On the morning of April 3, 2011, the renowned artist Ai Weiwei was picked up by Chinese police at an airport in Beijing. Later that day, he found himself in the back of a van surrounded by security officials, wearing a black hood. They drove him to a secret detention facility where he was interrogated and monitored. It was here that Ai began to think of his young son, wondering when he would see him again.
"I was thinking I would be in that position for next 10 or 13 years," Ai told Reason. "And I realized, if there is a chance, I would write down [my memories] so I can pass them to my son."
