'We Are So Helpless': Behind China's G20 Summit

World leaders will arrive for the G20 summit in China on Saturday to a full ceremonial welcome.

Schools and construction sites have been shut down, and every detail meticulously choreographed to showcase the country's starring role as this year's host.

President Xi Jinping will want to use the weekend event to present himself as a global statesman and a powerful leader, reclaiming what he sees as China's rightful place on the world stage.

But there is another side of this country that the visiting prime ministers and presidents will not see.

Human rights groups accuse Mr Xi of presiding over the most chilling crackdown on civil society here in decades - of consolidating his control and silencing his critics.

Among them are men like Yang Weidong.

We meet in a quiet street on the outskirts of Beijing. He moves slowly with the help of a cane.

He welcomes us into his house, but there's a catch - he can't legally speak to us.

Mr Yang is currently on police bail after spending 114 days in detention accused of "picking quarrels" - a favourite charge for those who fall foul of the authorities.

He was an architect with a well-paid job and a comfortable life, but when his father died after a confrontation with officials in 2007, he started to question everything about this country he thought he knew.

He decided to start filming, to try to understand, and to put on record what is happening in China.

He calls it a "social survey" - asking 500 people from different parts of Chinese society including scholars, economists, artists and political analysts how they feel about life.

"I need to be able to live freely," one interviewee tells him.

Another man says: "I need freedom of speech."

In the early days they hired professional film crews, but now his wife operates the camera for him.

In the nine years since he embarked on this project he has lost his job and the couple has lost their business and their home. 

They now live in a rented apartment with a baseball bat near the door. It is for "self defence" his wife, Du Xing, told me.

She points out the house across the road, where she says a police surveillance team has moved in.

"At the beginning, Yang Weidong still had a job," Mrs Du explains.

"He was an architect and worked for Tsinghua University. The police went to his workplace and demanded his bosses stop him from working."

"The cafe we opened was affected too. They didn't allow us to run the business. They asked us to shut it and leave.  So we had no income. We sold our two houses in Beijing to support the interviews."

The pressure is not just financial.

After we had made contact to arrange this interview, the couple said two police officers came to their home to remind Mr Yang of his bail conditions.

He told them his wife was a free citizen and could receive whomever she chose.

She showed us the documents from his case and the paperwork detailing his bail.

He is specifically forbidden from entering foreign embassies, giving interviews to foreign journalists, and has had to surrender his passport to police.

"I never expected it to be this bad," Mrs Du said.

"I didn't think it would be such hard work."

I asked her what she would like to say to the visiting world leaders, to President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Theresa May.

"Help us. Help all these people who don't have freedom," she said.

"We have been married for ten years, but we don't dare to have children. We are terrified of the powerful government, so we don't dare."

"Obama has a family, Theresa May has a family, what if their families had problems like ours? What would they do?"

"We are only small ants, what can we do?

"I really want them to help us. We are so helpless, so powerless."

'Life Under Threat' Warning As Hurricane Hermine Hits Florida Coast

Hurricane Hermine has hit the Florida Gulf coast with winds of up to 80mph and heavy rains causing flooding and leaving tens of thousands of homes in the dark.

The US National Hurricane Center said Hermine made landfall over northwest Florida, east of St Marks, at 1,30am (EDT).

Within an hour, 70,000 homes in the state capital Tallahassee and thousands more along the coast were without power, with areas also reporting five inches of rainfall.

"It is a mess... we have high water in numerous places," Virgil Sandlin, the police chief in Cedar Key, Florida, told the Weather Channel.

"I was here in 1985 for Hurricane Elena and I don't recall anything this bad." 

It is the first hurricane to directly hit the Sunshine State in more than a decade.

It is feared the hurricane, the fourth of the 2016 Atlantic season, could eventually pack wind speeds of up to 95mph. 

Storm surges of up to 12ft are threatening the coastline with up to 20 inches of rainfall predicted with the danger of flooding, the forecasters said.

Hurricane warnings play on the TV as shoppers stock up in Saint Marks, Florida

Florida's governor Rick Scott has warned the hurricane is potentially 'life-threatening' and is urging Gulf Coast residents to take precautions immediately.

The warning covers an area from Marineland in Florida to South Santee River in South Carolina.

A hurricane warning was already in effect for a section of Florida's Gulf coast from the Suwanne River to Mexico Beach, and tropical storm warnings in effect for other sections of the coastline.

Tornado warnings for communities throughout northern Florida have also been issued and a tropical storm watch extended to Sandy Hook, New Jersey.

North Carolina's governor Pat McCrory has also declared a state of emergency in the eastern part of the state.

Hermine is expected to drop back down to a tropical storm before pushing into Georgia, the Carolinas and up the East Coast - but still carrying with it the threat of heavy rain and flooding.

