Exactly 25 years ago today, a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests occurred in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. The protests began in April over the death of Hu Yaobang, a liberal reformer who was quite popular with students – especially his calls for freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and a more transparent Chinese government. What started out as a public memorial service eventually turned into a mass protest, with tens of thousands of students filling the square and occupying it for several weeks. A hunger strike raised awareness of the movement and brought more support, making the powers that be very anxious in Beijing. Eventually, martial law was declared and thousands of troops were sent in. In the early hours of June 4th, troops opened fire on protestors. To this day there is no official death toll, but it varies from a few hundred to a few thousand.
While the 25th anniversary will be remembered in many places around the world – perhaps most notably in Hong Kong with a massive candle light vigil – there will be no memorial or open discussion on the mainland. Security will be tighter than ever in the square today, and internet censors are on high alert. Although it may seem hard to imagine, it’s twenty-five years later and millions of Chinese people still have no idea what happened on this day in their capital. Those who do know about it and dare speak up do so with severe risk. It’s estimated that dozens of activists have been either detained, placed under house arrest, or just gone missing in the weeks leading up to the anniversary.
For those of us who are privileged to have free access to the Internet, there’s tons to see online today in remembrance of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. We’ve saved you some time and went ahead and compiled a solid list of reading, photos, and videos if you’d like to learn more about this dark day in China’s recent past:
News Archives
Take a look at these two articles – one from the BBC and another from the NY Times – written on 6/4/89.
CNN news report detailing the protests in Tiananmen.
Articles
Chinese Dare Recall Tiananmen Square Massacre: This article talks about how young Chinese know little to nothing about what happened that day, and what is happening to those few who dare to speak up about it.
Tiananmen Square 25 Years On: A fascinating article written by Chinese novelist Ma Jian, who was one of the thousands of protestors in the square, writes about the importance of remembering this terrible event.
An Interview with the “Tank Man” Photographer: The photographer responsible for one of the most iconic images of the 20th century answers a few questions about his work and returning to Beijing for the 20th anniversary in 2009.
Sasha is an English teacher, writer, photographer, and videographer from the great state of Michigan. Upon graduating from Michigan State University, he moved to China and spent 5+ years living, working, studying, and traveling there. He also studied Indonesian Language & Culture in Bali for a year. He and his wife run the travel blog Grateful Gypsies, and they're currently trying the digital nomad lifestyle across Latin America.
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