From China Digital Space

爱未来 (ài wèi lái): Love the future

"Love the future" is a coded reference to Chinese artist and dissident, Ai Weiwei (艾未未) that began to be used after Ai's disappearance in early 2011. Ai’s surname sounds the same as the word “love” in Chinese, and his given name “Weiwei” can be converted into the word “future” by adding two small strokes to the second character. After the phrase "love the future" became a synonym for Ai, the word "future" became a sensitive word in China. See here.

From Wikipedia

Ai Weiwei is a Chinese artist and activist, who is also active in architecture, curating, photography, film, and social and cultural criticism. Ai collaborated with Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuronas the artistic consultant on the Beijing National Stadium for the 2008 Olympics. In addition to showing his art he has investigated government corruption and cover-ups. He was particularly focused at exposing an alleged corruption scandal in the construction of Sichuan schools that collapsed during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. He intensively uses the internet to communicate with people all over China, especially the young generation. On 3 April 2011 police detained him at Beijing airport, and his studio in the capital was sealed off in an apparent crackdown by the Chinese authorities on political dissidents.

On June 22, 2011, Ai was released on probation with strict instructions to not leave Beijing.

A terrific profile of Ai Weiwei is available in the New Yorker, here.

Ai Weiwei and Fragments of a Cultural Past

11 May 2012, by Sophie Beach

Court To Hear Ai Weiwei’s Lawsuit

8 May 2012, by Scott Greene

Ai Weiwei Hits Catch 22 in Tax Lawsuit

19 April 2012, by Samuel Wade

China’s Censors Tested by Microbloggers

15 April 2012, by Sophie Beach

Ai Weiwei to Sue Tax Authorities

13 April 2012, by Samuel Wade

Netizens Interview Ai Weiwei

12 April 2012, by josh rudolph

Ai’s Weiweicam Forced Offline After 46 Hours

4 April 2012, by Samuel Wade

China Rejects Ai Weiwei Appeal in Tax Case

31 March 2012, by Sophie Beach

Ai Weiwei: “You’re There but You’re Not Existing”

22 March 2012, by Sophie Beach

Weibo Analysis Reveals Censorship Patterns

8 March 2012, by Samuel Wade