Ai Weiwei

Dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei walks by his work "Life Cycle", a migrants' boat made of bamboo, during a press preview of his new exhibition "Rapture" in Lisbon, Portugal

A new memoir by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei honors his father’s poetry and politics

Arts, Culture & Media

Chinese political dissident and artist Ai Weiwei has published a new book called “1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows.” He took the time to discuss with The World’s Carol Hills what it was like growing up as the son of a dissident poet.

Ai Weiwei looks at the camera as he stands in front of a microphone

Ai Weiwei: Hong Kong security law ‘the last nail of the coffin’

Hong Kong politics
A helmeted head is blurry in the foreground, behind it, a line of protesters on a balcony

Hong Kong national security law to take effect; Iran sentences journalist to death; Koalas could be extinct by 2050 in New South Wales

Top of The World
Chinese artist Ai Weiwei stands near a microphone in a radio studio.

Dissident artist Ai Weiwei asks: Does America still have ‘the big heart?’

Arts, Culture & Media

When Will Lego Art Grow Up?

Arts, Culture & Media
Artist Ai Weiwei stands in an exact replica of the cell where he was detained by the Chinese government for roughly three months in 2011.

Will Hollywood self-censor to get around Chinese restrictions? It’s already happening

Arts

As the market for movies and entertainment grows in China, both American and Chinese productions face difficult questions when it comes to Chinese government censorship. But figuring out if things are getting better or worse is harder than it appears.

Ai Weiwei at his studio in Beijing, June 2014

A Chinese artist transforms Alcatraz into a Lego-carpeted political statement

Arts

An unprecedented exhibit on “The Rock” by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei focuses on freedom of expression and political prisoners around the world.

Ai Weiwei out of prison, stuck in Beijing

After being detained for 80 days by the Chinese Government, artist Ai Weiwei was released on bail. The government cites economic crimes for his detention, such as evading taxes and destroying documents.

Chinese Authorities Ban Ai Weiwei’s ‘Gangnam Style’ Video

Conflict & Justice

Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei has gone ‘Gangnam Style’, creating a parody of the viral video hit performed by South Korean rap sensation PSY. And it stumped Chinese censors… for a bit, until they decided to block Internet access to the video.

The World

Shanghai Squatters Want Their Homes Back

Global Politics

The 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 Shanghai Expo displaced hundreds of thousands of residents in China. Some of them are still struggling to get compensation for their lost homes. One Shanghai couple took matters into their own hands.