clash during ensuing protests.
Li Chengpeng, a former journalist, was punched in the head during an afternoon signing of his new book for readers at the Zhongguancun Bookstore in Haidian district, and another man was filmed throwing a packaged kitchen knife at Li.
The man who punched Li claimed to have a strong aversion to the content of Li's new book, The Whole World Knows. The assailant was taken away by Beijing police, according to a post on the public security bureau's microblog that night.
The new book is a collection of essays that include sensitive topics such as the shoddy quality of school buildings that collapsed and killed thousands of students during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake and the alleged cover-up of the 2011 Wenzhou train crash.
The second man was seen, in a video clip posted online, attempting to put the knife on the table in front of Li before throwing the package at the writer while being forcibly escorted away.