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Ai Weiwei艾未未, the world famous Chinese artist held by the authorities for almost three months earlier this year, has defied the one year gag order just roughly 2 months after his release to attack injustice in China in a passionate article fuelled by his own experiences of detention. The ariticle entitled “City : Beijing” was published on the website of the Newsweek Magazine on 28/8/2011 as attached below.
He accused officials of "deny[ing] us basic rights" and compared migrant workers to slaves, describing Beijing as "a city of violence" and "a constant nightmare".
His remarks are certain to anger Chinese security officials. They come days after it emerged that China is reportedly planning to give police legal powers to hold some suspects for up to six months without telling their families. Campaigners say the move would legitimise and potentially increase the number of secret detentions.
Suddenly, I realize that despite Na Li李娜 forfeited her chance to speak up for the June 4th tragical event bestowed to her when she was crowned the French Open Champion, God as promised in the Bible Esther 以斯帖記4:14 has continuously risen up many others to keep the Jasmine movement for freedom of speech alive. He made the nameless hero like Miss Yang楊and Mr Yin殷 to grasp hold of the opportunity being drawn to speak first and second in a rally against suppression of freedom of press at HKU. Now, He empowers Ai who supposingly should remain silence to voice out his dismay against the judcial system that is untrustworthy in protecting people’s basic rights under the law.
God really is the Lord of history and the sovereign King of all. He works in mysterious way that through the planting of seeds for democracy, He brings awakening to people hearts to fight for their right despite of oppression and persecution like what Ai is doing. For some regimes, like the Jasmine revolution in the Arab world, they are overthrown. Will this happen in China, I don’t know. But I would imagine a disastrous consequence disrrupting the peace and order of not only China but the world at large will take place if an Arab world alike revolution really erupts in China.
Basically, China situation is different from the Arab totalitarian regimes. She has a strong socio-economic infra-structure that keeps her economy strong and proud amongst all the other countries suffering in recessions. The international affairs political influences in a non-aggressive manner have earned China many international supports especially in the third world countries. There are so many aspects that make the Chinese people be proud of their mother land.
The problem or weakness of China is on the general essence of people’s life. The cultural revolution has destroyed the core values system of the Chinese people. Big spirituality vacuum has since been created. It is unhealthily replaced by pursuance of materialism and selfishness. Every one is trying to cling on to power to gain best self benefit especially under the banner of Tang’s鄧少平policy of let some people get rich first. Disparity of wealth has never been so great that, social injustice is a norm in mega cities likes Beijing.
The way out for China is through a re-engineeering of the values system of all people from rank and file to elite management level officials. What we need is like another Great Awakening that swept Protestant Europe and British America and especially the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s, leaving a permanent impact on American religion and her foundation of upholding freedom and democracy . With the Jasmine seeds planted and more and more people like Yang, Yin and Ai to speak out, the hearts and minds of the ordinary people first then the people in power will be open up and come to sense of the real need of agape love for nurturing mutual respect and trust amongst the rulers and those being ruled.
I have steadfast faith in the ultimate transformation of the materialistic China into an utopian state. Because China is predicted as the great power in the East at the end times. The blossoming of the Jasmine flowers in China will not be too far away. I can smell the fragrance of the flowers getting stronger day by day, because of changed hearts of increasing number of people like Yang, Yin and Ai. They dare to cry out for freedom out of their love of the country and the compatriots who are still lost and suffering in the nightmare of those Big Cities of Violence.
For us who are overseas where free speech is permissible, we do need to treasure and grasp hold of these opportunities to make our individual tiny voice known. It will definitely be heard and will trigger the awakening of China souls to restore our mother land back into the Kingdom of God without the need of a blood shedding revolution. May God’s Will be done in China.
World News
In Newsweek Magazine
The City: Beijing
Aug 28, 2011 10:00 AM EDT
Ai Weiwei finds China’s capital is a prison where people go mad.
Beijing is two cities. One is of power and of money. People don’t care who their neighbors are; they don’t trust you. The other city is one of desperation. I see people on public buses, and I see their eyes, and I see they hold no hope. They can’t even imagine that they’ll be able to buy a house. They come from very poor villages where they’ve never seen electricity or toilet paper.
Every year millions come to Beijing to build its bridges, roads, and houses. Each year they build a Beijing equal to the size of the city in 1949. They are Beijing’s slaves. They squat in illegal structures, which Beijing destroys as it keeps expanding. Who owns houses? Those who belong to the government, the coal bosses, the heads of big enterprises. They come to Beijing to give gifts—and the restaurants and karaoke parlors and saunas are very rich as a result.
Beijing tells foreigners that they can understand the city, that we have the same sort of buildings: the Bird’s Nest, the CCTV tower. Officials who wear a suit and tie like you say we are the same and we can do business. But they deny us basic rights. You will see migrants’ schools closed. You will see hospitals where they give patients stitches—and when they find the patients don’t have any money, they pull the stitches out. It’s a city of violence.
For a man imprisoned and conditionally released, neither neighbors nor strangers nor Beijing’s officials nor courts can be trusted., Chien-Chi Chang / Magnum Photos
The worst thing about Beijing is that you can never trust the judicial system. Without trust, you cannot identify anything; it’s like a sandstorm. You don’t see yourself as part of the city—there are no places that you relate to, that you love to go. No corner, no area touched by a certain kind of light. You have no memory of any material, texture, shape. Everything is constantly changing, according to somebody else’s will, somebody else’s power.
