Meet the most interesting person in China

Artist, government critic, blogger, Twitter pioneer. Now Ai Weiwei wants to shut down the internet for a day.

By Kathleen E. McLaughlin - GlobalPost
Published: June 23, 2009 13:21 ET
Page 2 of 2

Somewhat ironically, Ai is perhaps most widely known outside of China as the man who helped design the Bird’s Nest — the Chinese National Stadium that became the symbol of the 2008 Olympics, even though he distanced himself from that long before the games began. It now seems a fluke, a blip in Ai’s long career as a gadfly. Here in his studio, blogging away, he’s clearly engaged, interested and challenged. He grew up an outsider, his poet father Ai Qing banished to the western deserts during the Cultural Revolution. It’s a role that seems to suit him, but even he isn’t quite clear how he gets away with it.

Minutes after his Twitter post calling for an internet strike, journalists began calling him for comment. Reaction among his blog readers is mixed, and news about the strike call has been scrubbed by censors from the most widely read sites. (Though Ai may be striking a chord: According to his Twitter feed late Tuesday, he says his Fanfou account has been shut down.)

Ai himself is realistic about the odds of China’s nearly 300 million internet users logging off for a day. Many people, he said, don’t understand the metaphor.

“Chinese people are very practical,” he says. “They think ‘Oh, what’s that going to do?’”

A comment on his blog bore that out, saying, “I would love to support this with my action, but China is too big and a lot of people don't care about the overall society.”

Ai’s point: No matter how many people are involved, it’s the simple act of defiance that matters more than ongoing arguments online.

“It’s an act, rather than just talk,” he added. “A small act is worth a million thoughts.

“It’s a warm-up. Let’s see what we can do from there,” he said.

Read more about China and the internet:

In China, this photo may be porn

Net censorship, propaganda on the rise

Would you want the government to read your mail?

Comments:

1 Comments.

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Posted by Chen Qi on July 2, 2009 03:20 ET

What if there is also a "censorship" in Ai Weiwei's website which is operated by himslef? (It is not moderation but censorship) I think that's quite ironical and ridiculous. If Ai Weiwei is not brave enough to face other people's comments, then how can he convince people his "protest" against Great Fire Wall or Green Dam?

Please check the screenshots if you can read Chinese:
http://i44.tinypic.com/2d0m0pt.jpg

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