If the Chinese government intended to shut Ai Weiwei up, it is not working. The rebel artist, who was illegally detained for 81 days in 2011 and told to keep quiet after his release, has raised his voice with a song of invective against the regime.
Mr Ai published a music video called “Dumbass” yesterday that re-enacts his detention. It is a chilling, five-minute rant filled with coarse language that is provocative even by Mr Ai’s standards and is set to put the new leadership’s approach to political dissent under the spotlight.
The video starts with a shot of Mr Ai in handcuffs in a dark room and in front of two uniformed guards. He is wearing a black hood and the words “criminal suspect” are visible above his head. He is shown being interrogated and is under constant watch – sleeping, eating and in the shower.