Ai Weiwei’s artworks may be controversial or even repulsive to a lot of people, but he chooses to speak out for the people -- when the intellectuals in china are busy at selling their souls to the evil, hoarding cash and collecting mistresses. With unyielding conscience, compassion and courage, Ai is one of the iconic figures of contemporary China. Like many other demonized characters by CCP's propaganda (From Confucius, Hu Shi to Lin Zhao, to name a few), he will be appreciated more in the years to come.
His editorial is a powerful message. These are simple words with great insight. He totally captures the mentality of the whole people – “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.”.
I’d like to compare contemporary China to Yuan Dynasty when the barbarians prevailed. The China we cherished had long gone when CCP pulled down the old walls in Beijing; it died when the little red guards lashed their waist belt on their teachers; it disappeared when they demolished the Hutongs and the old courtyard houses. CCP has raped our culture, history and value systems for decades. As a result, Chinese culture becomes a fairy tale to its people. We felt warm when we heard of it, but it doesn’t exist in Mainland China. It lives in Taiwan, or probably in Japan and South Korea.
That being said, I still struggled when I tried to give up my cultural identity. I used to regard “being Chinese” as my religion, and were occasionally deeply moved by such a noble idea. I also felt confused and nostalgically maudlin when I found myself distance from being Chinese. But now I didn’t lose much but gained more. This culture I learned to appreciate is more warm-hearted and sustainable with Christianity being its backbone. I don’t intend to romanticize the west, but it does develop a social system to protect individuals’ rights and dignity. If I am going to bring lives to this world, this is the place where I will feel less anxious to raise them (no poisoned milk at least), because of this society’s moral fiber, law and order.
I encourage every first-generation immigrant Chinese to read A Free Life. The answer to the puzzle of our identity lies in the book. Through Wu Nan’s peom, Ha Jin says, “Where you raise your children, there’s your motherland.” Good luck to your journey!
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