The female writer who was sent to a northern commune to undergo hard labor during the cultural revolution was

The correct answer is Ding Ling

This was the pen name of Jiang Bingzhi, one of the biggest writers of 20th century China. Although she was at first a big supporter of communism and the party, she often clashed with them on things like position of women and of art in the society. Because of many such conflicts, she was imprisoned during the revolution as she was accused of being a right winger.