Self-made and self-taught, he continued to expand his business interests, even to the point of supplying department stores across the United States. Still not satisfied, Lai established a weekly magazine and a daily newspaper. Though both reflected a “if it bleeds, it leads” tabloid style of journalism, they also covered Lai’s growing philosophy about free markets, free elections, and free speech. Especially after his conversion to Christianity, Lai’s publications have defended democracy, freedom of religion, and human rights. 

A few weeks ago, a Chinese court sentenced businessman and politician Jimmy Lai to 20 years in jail. Because Lai is 78 years old, this amounts to a lifetime sentence.  

Of course, jailing dissidents is a standard operating procedure for Communist dictatorships, but Lai is no standard dissident. A billionaire with connections around the world, he could have escaped to Paris, the U.S., or the Caribbean. Instead, he chose to stay in his adopted home of Hong Kong, even after Beijing took control. As Mark Clifford put it in an appropriately named book about Lai, The Troublemaker:

“Instead of fleeing, he doubled down. In his last five months of freedom, he livestreamed weekly video programs featuring politicians, diplomats, journalists, and religious figures. He preferred to go to jail for freedom and democracy rather than abandon the city that, he says, “gave me everything.” 

Lai was born in the late 1940s between the end of World War II and the Chinese Revolution. As a child, his mother was persecuted by the Communist authorities, and he witnessed the beginnings of the state-sponsored famine of 1958 to 1962 that claimed tens of millions of lives. In search of a better life, he snuck into the British territory of Hong Kong with only a few dollars in his pocket.   

After sleeping on the floor of the textile factory where he worked, Lai eventually moved up to management and finally ownership.

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