The Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has issued his harshest criticism of the Chinese government since his release from prison in an article in Newsweek magazine. Beijing, he writes, is a city of “desperation,” where government officials “deny us basic rights.” “I feel sorry to say I have no favorite place in Beijing,” he writes. “I have no intention of going anywhere in the city … 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.”
