On Monday, June 3, after five years of waiting and hoping, Victoria Hu’s father was finally coming home for dinner.
The UC Berkeley senior was asleep Monday afternoon when her mother called, telling her excitedly that Dad was coming home — days before a significant United States. and China summit. She was already on her way to pick him up from the airport.
“I felt rather shocked at first and didn’t really believe it,” Victoria said. “I felt anxious. It felt too good to be true.”
Five years ago, Zhicheng Hu, a Chinese American scientist renowned for his work in automobile emissions, left for China on what he thought would be a brief business trip. But after being accused of stealing trade secrets by a former business associate, Hu was arrested by the local police.
After 17 months in jail, he was released and cleared of all charges. However, he remained in China. While there was nothing legally restricting him from leaving the country, he was stopped at every attempt to return home.
The bizarre legal nature of Hu’s case has been covered widely by both the Chinese and American media, often portraying the scientist as a victim of Chinese bureaucratic red tape. Last March, The Daily Californian reported on Victoria’s story.
Throughout her father’s detainment, Victoria rallied for his return. Turning to social media and online petitions, she aimed to share her story and call for action. While the support was overwhelming — thousands signed her petition and liked her Facebook page entitled “Free Dr. Hu” — little had changed since the start of her efforts.
Victoria and her family hoped Hu would return, but it was always a question of when and under what circumstances. So when her mother announced her father’s imminent homecoming, Victoria said it felt unreal — almost as if she were in a dream.
“We had a philosophy of ‘We’ll believe it when we see it,’” Victoria said. “So until we saw him, we felt suspended in disbelief.”
Victoria said the family’s reunion was infused with excitement and, surprisingly, no tears. Instead, she said, there were “lots of smiles” and repetitions of “I missed you” and “I missed you too.”
For now, it seems Hu will be able to remain in America. It remains unclear, however, why he was allowed to finally return. Still, the family is happy to be reunited and able to spend time together. Hu and his wife have turned away media requests and interviews, not looking to investigate further or disclose more information than necessary.
“According to my dad, he always knew he’d come home eventually,” Victoria said. “I don’t know about him being 100 percent certain. It was uncertain for a rather long time if he could.”
While she is excited about her father’s return, Victoria decided to maintain her social media activism, saying she knows her family’s case is not unique. Victoria created a website called “To Change China,” hoping to clarify China’s political institutions while pushing for reform. At the moment, though, she is ecstatic to have her father home while thanking her supporters.
“We are very grateful for his return home and for the support we got from everyone,” she said. “We’re sure that without everyone’s support and understanding, it would’ve been a lot tougher for him to come home.”
Contact Sophie Ho at [email protected]