'Life Under Threat' Warning As Hurricane Hermine Hits Florida Coast

Hurricane Hermine has hit the Florida Gulf coast with winds of up to 80mph and heavy rains causing flooding and leaving tens of thousands of homes in the dark.

The US National Hurricane Center said Hermine made landfall over northwest Florida, east of St Marks, at 1,30am (EDT).

Within an hour, 70,000 homes in the state capital Tallahassee and thousands more along the coast were without power, with areas also reporting five inches of rainfall.

"It is a mess... we have high water in numerous places," Virgil Sandlin, the police chief in Cedar Key, Florida, told the Weather Channel.

"I was here in 1985 for Hurricane Elena and I don't recall anything this bad." 

It is the first hurricane to directly hit the Sunshine State in more than a decade.

It is feared the hurricane, the fourth of the 2016 Atlantic season, could eventually pack wind speeds of up to 95mph. 

Storm surges of up to 12ft are threatening the coastline with up to 20 inches of rainfall predicted with the danger of flooding, the forecasters said.

Hurricane warnings play on the TV as shoppers stock up in Saint Marks, Florida

Florida's governor Rick Scott has warned the hurricane is potentially 'life-threatening' and is urging Gulf Coast residents to take precautions immediately.

The warning covers an area from Marineland in Florida to South Santee River in South Carolina.

A hurricane warning was already in effect for a section of Florida's Gulf coast from the Suwanne River to Mexico Beach, and tropical storm warnings in effect for other sections of the coastline.

Tornado warnings for communities throughout northern Florida have also been issued and a tropical storm watch extended to Sandy Hook, New Jersey.

North Carolina's governor Pat McCrory has also declared a state of emergency in the eastern part of the state.

Hermine is expected to drop back down to a tropical storm before pushing into Georgia, the Carolinas and up the East Coast - but still carrying with it the threat of heavy rain and flooding.

'Life Under Threat' Warning As Hurricane Hermine Hits Florida Coast

Hurricane Hermine has hit the Florida Gulf coast with winds of up to 80mph and heavy rains causing flooding and leaving tens of thousands of homes in the dark.

The US National Hurricane Center said Hermine made landfall over northwest Florida, east of St Marks, at 1,30am (EDT).

Within an hour, 70,000 homes in the state capital Tallahassee and thousands more along the coast were without power, with areas also reporting five inches of rainfall.

"It is a mess... we have high water in numerous places," Virgil Sandlin, the police chief in Cedar Key, Florida, told the Weather Channel.

"I was here in 1985 for Hurricane Elena and I don't recall anything this bad." 

It is the first hurricane to directly hit the Sunshine State in more than a decade.

It is feared the hurricane, the fourth of the 2016 Atlantic season, could eventually pack wind speeds of up to 95mph. 

Storm surges of up to 12ft are threatening the coastline with up to 20 inches of rainfall predicted with the danger of flooding, the forecasters said.

Hurricane warnings play on the TV as shoppers stock up in Saint Marks, Florida

Florida's governor Rick Scott has warned the hurricane is potentially 'life-threatening' and is urging Gulf Coast residents to take precautions immediately.

The warning covers an area from Marineland in Florida to South Santee River in South Carolina.

A hurricane warning was already in effect for a section of Florida's Gulf coast from the Suwanne River to Mexico Beach, and tropical storm warnings in effect for other sections of the coastline.

Tornado warnings for communities throughout northern Florida have also been issued and a tropical storm watch extended to Sandy Hook, New Jersey.

North Carolina's governor Pat McCrory has also declared a state of emergency in the eastern part of the state.

Hermine is expected to drop back down to a tropical storm before pushing into Georgia, the Carolinas and up the East Coast - but still carrying with it the threat of heavy rain and flooding.

'Life Under Threat' Warning As Hurricane Hermine Hits Florida Coast

Hurricane Hermine has hit the Florida Gulf coast with winds of up to 80mph and heavy rains causing flooding and leaving tens of thousands of homes in the dark.

The US National Hurricane Center said Hermine made landfall over northwest Florida, east of St Marks, at 1,30am (EDT).

Within an hour, 70,000 homes in the state capital Tallahassee and thousands more along the coast were without power, with areas also reporting five inches of rainfall.

"It is a mess... we have high water in numerous places," Virgil Sandlin, the police chief in Cedar Key, Florida, told the Weather Channel.

"I was here in 1985 for Hurricane Elena and I don't recall anything this bad." 

It is the first hurricane to directly hit the Sunshine State in more than a decade.

It is feared the hurricane, the fourth of the 2016 Atlantic season, could eventually pack wind speeds of up to 95mph. 

