I was randomly reading the news this evening when I stumbled upon this heartbreaking story. It just really blows my mind, frankly, and it left me feeling sick. I find such injustice disgusting, and I hope that you do also. As she is a student, I thought it would be OK to post it here. All sorts of trivial off topic stories are posted here, this is not one of them.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hpT3ne9qcpmkRRvqjh4WLMrLbwIQ?docId=d6f60084fbf54a43a992439be87d7084



http://www.change.org/petitions/help-my-father-dr-zhicheng-hu-come-home

Hmm... there are plenty of tragic stories coming from China as a result of that nation's policies, but this doesn't seem to be the most heartbreaking?

"In Shanghai, he lives life as a free man, able to do anything except depart the country."

"Their parents, both born in China, met at Tianjin University. After earning doctorates in engineering, the couple moved to the United States in 1989, where Hu did research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology."

" In summer, Li would bring them back to the states to attend academic camps and keep up with English and U.S. culture. In 2007, they were enrolled in a camp at the University of California, Los Angeles..."



"The family found a fixer-upper in Rancho Palos Verdes, a picturesque Los Angeles suburb of rolling hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean."

"When not studying (at Cal), she's taken up drama, horseback riding and martial arts. She works part-time for a small Internet start-up that produces online comics, and she recently tried skydiving."

Certainly not the most heartbreaking, to be sure. It is however, heartbreaking nonetheless, and the Cal connection touched me.

Heartbreak is relative, my friend. You may want to remember that as you go through life. The fact that she may horseback ride, or has been skydiving changes nothing.

Have unspeakably worse horrors occurred in China, and continue daily? Obviously...

Time to send in The Worm. Rodman, where art thou?

ttgiang15;842101192 said:

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Hmm... there are plenty of tragic stories coming from China as a result of that nation's policies, but this doesn't seem to be the most heartbreaking?

"In Shanghai, he lives life as a free man, able to do anything except depart the country."

"Their parents, both born in China, met at Tianjin University. After earning doctorates in engineering, the couple moved to the United States in 1989, where Hu did research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology."

" In summer, Li would bring them back to the states to attend academic camps and keep up with English and U.S. culture. In 2007, they were enrolled in a camp at the University of California, Los Angeles..."



"The family found a fixer-upper in Rancho Palos Verdes, a picturesque Los Angeles suburb of rolling hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean."

"When not studying (at Cal), she's taken up drama, horseback riding and martial arts. She works part-time for a small Internet start-up that produces online comics, and she recently tried skydiving."

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Are you serious? So cutting a few sentences talking about the good parts of how they tried to make the best of their situation - shows this story is not "the most" heartbreaking? It's still heartbreaking nevertheless. Put yourself in their shoes. You are a kid growing up without your father because of a broken legal system. It doesnt matter if you have all the riches in the world. Show some respect.

Oh and for the record, from the sounds of it - the family, despite their "fancy" fixer-upper, is struggling financially w/o the father there.

Thank you to the OP. I didnt know anything about this but Ill make sure to spread it around.

With all due respect, this is why I try to avoid visiting communist countries.

I agree with ttgiang, this almost reads like a "first world" problem. Her middle class father not being able to get an exit visa to come to the States just doesn't strike me as being a huge tragedy. In fact there are millions of parents who aren't allowed to join their sons and daughters in the US, but the problem usually is entrance visas into the US, as opposed to exit visas and travel permits from their home countries.

BobbyGBear;842101361 said:

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With all due respect, this is why I try to avoid visiting communist countries.

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Go to Cuba-cheap rum, good looking women, great music and baseball.

They can always join him if he has a good job in China.

GB54;842101401 said:

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Go to Cuba-cheap rum, good looking women, great music and baseball.

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+1. cheap real estate too I imagine

Cal88;842101396 said:

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I agree with ttgiang, this almost reads like a "first world" problem. Her middle class father not being able to get an exit visa to come to the States just doesn't strike me as being a huge tragedy. In fact there are millions of parents who aren't allowed to join their sons and daughters in the US, but the problem usually is entrance visas into the US, as opposed to exit visas and travel permits from their home countries.

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He is a US citizen. This has nothing to do with visas. You do not need a visa to enter the US if you are an American citizen.

TiredBear;842101419 said:

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He is a US citizen. This has nothing to do with visas. You do not need a visa to enter the US if you are an American citizen.

