{"product_id":"1000-years-of-joys-and-ai-weiwei-9780553419481","title":"1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows: A Memoir","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe \"intimate and expansive\" (\u003ci\u003eTime\u003c\/i\u003e) memoir of \"one of the most important artists working in the world today\" (\u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e), telling a remarkable history of China over the last hundred years while also illuminating his artistic process\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Poignant . . . An illuminating through-line emerges in the many parallels Ai traces between his life and his father's.\"--\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review \u003c\/i\u003e(Editors' Choice)\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: \u003ci\u003eTime, \u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eBookPage, Booklist, \u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOnce a close associate of Mao Zedong and the nation's most celebrated poet, Ai Weiwei's father, Ai Qing, was branded a rightist during the Cultural Revolution, and he and his family were banished to a desolate place known as \"Little Siberia,\" where Ai Qing was sentenced to hard labor cleaning public toilets. Ai Weiwei recounts his childhood in exile, and his difficult decision to leave his family to study art in America, where he befriended Allen Ginsberg and was inspired by Andy Warhol and the artworks of Marcel Duchamp. With candor and wit, he details his return to China and his rise from artistic unknown to art world superstar and international human rights activist--and how his work has been shaped by living under a totalitarian regime. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAi Weiwei's sculptures and installations have been viewed by millions around the globe, and his architectural achievements include helping to design the iconic Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing. His political activism has long made him a target of the Chinese authorities, which culminated in months of secret detention without charge in 2011. Here, for the first time, Ai Weiwei explores the origins of his exceptional creativity and passionate political beliefs through his life story and that of his father, whose creativity was stifled. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAt once ambitious and intimate, Ai Weiwei's \u003ci\u003e1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows\u003c\/i\u003e offers a deep understanding of the myriad forces that have shaped modern China, and serves as a timely reminder of the urgent need to protect freedom of expression.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Ai Weiwei\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 055341948X\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780553419481\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Crown Publishing Group (NY)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/13\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 400\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.75lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.10h x 5.60w x 0.90d","brand":"Ai Weiwei","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44072312570111,"sku":"9780553419481","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_8c26e9e0-9e22-42b3-b24e-0a96e0c9b2ee.jpg?v=1685441209","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/1000-years-of-joys-and-ai-weiwei-9780553419481","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}