Where is Jian-li Yang?Jay Nordlinger Where is Jian-li Yang? The Eastern Europeans and us. "Reds," thank you! And more must have been tired or something, because I had been reading, for days, news stories about this American-based Chinese dissident who had been arrested and who had disappeared into Chinese dungeons, before I realized . . . I know him. In fact, I have written about him in Impromptus. I’m talking about one of the most impressive people I’ve ever met: Jian-li Yang. He dropped by my office a couple of years ago, when I was writing heavily about Chinese human-rights abuses (this was pre-war). Even if Jian-li hadn’t been politically heroic, he would have been extraordinarily impressive. He has a Ph.D. in mathematics from Berkeley. He has a Ph.D. in political economy from Harvard. He established a valuable political-intellectual outfit, the Foundation for China in the 21st Century. The guy’s a juggernaut. But he has the type of bravery a lot of us can only dream of. He was studying at Berkeley when Tiananmen broke out — he rushed back home, at tremendous personal risk, to join those protests, and to lead them. Then, he was put at the top of the PRC blacklist: and he hightailed it out of the country, back to the United States. He went on to Harvard, where he continued his studies and work. In my conversation with him, I asked whether there was a book that could describe the situation of Chinese intellectuals. He answered quick as a flash, "Milosz’s Captive Mind." This is a book that transcends every boundary and every time. I remember sort of apologizing to him for the indifference that Americans in general have shown to the Chinese, throughout all their suffering. He said (essentially), “Not to worry, America is a great country. And we’re educating people.” According to news reports, Jian-li returned to China sometime last spring. He wanted to investigate the labor situation in the Northeast, where a Walesa/Solidarity-like movement is stirring. (I have commented on this in the past.) Apparently, he was traveling with a false passport. He was arrested and he has vanished. Jian-li’s wife and children are American citizens; he himself is a permanent resident. The family can’t hire a lawyer for him, because every lawyer demands to see an arrest notice — and none exists. Jian-li’s fate is unknown. My wish and prayer is that our government keep a close eye on him: that we use whatever influence we have to save his skin. I knew, when I was with him — even though he was young and rather jolly — that I was in the presence of a great man. I said so, immediately, in my column. His cellmates — if he has cellmates — will sense his greatness too.
February 20, 2003, 9:00 a.m. -------------------------- |