Breakfasters are joined by veteran journalist, Australian television news anchor and business reporter, Cheng Lei to discuss her upcoming theatrical performance, 1154 Days, that recounts her 1154 day detention under false charges of espionage by the Ministry of State Security.

From 2002 to 2020, Cheng Lei reported on the Chinese economy and markets for CNBC Asia and China Central Television. In 2020, she was blindfolded and taken to a secret location to be detained for over three years by the Chinese government on false charges of leaking state secrets. Diplomatic efforts led to her eventual release in October 2023. She has since received the Press Freedom Award from the Australian Press Council in 2024 and is taking her voice back to share her story.

“The story is about contrast, it’s about a very very restrictive system, it’s about state power versus the ability that’s in all of us to find freedom within, to use imagination to literally break out of the cells.”

1154 Days is showing at the Arts House, from Wednesday 27 May until Sunday 31 May.

If you would like to hear more about her Cheng Lei’s story, you can read her novel, A Memoir Of Freedom.