Sheng Xue is the pen name of Zang Xihong. She is a Toronto-based human rights activist, writer, journalist, poet, and a key leader of the overseas Chinese pro-democracy movement. Xue grew up in Beijing and moved to Canada soon after the Tiananmen Square Massacre in August 1989. For 32 years, she has fought for democracy in China, promoted multiculturalism and inter-ethnic dialogue. In 2001, Xue was honoured with the Canadian Association for Journalists (CAJ) Award for Investigative Journalism, and a National Magazine Award. In 2005, she won the National Ethnic Press and Media Council Award for journalism, community service, and dedication to promote multicultural values and human rights. Xue was also awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. In April 2021, Xue was appointed as a member of the Diversity & Inclusion Advisory Committee of Metroland Media Group in Ontario. NCM’s Joyeeta Ray caught up with Xue to find out more about her eventful life, immigrant journey and political views, including her recent rallies calling to move the Winter Olympics 2022 from Beijing. The following interview has been edited for length and clarity. Beijing could host a well-organized Winter Olympics in 2022, but the international committee should not allow a country that has committed horrific crimes against humanity to do so. For 20 years, China has been killing Falun Gong practitioners, and then in recent years marginalizing Uyghur Muslims to harvest organs for transplant trade to make billions of dollars. They are responsible for the cultural genocide of Buddhist Tibetans. We have been organizing rallies in downtown Toronto to call for the Winter Olympics to be moved from Beijing. A coalition of 15 organizations from seven Canadian communities are involved in these protests: the Tibetans, Uyghurs, overseas Chinese democracy, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam and Korea. Canadian lawmakers have recognized the genocide of Uyghurs Muslims in China, but the government hasn’t taken a call yet. China has no right to host the Winter 2022 Olympic games with their history of genocide and human rights abuse. I know the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) well. The story starts from my early days in China, where I come from. I was born on August 2, 1962 into a family called “Black Five” by the CCP. My grandfather was a pro-democracy politician and educator who studied economics in the United States from 1920 to 1923. When he returned to China, the Communist Party of China had already been established and started a series of violent revolutionary actions to seize power. He took a stand against the communist party in different fields, hence he moved to Taiwan with his wife and children in 1949. A few years after his death there in 1961, the family moved to the U.S. This situation caused my father to be treated as a spy, traitor, and hostile by the authorities. Our house was seized. We were crammed into a tiny room with no ventilation. My family was accused of being enemies of the regime. I was shamed and bullied in school. My father was publicly humiliated and punished. Although he was well educated, with degrees from three universities and colleges, he was forced into labour intensive work from transporting coal to construction till he nearly died. The CCP are power-hungry. They want to control everyone. Those who speak out against their repressive rule are declared enemies of the state, like we were. As their injustices grew out of hand, students began to unite to stand up against them. On June 4th, 1989, university students held a mass uprising against the repressive regime which led to the Tiananmen Square massacre just 600 metres from our home. I encountered soldiers shooting people. I left China and arrived in Canada in August with a student visa. I changed my name from Zang Xihong to Sheng Xue when I started to promote human rights and democracy in China and prepared to start a new life in Toronto. The first year was tough. I was alone, and my English was not good enough to cope with daily life. I had to work while taking ESL courses. Back of my mind, I was deeply disturbed by the way my family was mistreated by the Chinese government. I kept thinking of the one billion people facing the brutal dictatorship of the CCP. So, I decided to fight for pro-democracy from here. Twenty days after I arrived in Toronto, I attended a rally to protest against the Tiananmen Massacre. I started the Overseas Chinese Democracy Movement in Canada through which we organized protests and rallies [to create awareness of the situation in China]. I reached out to persecuted Canadian Tibetans, Uyghurs, Falun Gong and Hong Kong Chinese communities seeking solidarity.