‘Outspoken’ Chinese Artist/Activist' ~ Ai Weiwei ~ Released On Bail

BEIJING - One of the first words that always came to mind for anyone trying to describe Ai Weiwei – the avant-garde Chinese artist and pro-democracy dissident – was “outspoken.” This is, after all, a man whose portfolio includes a portrait of his middle finger extended toward the Forbidden City. The man who spoke to The Globe and Mail by telephone shortly after being freed was only a distant echo of his usually bombastic self. After 81 days in detention, China's best-known artist, Ai Weiwei, returned home a considerably thinner and noticeably quieter man.