Storm surges of up to 12ft are threatening the coastline with up to 20 inches of rainfall predicted with the danger of flooding, the forecasters said.

Hurricane warnings play on the TV as shoppers stock up in Saint Marks, Florida

Florida's governor Rick Scott has warned the hurricane is potentially 'life-threatening' and is urging Gulf Coast residents to take precautions immediately.

The warning covers an area from Marineland in Florida to South Santee River in South Carolina.

A hurricane warning was already in effect for a section of Florida's Gulf coast from the Suwanne River to Mexico Beach, and tropical storm warnings in effect for other sections of the coastline.

Tornado warnings for communities throughout northern Florida have also been issued and a tropical storm watch extended to Sandy Hook, New Jersey.

North Carolina's governor Pat McCrory has also declared a state of emergency in the eastern part of the state.

Hermine is expected to drop back down to a tropical storm before pushing into Georgia, the Carolinas and up the East Coast - but still carrying with it the threat of heavy rain and flooding.

'Life Under Threat' Warning As Hurricane Hermine Hits Florida Coast

Hurricane Hermine has hit the Florida Gulf coast with winds of up to 80mph and heavy rains causing flooding and leaving tens of thousands of homes in the dark.

The US National Hurricane Center said Hermine made landfall over northwest Florida, east of St Marks, at 1,30am (EDT).

Within an hour, 70,000 homes in the state capital Tallahassee and thousands more along the coast were without power, with areas also reporting five inches of rainfall.

"It is a mess... we have high water in numerous places," Virgil Sandlin, the police chief in Cedar Key, Florida, told the Weather Channel.

"I was here in 1985 for Hurricane Elena and I don't recall anything this bad." 

It is the first hurricane to directly hit the Sunshine State in more than a decade.

It is feared the hurricane, the fourth of the 2016 Atlantic season, could eventually pack wind speeds of up to 95mph. 

Storm surges of up to 12ft are threatening the coastline with up to 20 inches of rainfall predicted with the danger of flooding, the forecasters said.

Hurricane warnings play on the TV as shoppers stock up in Saint Marks, Florida

Florida's governor Rick Scott has warned the hurricane is potentially 'life-threatening' and is urging Gulf Coast residents to take precautions immediately.

The warning covers an area from Marineland in Florida to South Santee River in South Carolina.

A hurricane warning was already in effect for a section of Florida's Gulf coast from the Suwanne River to Mexico Beach, and tropical storm warnings in effect for other sections of the coastline.

Tornado warnings for communities throughout northern Florida have also been issued and a tropical storm watch extended to Sandy Hook, New Jersey.

North Carolina's governor Pat McCrory has also declared a state of emergency in the eastern part of the state.

Hermine is expected to drop back down to a tropical storm before pushing into Georgia, the Carolinas and up the East Coast - but still carrying with it the threat of heavy rain and flooding.

'Life Under Threat' Warning As Hurricane Hermine Hits Florida Coast

Hurricane Hermine has hit the Florida Gulf coast with winds of up to 80mph and heavy rains causing flooding and leaving tens of thousands of homes in the dark.

The US National Hurricane Center said Hermine made landfall over northwest Florida, east of St Marks, at 1,30am (EDT).

Within an hour, 70,000 homes in the state capital Tallahassee and thousands more along the coast were without power, with areas also reporting five inches of rainfall.

"It is a mess... we have high water in numerous places," Virgil Sandlin, the police chief in Cedar Key, Florida, told the Weather Channel.

"I was here in 1985 for Hurricane Elena and I don't recall anything this bad." 

It is the first hurricane to directly hit the Sunshine State in more than a decade.

It is feared the hurricane, the fourth of the 2016 Atlantic season, could eventually pack wind speeds of up to 95mph. 

Storm surges of up to 12ft are threatening the coastline with up to 20 inches of rainfall predicted with the danger of flooding, the forecasters said.

Hurricane warnings play on the TV as shoppers stock up in Saint Marks, Florida

Florida's governor Rick Scott has warned the hurricane is potentially 'life-threatening' and is urging Gulf Coast residents to take precautions immediately.

The warning covers an area from Marineland in Florida to South Santee River in South Carolina.

A hurricane warning was already in effect for a section of Florida's Gulf coast from the Suwanne River to Mexico Beach, and tropical storm warnings in effect for other sections of the coastline.

Tornado warnings for communities throughout northern Florida have also been issued and a tropical storm watch extended to Sandy Hook, New Jersey.

North Carolina's governor Pat McCrory has also declared a state of emergency in the eastern part of the state.

Hermine is expected to drop back down to a tropical storm before pushing into Georgia, the Carolinas and up the East Coast - but still carrying with it the threat of heavy rain and flooding.