-We have a nation of 1.3 billion people who seemingly are all looking forward to this Olympic big event; I do not believe it is an event that represents the national will. It is an event manipulated into misleading people into believing that we have entered a new, successful and harmonious period in our history. This is not true. There are still too many fundamental questions to be answered. I find that kind of celebration meaningless. (18-JULY-08)
An interview with Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is among the articles featured in the summer issue of Index on Censorship, ´Made in China? Can the People´s Republic of China still meet its Olympic challenge of harmony and openness? Despite the crackdown on dissent in the run-up to the Games, there are bold and outspoken voices that find a way to get heard. In this special issue, artists, writers, bloggers and journalists map the boundaries of free expression, reveal the cost of breaking taboos and find the cracks in the firewall. Leading novelist Yan Lianke writes on why there are no great Chinese writers; lawyer Pu Zhiqiang gives his account of fighting for free speech in China; journalist Huang Liangtian discusses how to avoid being a journalist with ´Chinese characteristics´ and Rebecca Mackinnon looks at the blogging revolution.