To properly design Beijing, you’d have to let the city have space for different interests, so that people can coexist, so that there is a full body to society. A city is a place that can offer maximum freedom. Otherwise it’s incomplete.
I feel sorry to say I have no favorite place in Beijing. I have no intention of going anywhere in the city. The places are so simple. You don’t want to look at a person walking past because you know exactly what’s on his mind. No curiosity. And no one will even argue with you.
None of my art represents Beijing. The Bird’s Nest—I never think about it. After the Olympics, the common folks don’t talk about it because the Olympics did not bring joy to the people.
There are positives to Beijing. People still give birth to babies. There are a few nice parks. Last week I walked in one, and a few people came up to me and gave me a thumbs up or patted me on the shoulder. Why do they have to do that in such a secretive way? No one is willing to speak out. What are they waiting for? They always tell me, “Weiwei, leave the nation, please.” Or “Live longer and watch them die.” Either leave, or be patient and watch how they die. I really don’t know what I’m going to do.
My ordeal made me understand that on this fabric, there are many hidden spots where they put people without identity. With no name, just a number. They don’t care where you go, what crime you committed. They see you or they don’t see you, it doesn’t make the slightest difference. There are thousands of spots like that. Only your family is crying out that you’re missing. But you can’t get answers from the street communities or officials, or even at the highest levels, the court or the police or the head of the nation. My wife has been writing these kinds of petitions every day, making phone calls to the police station every day. Where is my husband? Just tell me where my husband is. There is no paper, no information.
The strongest character of those spaces is that they’re completely cut off from your memory or anything you’re familiar with. You’re in total isolation. And you don’t know how long you’re going to be there, but you truly believe they can do anything to you. There’s no way to even question it. You’re not protected by anything. Why am I here? Your mind is very uncertain of time. You become like mad. It’s very hard for anyone. Even for people who have strong beliefs.
This city is not about other people or buildings or streets but about your mental structure. If we remember what Kafka writes about his Castle, we get a sense of it. Cities really are mental conditions. Beijing is a nightmare. A constant nightmare.
【明報專訊】內地維權藝術家艾未未自6月末「取保候審」後首度在媒體公開撰文，最新一期美國《新聞周刊》刊登艾用英文撰寫的文章。他指北京是「暴力之城」，一面是權力與金錢、一面是絕望。他指北京貧富懸殊，買得起房的都是官員和大老闆，而北京最糟糕的就是司法系統不可信，有很多秘密地點拘押人，失蹤後家人求助無門，他並表達自己對未來的迷茫。艾未未昨對本報說，文章是隨性而寫，談的都是他對所生活城市的觀感，沒考慮後果，但仍不願接受媒體專訪。
為《新聞周刊》英文撰文
「我看見巴士上的人們，我看見他們的眼睛，我知道他們沒有任何希望。」艾未未在文中寫道，每年有數百萬人到北京參與橋樑、公路、城市建設，他們是北京的奴隸，蝸居在違章建築中，還要不斷面臨強拆命運，而買得起房子的，都是些達官顯貴。
艾未未說，北京常對外國人說，「我們是一樣的」，意思是「我們可以做生意」，但卻不讓這城市的人們享有基本權利，比如農民工子弟學校會被迫關閉，醫生會因病人無錢醫治而冷漠拔掉針頭，「這是一座暴力之城。」
作為一個曾被監禁、並且有條件釋放的人，艾未未說，這城市不論是鄰居、陌生人還是官員、法庭，無人值得信任，而在北京最糟糕的便是你永遠無法相信這裏的司法系統，它容不下不同利益、階層，「你不是這個城市的一員，你看不見自己—沒有什麼地方是和你有關的，沒有什麼地方是你想去的，沒有任何角落、地方能被一絲光亮照耀。」
有許多幽暗隱蔽處關押人
他亦婉轉提及自己被監禁的日子，稱這段經歷讓他明白，這城市有許多幽暗隱蔽之處，默默關押很多人，對外卻無聲無息，「只有你的家人會哭喊着你怎麼不見了，但你在社區或是官方得不到任何回答。」他稱太太路青在那80多天內幾乎每天都在請願、給公安打電話，問丈夫在哪裏，但卻無人回應。
艾未未說，在那些秘密的地點，他陷入了完全的孤立，並不確定要在那裏待多久，想質疑卻毫無辦法，他不受任何東西保護。「你的腦海中充滿着對時間的不確定，你會開始變得像瘋了一樣，這對任何人來說，都是非常艱難的，即便是有很強信念意志力的人。」
但艾未未也表達了他對北京的欣慰之處，比如他上周在公園散步，很多人走過來拍拍他的肩膀或是豎起大拇指表達支持，「他們為什麼要用這樣一種隱秘的方式來表達？沒有人願意講出來。他們在等待着什麼？」艾未未說，總有人勸他，「離開中國吧，要麼耐心點、看他們如何滅亡」，曾明確表示不會離開中國的他此刻卻陷入迷茫，「我真的不知道我將要做什麼。」
文章有感而發 婉拒專訪
艾未未文中通篇充滿感性，他婉拒本報電話採訪，稱本不愛寫文章，這篇是有感而發，就隨意寫了出來，並未考慮會有什麼後果，文章刊出後官方也未聯繫他。「我想沒那麼敏感吧，我在這個城市住了這麼多年，我談一下感受，我覺得很正常的。」路透社指文章顯示，艾未未已對釋放以後的嚴格限制愈來愈失去耐心。
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