1000 Years

It's almost as if a caravan is wending its way thorugh town
A clamor of voices mingling with the tinkle of camel bells
The markets bustling as before
An incessant flow of carts and horses

But no-the splendid palace
Has lapsed into ruin
Of a thousand years of joys and sorrows Not a trace can be found

You who are living, live the best life you can
Don't count on the earth to preserve memory

Ai Qing, 1980

Once a close associate of Mao Zedong and the nation's most celebrated poet, Ai Weiwei's father, Ai Qing, was branded a rightist during the Cultural Revolution, and he and his family were banished to a desolate place known as "Little Siberia." Ai Weiwei recounts his childhood in exile, and his difficult decision to leave his family to study art in America, where he befriended Allen Ginsberg and was inspired by Andy Warhol and the artworks of Marcel Duchamp. He details his return to China and his rise to become an art world superstar and international human rights activist. Ai Weiwei's sculptures and installations have been viewed by millions around the globe, but his political activism has long made him a target of the Chinese authorities, which culminated in months of secret detention without charge in 2011. At once ambitious and intimate, 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows serves as a timely reminder of the urgent need to protect freedom of expression.