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What does Ai Weiwei’s memoir 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows describe?
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Ai Weiwei
Ai Weiwei, 2019.
In his 2021 memoir, 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows, Ai Weiwei recounts the story of his own life alongside that of his father, the renowned Chinese poet Ai Qing.1
The memoir provides a personal perspective on the family's history, including their exile to remote regions of China—such as Heilongjiang and Xinjiang—following Ai Qing’s censure as a "rightist" by communist officials shortly after Ai Weiwei’s birth in 1957. By weaving together these two narratives, the book explores the challenges of maintaining artistic integrity and free expression within the complex political landscape of China.123