| BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : JUNE 14, 1999 ISSUE | ||||||||
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| INTERNATIONAL -- ASIAN COVER STORY
Dai Qing, Environmentalist, Writer, China (int'l edition) Dai Qing, 57, the adopted daughter of a famous revolutionary, could have capitalized on her connections to gain power and prestige. Instead, she maintained strong convictions, particularly her opposition to China's massive Three Gorges Dam project. Now, with China's leadership acknowledging problems with the dam, the environmental concerns she has long voiced are finally being recognized. Trained as a guided-missile engineer, Dai first looked to be just one more bright patriot. ''I was so loyal to the party,'' says Dai, ''I thought I would die if Mao Zedong needed me to.'' But she began to question her blind loyalty and later turned to writing as a new, more challenging career. Shocked by the $30 billion-plus dam project, Dai published critical essays. Officially banned, illegal copies of those essays have circulated widely. Dai hopes her writing encourages people to speak out and avoid repeating past mistakes. Chinese now ''have the opportunity to open their eyes, to see the whole world,'' she says. Count on Dai to do her part. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP |
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 The Stars of Asia RELATED ITEMS Dai Qing, Environmentalist, Writer, China (int'l edition) ONLINE ORIGINAL: ``My Books Are Banned. But I Can Speak Outside'' (int'l edition) INTERACT E-Mail to Business Week Online | |||
