In Retrospect: Wei Jinsheng’s Struggle for Democracy

Wei Jingsheng's dissident life began with a precipitous suddenness. In just under four months, during the 1978-79 Democracy Wall movement, his unique talent as a thinker, writer and activist burst forth and blossomed. In fact, Wei did not actually go to Democracy Wall until several weeks after poster-writers in Beijing had started to center their efforts there. His first visit filled him with