Chai Ling
The event was attended by Fang and his family, members of congress, media, and fellow Chinese dissidents including Yang Jianli, Feng Congde and Chai Ling. Chai Ling, a student leader of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, described her experience at the celebration, “When the music went up and Fang started to dance with his wife, tears came to my eyes. I pictured a day when all the survivors of Tiananmen could stand up like Fang Zheng with their loved ones to celebrate life, love, and triumph over adversity.” Yang Jianli, who was also a student leader, described Fang’s story, “In the past 20 years, in his spirit, Fang Zheng has been standing — even without legs… but today he is standing up. It is my sincere hope that we Chinese people will stand up with Fang Zheng." After Fang’s dance with his wife, Fang stated that “This is a feeling of new hope for me” and “at the same time, it’s also a feeling of new hope for China.”