Ai Wei Wei's Beijing Studio Destroyed By Chinese Authorities

Source: NPR

Chinese authorities are razing the Beijing studio of dissident artist Ai Wei Wei. He said that demolition crews showed up without advance warning, and have begun the process of tearing down the studio.

Ai has been a longtime critic of the government, and on Saturday, he began posting videos to his Instagram feed of the studio's destruction. "Farewell," Ai wrote. "They started to demolish my studio 'Zuoyuo' in Beijing with no precaution."

snip

In 2011 for an independent documentary, Ai spoke about the destruction of artists' neighborhoods and freedom of expression in China, saying, "If you are being treated unfairly, you have to let your voice out, and let other people know it. You cannot just be silent. "

He continued:

I do have a responsibility because my father's generation failed. They never really successfully made their voice, and I don't want that to happen to the later generations. I am here now, and I can do something now about it, and I will.

I think China will eventually become a democratic society, and have much freedom for the young people who want to learn more information. Who can build up their knowledge, to meet the competition, and have a better life. Nobody can stop it. It's just a matter of time.

Police visited Ai's Beijing studio during the filming of that interview, and shortly afterwards, the government detained Ai for more than two months on charges of tax evasion. He has said the accusations were politically motivated. He subsequently paid a $2.4 million fine, and the government confiscated his passport, preventing him from travel for several years.

Read more: https://www.npr.org/2018/08/04/635654200/ai-wei-weis-beijing-studio-destroyed-by-chinese-authorities

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This is what authoritarian governments do. They squash the voices of artists. This is reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution and the forewarning of what can happen here.

The link showa a bulldozer razing the building and apparently the entire artist neighborhood will be torn down as well.