The Olympic Ideal

China has razed thousands of homes, restaurants and small shops in Beijing to "beautify" the city before it hosts the 2008 Olympics. When restaurateur Ye Guozhu sought permission to protest the forced evictions of some 300,000 people, he was arrested for disturbing the social order, convicted and sentenced to four years in prison. His family hasn't seen or heard from him in the six months since. When they tried to file an appeal of his conviction, the court refused to accept it, saying Ye would have to sign the appeal himself—in person.