The outspoken Chinese poet, Wang Zang, may serve up to three years of jail time after local authorities raided his Beijing home and found an umbrella in his possession.

Zang was one of more than 25 Chinese activists being hunted down by security forces in relation to lending support to the Hong Kong demonstrations.

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In an interview with the Telegraph, Wang Zang's wife, Wang Li, said her husband was detained on Oct. 1 after the 29-year-old poet expressed his sympathy and support to the Hong Kong protesters by posting an online picture of himself holding an umbrella.

The next day, two men wearing police uniforms, along with a dozen other agents, went to the couple's home, demanding to take Zang in "for a conversation."

According to Wang Li, the men showed her a "blank search warrant" then searched their possessions and every corner of their house, which terrified their 2- and 5-year-old children.

After the raid, the police were able to collect the light blue umbrella, a router, computer, and a pair of eye glasses.

"Judging by the items police took from our home, I figure Wang's arrest is related to the pictures he posted on Twitter supporting the Umbrella Movement," Mrs. Wang said.

Wang's case is now being handled by a popular rights lawyer, Sui Muqing, who said that the poet's arrest was "definitely related" to his support of Hong Kong's umbrella movement.

William Nee, a researcher for Amnesty International's China, said that more than 25 activists have been taken into custody by the police since the protests began in Sept. 26.

Nee said that it was still unknown whether the authorities have also confiscated the umbrellas of the other detained activists, but he added that mainland China would not want the item to become a symbol of the rebellion against the Communist Party's rule.

Tagsumbrella movement, umbrella rebellion, chinese poet arrested, Hong Kong pro-democracy, hong kong protests, Society news