Dongshigu Village , China ( CNN ) -- As our car moved closer to this tiny village in eastern China , our driver became visibly nervous , looking around for any signs of trouble . He found it . `` They spotted us , '' he said , hitting the gas . In the rear-view mirror , an unmarked black sedan appeared out of nowhere , trailing us as we drove past the main entrance to Dongshigu Village . That 's the hometown of Chen Guangcheng , a prominent human rights activist whose escape here last week from house arrest has set off diplomatic reverberations worldwide . Who is Chen ? Orange traffic cones blocked the narrow path off the main road ; a half-dozen burly men stood guard with numerous vehicles parked behind them . Despite the green trees and fields , the tight security around Dongshigu looked no different from what it looked like during the past two winters , when we previously had tried to enter the village . In February and December of last year , we had come here to visit Chen after he recounted in a video posted online the abuse he and his family suffered during their confinement at the hands of local officials . Each time we were turned back at checkpoints , where plainclothes guards hurled rocks or or threw punches at us . Chen , 40 , a blind and self-taught legal advocate for alleged forced-abortion victims , escaped last week after being imprisoned at home for more than 18 months . He is now believed to be in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing , creating a burgeoning diplomatic dilemma between China and the United States that coincides with a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton . She arrived Wednesday morning in Beijing . Chen affair could overshadow U.S.-China talks . Chen 's wife , mother and daughter , who were incarcerated with him but did not escape , have vanished from public view . In a video released online Friday , Chen expressed his deepening worry for the safety of his family . `` They have been persecuting my family for a long time and my escape would only prompt them into a mode of revenge , '' he said . We had come here again on Tuesday to find Chen 's family -- but could n't get close . With the black sedan tailing us , our driver refused to slow down . He overtook trucks on the wrong side of the main road and raced through open-air markets on bumpy dirt paths . We had hired him in a nearby town -- and it had taken a lot of cajoling to persuade him to take the job . `` It 's too risky , '' he protested en route to Dongshigu . `` I 've heard of Chen Guangcheng -- he campaigned against the family-planning policy and was under house arrest . '' `` I do n't know too much , '' he added quickly . `` You should ask people from his town -- they know all about him . '' After an hour 's high-speed car chase , during which our driver failed to shake our tail , he decided he 'd had enough . He dropped us off near a gas station , then he sped off as three policemen approached his car . While waiting for a new car , we chatted with a trucker who had told us he was from Chen 's town , but offered little news . `` Chen Guangcheng ? '' he asked , appearing uncomfortable hearing the name . `` I spend a lot of time away and do n't know much about what 's going on here . '' As we started driving in a new car , our tail resumed its close surveillance . This time , instead of trying to lose them , we decided to try to discover their intention . We stopped at a roadside farmer 's stall , where I bought a watermelon . Then , CNN 's Stan Grant and I -- each of us carrying a slice of watermelon as a sort of peace offering -- approached the Volkswagen Passat carrying our pursuers as cameraman Brad Olson shot video of the scene that was unfolding . The two men seated in the front of the car covered their faces with their hands and ignored my knocking on the driver 's window . I then knocked on the backseat passenger window . A man sporting a white shirt and sunglasses rolled down the tinted window slightly . He refused to identify himself , but denied following us . `` We were just driving around for fun , '' he said . `` Is this about Chen Guangcheng ? '' Stan asked in English and I translated . `` I do n't know who Chen Guangcheng is , '' he replied . `` Do you want a slice of watermelon ? '' I offered . `` No . '' He looked awkward , rolling up the window . As we walked away , someone yelled `` Stop ! '' from behind . Turning around , we saw that all three men had gotten out of the car and were rushing toward us . Scuffling ensued as they tried to grab Brad 's camera from his hands . Amid the chaos , we broke free with our camera and jumped into our car . One of the men picked up the watermelon I had bought and launched it at our car . With pink juice splashed across the rear window and the black car behind us again , we sped off toward the expressway back to Beijing -- wondering about Chen 's escape and his family 's fate .
A CNN team goes to visit Chen Yi 's hometown of Dongshigu . The mention of Chen 's name seems to provoke awkward and evasive reactions . Their driver fails to elude men following them in a car , finally gives up and abandons them . The team 's attempt to question their driver ends in a scuffle -- and a flight back to Beijing .