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# Ai Weiwei Thought He Was "Close to Death" During Detention
- URL: https://hyperallergic.com/ai-weiweis-thought-he-was-close-to-death-during-detention/
- Published: 2011-08-11T12:47:16.000Z
- Updated: 2025-11-24T15:40:52.000Z
- Description: The BBC reports [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14487328] that a source close to Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei says the artist thought he was "'close to death' during the more than 80 days he was held in a secret police detention centre."
- Author: Hrag Vartanian
- Tags: News, #image-position-hidden, Activism, Ai Weiwei, China, political dissidents, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2025-11-17 09:23 (2009-2011)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2011/08/imagehandler.jpg)

The artist relaxes in his studio in Caochangdi Art District with his cat after his release. (photo courtesy Ai Weiwei via Global Times)

The BBC [reports](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-14487328?ref=hyperallergic.com) that a source close to Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei says the artist thought he was “‘close to death’ during the more than 80 days he was held in a secret police detention centre.” The artist gave his first post-release interview to [*Global Times*](http://www.globaltimes.cn/NEWS/tabid/99/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/670150/Exclusive-Ai-Weiwei-breaks-his-silence.aspx?ref=hyperallergic.com)*, which was published on* Tuesday, and [Artinfo](http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/38315/reading-between-the-lines-of-ai-weiweis-first-post-release-interview-with-chinese-state-media/?ref=hyperallergic.com) offers a summary of what the interview tells us.