In prison, sharing a century-old cell with a pair of drug dealers, Lin got his first taste of Cultural Revolution-style re-education techniques. “We had to do political study sessions, and prisoners had to criticize other prisoners,” he says. The guards took care to keep him away from computers. The warden himself asked for advice on fixing his personal desktop–but he wouldn’t let Lin go anywhere near the machine.
Lin’s troubles continued after his release a year ago. Few employers want to hire a former political prisoner. But unlike former dissidents, Lin, 32, had the Internet to help him. He found paying work online, and he’s even considering a couple of U.S. job offers.
Recently Beijing tried to shut him down by blocking direct Chinese access to his U.S. Web site freechina.com. A sizable Chinese audience manages to see the site anyway, and Lin still gets his e-mail forwarded to him. “Just send a message to anything at freechina.com, and I’ll receive it,” he says. “My e-mail addresses are unlimited.” Just like his dreams.
