The family of writer Liu Binyan, who died in the United States last week, is considering bringing his ashes to the mainland to fulfil his last wish of returning to his home country.
The mainland journalist and author had been in exile in the US since being banned from returning to the mainland in 1989 because of his criticism of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. He died on Monday last week from advanced colon cancer.
Liu's wife, Zhu Hong, said she was considering having their son and daughter bring his ashes back to the mainland as his final resting place.
'My children and I unanimously decided that, first, he should be cremated, and second, that we definitely have to bring his ashes back,' she said.
'They did not let Liu Binyan return home when he was alive. I think [they] should not stop his ashes from returning.'
Prominent writers and scholars are expected to gather for Liu's memorial service in Princeton, New Jersey, on Saturday.
Chen Maiping, a writer and close friend of Liu's who is known by the penname Wan Zhi, said a group of Liu's friends had formed a committee to organise the memorial and publish a book in his memory.