Mr. Wu was no artist in China, but he became one at the York County Jail in Pennsylvania, fighting to be recognized as a political refugee. Facing rejection after rejection, he turned his thwarted dreams into creativity, sculpting figures of folded paper and intricate designs so remarkable they've been exhibited across America. (See Monitor article "Chinese Refugees Turn Waiting Into an Art Form," May 30, Page 10.)

On Oct. 9, Wu passed the grade. He walked out of jail, a free man - not because the federal government heard his plea for asylum after all. Rather, they said that the art created in prison could enrich American cultural life.

The Immigration and Naturalization Service's (INS) decision to reclassify Wu as an "alien of extraordinary ability in the arts" makes himeligible for permanent residence here along with the roughly 5,000 artists, researchers, and athletes from around the world who each year have risen to the "top of their fields" at home and demonstrated their unique contribution to America.

The difference is that Wu is the first illegal alien ever whose talent was spawned by jail life and recognized there. "It's difficult enough to be in jail, but to be creative and be recognized for it by the people who are making you prisoner is extraordinary," says John Assadi, one of the pro-bono lawyers who coordinated Wu's petition for the artist visa.

The irony of it all seems not to daunt Wu as he savored his second day of freedom since June 1993. Looking slightly bewildered, he's sitting in his lawyer's