"I love freedom and I will long for the freedom of the soul and the dignity of being a human being for the rest of my life. I'm not the first nor am I the last to suffer or even to sacrifice a life to that idea. Prior to my imprisonment, I didn't try to curry favor, and now that I am in prison I don't intend to beg for mercy--both of which to me are acts more painful than being imprisoned or dying in prison."
-- From Dai Qing's "Last Words," scribbled in the hope that someone in the future would read her last thoughts, after she was told she was on a list of prisoners slated for...

"I love freedom and I will long for the freedom of the soul and the dignity of being a human being for the rest of my life. I'm not the first nor am I the last to suffer or even to sacrifice a life to that idea. Prior to my imprisonment, I didn't try to curry favor, and now that I am in prison I don't intend to beg for mercy--both of which to me are acts more painful than being imprisoned or dying in prison."
-- From Dai Qing's "Last Words," scribbled in the hope that someone in the future would read her last thoughts, after she was told she was on a list of prisoners slated for...