Instead of a show of lofty disdain, or official silence, it made a colossal fuss, protesting fiercely about plots to undermine China, and putting dozens of prominent Chinese intellectuals, including Liu’s wife, Liu Xia, under house arrest. As a result, the utterly powerless, hitherto quite obscure Liu Xiaobo, has become not only world famous, but much better known inside China, too.
不过，对刘晓波的获奖，中国政府这回的反应还是有点不同寻常。有别于以往蔑视或保持官方沉默的态度，它这回显得极度震惊，强烈抗议这一破坏中国的阴谋，并悍然软禁了数十名国内著名知识分子，其中包括刘晓波的妻子刘霞。结果名不经传又没什么影响力的刘晓波不仅蜚声国际，也为中国国内所家喻户晓了。