Chinese Dissidents in Prisons as Beijing Holds Olympics

This year, the Chinese New Year fell on February 1. Three days later, on February 4, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics began and Beijing became the only city thus far to host both the Summer and the Winter Olympic Games. According to Chinese tradition, we celebrate our Spring Festival for 15 days, starting on our New Year’s Day. So the Beijing Winter Olympics should be adding another layer of excitement on top of the traditional Chinese jubilee. Now should be a doubly joyful and proud moment for the Chinese people. But it is not.

The Spring Festival is the most important time of year for Chinese to gather with families, just as Thanksgiving and Christmas are for most Americans. During this time, most Chinese return to their hometowns to celebrate an entire year’s hard work and achievements, in reunions with grandparents, parents, siblings, cousins, old friends, and neighbors. For those Chinese like me, who for many years have been kept in prison or forced to live in exile, it is actually the most painful moment, when we are reminded that home is so very far away that returning there is unthinkable.

About the Author

Jianli Yang

Jianli Yang is a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Center for the National Interest and a columnist for National Review.

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This year, the Chinese New Year fell on February 1. Three days later, on February 4, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics began and Beijing became the only city thus far to host both the Summer and the Winter Olympic Games. According to Chinese tradition, we celebrate our Spring Festival for 15 days, starting on our New Year’s Day. So the Beijing Winter Olympics should be adding another layer of excitement on top of the traditional Chinese jubilee. Now should be a doubly joyful and proud moment for the Chinese people. But it is not.

The Spring Festival is the most important time of year for Chinese to gather with families, just as Thanksgiving and Christmas are for most Americans. During this time, most Chinese return to their hometowns to celebrate an entire year’s hard work and achievements, in reunions with grandparents, parents, siblings, cousins, old friends, and neighbors. For those Chinese like me, who for many years have been kept in prison or forced to live in exile, it is actually the most painful moment, when we are reminded that home is so very far away that returning there is unthinkable.