Rallying Around Ai Weiwei

From the BBC:

Thousands of people have donated money to pay a massive tax bill served on Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. By Monday, there had been donations totalling more than 5m yuan ($790,000; £490,000) to pay off the $2.4m in taxes and fines the authorities say he owes.

Many people believe he was served the bill because of his outspoken criticism of the government rather than because he had evaded taxes.

The donations began shortly after the internationally renowned artist announced that he had received the tax demand. People have handed over money using bank transfers and postal orders - and some have flown cash folded into paper planes over the wall into his compound, the BBC's Michael Bristow in Beijing reports.

According to a posting on the social networking site Twitter by Liu Yanping, a volunteer at the artist's studio, almost 20,000 people have so far handed over money.

One reader, from Guangzhou, told the BBC he had sent money because it was a "rare opportunity to support what I believe".

"I will keep my receipt of the postal order forever, because it is my first real vote," the reader wrote.

This is very moving, even though Ai is one of the richest men in China:

Mr Ai - who has sold artworks around the world - has admitted he does not need the money, and has vowed to pay people back later. He says the donations are an expression of people's feelings about the way he has been treated.