The hero's welcome that awaited Chen Guangcheng at New York University last weekend must have been one of the most intense moments in the blind legal activist's life. The floral tributes, applause, cheers and words of admiration were a world away from the suffocating, de facto imprisonment he endured in his rural village in Shandong province until just over a month ago.
Chen and his wife must have sighed with relief in the days that followed as their two children played in a park, enjoying the fun that most children take for granted.
Yet when all the excitement has passed and the limelight has gone, Chen will have to face some sobering questions.
Knowing little English and unable to see, will he become isolated and cut off from mainstream society? Far from China, where his mission lies, will he lose his influence as a symbol of resistance against a repressive regime?
Unfamiliar with his new environment, is he at risk of being used by others to advance their own agendas? Chen has twice spoken at US congressional hearings chaired by Republican Congressman Chris Smith, with the help of the China Aid Association, which is seen as close to the right-leaning, evangelical Christian camp. The Republicans have accused the Obama administration of going soft on China's human rights record and mishandling Chen's case. Observers worry that Chen might be seen as a pawn in US politics and portrayed by some as a symbol of anti-China forces in US politics.
Will he end up like many previously exiled dissidents, who have lost their sense of purpose in a new environment, sunk into obscurity and inadvertently been drawn into the factionalism that bedevils the dissident community?
