Rock star friend of detained Chinese artist Ai Weiwei taken at Shanghai airport

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Artists protest during a march to demand the release of detained prominent Chinese artist Ai Weiwei in Hong Kong on April 23, 2011. Ai Weiwei remains missing after being detained by government officials in Beijing on April 3, 2011. (Laurent Fievet/AFP/Getty Images)

A Chinese rock star close to the detained artist Ai Weiwei has been out of contact after being stopped by officials at an airport in Shanghai, according to friends.

Nearly a month after he was grabbed at the Beijing airport, Ai Weiwei remains missing, and any facts about his presumed detention remain absent, according to GlobalPost's Kathleen McLaughlin, writing in the Bric Yard blog.

Ai's "close" friend, Zuoxiao Zuzhou — founder of the rock band No — and the musician's wife, Xiao Li, were reportedly stopped Wednesday afternoon. He is the latest of several associates — friends and colleagues — of Ai to vanish.

His disappearance comes the day after an article he wrote in support of the artist, entitled "Who doesn't love Ai Weiwei?" detailing their close friendship over 18 years, according to the Guardian.

The piece by Zuoxiao, who has also written a best-selling novel, was published by the Hong Kong newspaper Mingpao.

According to the Guardian:

Police at Pudong airport reportedly said they knew nothing about the situation, while police at Hongqiao airport said: "We did not take anyone away today. We do not know about this situation."

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/china/110427/weiwei-zuoxiao-zuzhou-rock-star-china-shanghai-airport