In Memory of My Dear Father

My father, who passed away nine years ago, was—according to my mother—extremely smart and handsome.

He got into political trouble just one year after starting work at age 23 and was sent to a labor camp as an "anti-revolutionary." He used to tell me that I would eventually land in even deeper trouble if I stayed in China. He was almost right—I became involved in the events of June 4, 1989.

I want my father to know—and I believe he did know—that I cherish the freedom I now have living in a free country. Thank you, Baba, for the free-spirited nature I inherited from you. I want you to be proud of your son. Today, I stand as an official candidate—something unimaginable back in China or in any authoritarian regime.