She was once a member of the Chinese Communist Party, but she quit after the 1989 crackdown in Tiananmen Square. She was a journalist at Guang Ming Daily, but she was dismissed by the Party.
She became a focus of the international spotlight after she was arrested in July 1989 for anti-revolutionary activities. Released in May 1990, she later visited several countries to study. Recently, she came to The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Baptist University to attend academic seminars.
She is the expatriate Chinese reporter Dai Qing.
In Hong Kong she explained how the news media is controlled by the Party.
"Basically, you do not know whatever the Party doesn't want you to know. The Party has absolute control over the media. Guns and weapons are used to threaten them."
According to Ms Dai, the Party determines everything. When something newsworthy happens, the Party decides which newspaper can send reporters to cover it. The Party also decides what is written and what is published. She said she never reads newspapers from mainland China now, as it is a waste of time.
She doesn't even read foreign newspapers now, she admitted.
"Since I am a feature writer, it is more important for me to read books. I find no news that is worth reading, anyway. All news is promotional."
It was not until Mr. Deng Xiaoping launched eonomic reforms that the situation changed a little bit, she said.
"Resultant changes began on the ideological level, which was carefully watched by the Party: (There was more) foreign news and fashion trends. Now , newspapers serve not only the Party but also the readers," she said.
But she added that there are still taboos about political editorials, important political news, and material that is critical of the Party.
But pressure does not come from the Party only. It also comes from economic considerations. She said some journalists engage in bou seung san mahn, the practice of accepting cash payments from companies in exchange for writing favorable news about them.
The practice is loosely referred to as "awarded news".
Said Ms Dai: "This is an inevitable and unavoidable phenomenon accompanying the development of the newspaper industry. Still, we should criticise awarded news."
Concerning the human rights' record in China, Ms Dai said it is not too bad, but there has been improvement compared to past decades.
"Few Chinese people have any idea about basic human rights. But in the last 10 years, drastic changes unnoticed by rest of the world have actually taken place. For instance, the Communist Party abolished the class struggle and the stratification of the people in 1979.
"Though people cannot enjoy much freedom yet, the situation has improved, and people can think and speak out more openly."
Regarding the future of press freedom in Hong Kong after 1997. she said, "The central government has secretly set up a group already, and it approached Hong Kong newspapers. . . , purchasing their shares in order to grasp some control without your being aware of it.
"With the Chinese Communist Party as the boss, journalists have to work under their commands to some extent. Of course, what is best for the authorities is to have a press totally consistent with them ideologically and practically."
She predicted that Hong Kong people will face more and more hardship and dilemmas, such as intellectual struggles, during the changover.
Whether the "one country, two systems" can provide enough protection to press freedom is doubtful.
"I think 'one country, two systems' is too broad and ambiguous. People do not know how the Party interprets it. Therefore, I would first question what exactly 'one country, two systems' means. Then I would look into greater detail, such as the voting methods.
"If I were a Hong Kong resident, I would ask these questions without hesitation. I would seriously look at each detail, making it clear whether the agreement possesses enforcement power. After that, I would talk about confidence in whether the Chinese government will keep their promise."
She said there is no absolute answer to how local mass media should prepare for 1997.
"It depends on the individual values. To me, freedom of speech, writing, action and intellectual thinking are the most precious. I would sacrifice anything and never compromise for them. So I think the media should uphold their principles."
Asked about her journalism career, Ms Dai confessed that she did not intend to enter the profession in the first place. She had no job in 1982, and she began to work for Guang Ming Daily by chance. However, she gradually discovered the enjoyment of the journalism profession.
"As a journalist, I did not feel I had to be an instrument of the Party. But this is also the reason that I cannot be a real journalist on the Mainland.
"I was also glad to be a journalist during the 1980s and 1990s, when China and the Chinese press experienced drastic changes. I could witness the changes."
Though it is tough to be a journalist in China, she still wants to be one should there be a chance, because she enjoys the satisfaction of tackling barriers and the difficulties in news writing.
Recently, Ms Dao visited the United States and Australia to further her academic studies. However, she is not considering settling permanently outside China.
She said, "That's an important problem. Many Chinese people think that my husband and daughter have left the Mainland, but the fact is that they are still in China. I do not have any green card, either. I am still holding a passport of the People's Republic of China.
"If there is a position for me in a foreign country and I apply for it, it will be a different thing. It is different from that I need political protection because I was considered a dissident in my home country. I will then become a person who needs other's sympathy in this way. I do not need that. I just cannot accept it.
"I can only retire in China because I cannot afford the high living cost in other countries like the United States. Meanwhile, I enjoy the inner peace and my simple life at present."