Blind activist Chen Guangcheng faces tough road in redefining himself in US
Chen Guangcheng will face harsh reality of redefining his role in US now that he can no longer be on front line of rights fight in China
A year after stunning the world by escaping house arrest and securing refuge in the American embassy in Beijing, Chen Guangcheng is confronted with a difficult future.
During the past year, the blind legal activist has given speeches and collected human rights awards in Europe and the US, where he eventually ended up after his harrowing flight from his home in rural Shandong .
He still fascinates audiences with his story of exposing forced abortions, and the years of detention and harassment that followed. His two-week visit to Taiwan, where he has advocated democracy on the mainland, has drawn intense media interest.
Despite Chen's public confidence on his future, veteran dissidents and scholars say he faces serious challenges finding a role for himself outside the mainland.
The first signs of this may have come this month, when the legal activist found himself in a public disagreement with New York University, which put him up as a special student since last year.
Chen accused NYU of ending his studies under pressure from Beijing. NYU denied the charge, insisting Chen's stay was always meant to last just one year.