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Makes you wonder why Clinton went to NK to get those Americans back, but not this time...

i hate it when my view of the ocean is blemished by immaculately manicured golf courses. let's all be serious, there are no "fixer-uppers" in rancho palos verdes. this isn't buying in south san francisco. okay, haven't been in the bay area for a while, not sure if that's really fitting anymore. let me stick to something more local to me: this ain't your fixer-upper in monrovia or temple city. i feel sorry for the family; couldn't think of a better example of the frightening corruption in china and i wish the family will be reunited soon. in the least, it sounds like we'll have another cal-trained lawyer with a healthy dislike for china's way of doing business in a few years.

pingpong2;842101426 said:

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Makes you wonder why Clinton went to NK to get those Americans back, but not this time...

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This is an issue where the host country he is in, will not let him leave. We have no diplomatic relations with NK. We do have diplomatic relations with the PRC, think Nixon.

BobbyGBear;842101361 said:

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With all due respect, this is why I try to avoid visiting communist countries.

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I represented a major US Company providing services in China in the late 1980's and early 90's. I was there for extended stays on numerous occasions. The motivation for this detention appears to me most likely professional jealously on the part of those bringing the charges, and a desire for absolute protection of turf by locals engaged in the same business. They know they can lever their discontent within an absolutist legal system that can easily produce personal detentions and thus heightens intimidation.

I can assure you that these same professional and commercial motives exist in the United States. The difference is we have a more nuanced legal system that allows them to be played out in court rooms rather than personal detentions.

If they are living in Rancho Palos Verdes they are living better than most people in California and the US. Maybe they feel it is a fixer-upper when compared to Palos Verdes Estates but come on...If they were living in Torrance or San Pedro or LA or Chinatown that is another story but living the good life RPV is pretty nice come on....I knew a bunch of people at Cal from RPV and PVE and Rolling Hills they all were all from very wealthy families and they considered themselves not to be wealthy because they just compared themselves to even the wealthier....The real estate in both RPV and PVE is prime!!!
Go Sea Kings!!
:acclaim:

goodrich;842101882 said:

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If they are living in Rancho Palos Verdes they are living better than most people in California and the US. Maybe they feel it is a fixer-upper when compared to Palos Verdes Estates but come on...If they were living in Torrance or San Pedro or LA or Chinatown that is another story but living the good life RPV is pretty nice come on....I knew a bunch of people at Cal from RPV and PVE and Rolling Hills they all were all from very wealthy families and they considered themselves not to be wealthy because they just compared themselves to even the wealthier....The real estate in both RPV and PVE is prime!!!
Go Sea Kings!!
:acclaim:

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so if a family is considered affluent, it's cool that the father is essentially held hostage for years in an authoritarian country with a f*cked up legal system? i mean, the kid should just shut up and ride her horse, right?

high calibear;842101910 said:

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so if a family is considered affluent, it's cool that the father is essentially held hostage for years in an authoritarian country with a f*cked up legal system? i mean, the kid should just shut up and ride her horse, right?

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I am baffled by what seems to be an ill conceived argument of, well they're wealthy, so f**k them. WADR to these people, what difference does that make? If she was scrubbing dishes at May Flower, would you be more sympathetic? Would that garner your support? Please, help me to understand how living in an affluent area makes this injustice any less vile. Thanks.

TiredBear;842102255 said:

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I am baffled by what seems to be an ill conceived argument of, well they're wealthy, so f**k them. WADR to these people, what difference does that make? If she was scrubbing dishes at May Flower, would you be more sympathetic? Would that garner your support? Please, help me to understand how living in an affluent area makes this injustice any less vile. Thanks.

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Rich people already have it better, so if they get the shaft it just helps bring some balance to the world. They probably got rich by exploiting others, so this is just karma. Didn't you learn anything at Berkeley?

:sarc:

If they miss him why don't they head on over to China?

Bear Balls;842102532 said:

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If they miss him why don't they head on over to China?

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Maybe they can't get a visa to go back, or they're worried that they might get arrested and held there too? If you believe that a country is detaining a family member for less than legitimate reasons, would you want to run over there and get caught in that mess too?

Bear Balls;842102532 said:

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If they miss him why don't they head on over to China?

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The mom faces possible charges if she travels there, for spurious reasons pointed out in the article. My gosh folks, what's the matter with some of you guys? Just because they are of Chinese decent, does not change the fact that they are loyal Americans. Put yourself in their shoes for a moment, please.

Bear Balls;842102532 said:

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If they miss him why don't they head on over to China?

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Read the article. The father doesnt want them to go to China because they fear that they might get held there too. The mother couldnt even return to attend her mother's funeral.