Births on February 17

Wu'erkaixi, Chinese journalist and activist

Örkesh Dölet (Uighur: ئۆركەش دۆلەت; alternatively transliterated Uerkesh Davlet), commonly known as Wu'erkaixi (from the pinyin spelling of his name), is a political commentator known for his leading role during the Tiananmen protests of 1989.

Of Uyghur heritage, he was born in Beijing on 17 February 1968, with ancestral roots in Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang. He achieved prominence while studying at Beijing Normal University as a hunger striker who rebuked Chinese Premier Li Peng on national television. He was one of the main leaders of the pro-reform Beijing Students' Autonomous Federation and helped lead abortive negotiations with officials.

Wu'erkaixi eventually settled in Taiwan, where he works as a political commentator. He ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Legislative Yuan twice, in 2014 and 2016.