Do You Remember? Tienanmen Square
By AnjaP
@Rollo1 (16679)
Boston, Massachusetts
June 2, 2009 1:00pm CST
It was 20 years ago when I sat transfixed in front of my television, watching the stirrings of men's hearts towards freedom and democracy being flattened by armored tanks in Tienanmen Square.
It was 20 years ago that students took to the streets, staged a hunger strike, and occupied Tienanmen Square in Beijing, speaking out for economic and political freedom.
The June Fourth Massacre, as it is also known, is a taboo subject in China and references to it have been deleted from all publications and history books. Those born after the occurrence know of it only through stories told by friends and family, or don't know of it at all.
Google censors information on Tienanmen as well as many other politically sensitive subjects on their mainland China site. Youtube is also banned. Now it has been announced that Twitter will be shut down in China before the Tienanmen anniversary. It seems these young men died in vain.
Are you old enough to remember Tienanmen Square? Did you see it on television? For me, the image of the young man standing in front of tanks, as they rolled menacingly towards him will always symbolize the courage and the tragedy that marked this event. What do you remember about Tienanmen?
2 people like this
7 responses
@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
3 Jun 09
Hi Rollo1, is it 20 years already? I do remember reading the newspaper and watching the new on Tiananmen Square.
However, my greatest impression on the incident is not the students, it's what Mr Lee Kuan Yew said.
He said that those students were protesting against the generation of political leaders who had suffered the Long March. Anyone who had suffered such horror as the Long March was not fainted hearted or soft hearted.
Later as I read more about the Long March, and visited some of the places, my respect for those survivors of Long March grew. I couldn't imagine walking through those areas, suffering cold and hunger for the sake of political ideals.
I guess those students over estimated their zeal, and under-estimated the abilities of their political leaders.
2 people like this
@scheng1 (24649)
• Singapore
3 Jun 09
Hi Rollo, I guess another factor is the fall of Berlin Wall that happened just a few months earlier.
The student protestors misjudged the China government. If the Chinese political leaders could survive the Long March, and overcame obstacles to rule the most populous country in the world, they would not bow to the students.
Fortunately, the Chinese leaders were wise to open the economy, and improved the living standard of its citizens.
@Adoniah (7512)
• United States
3 Jun 09
I do remember the incident and the calm quiet bravery of those young people. But the most interesting thing about what is happening today is the control of parts of the internet. This needs to be brought out to the American People who think that this cannot happen to them.
There have been several bills in committee that have addressed ways to control banking and other aspects of the internet in our country and American People just seem to think that that is not possible. Well, it is done all over the world in every country except ours. IT IS POSSIBLE! And eventually with the way things are going here it will happen here. So be prepared or do something about it now.
America stop being so apathetic before we have our own Tienanmen incident.
Shalom~Adoniah
1 person likes this
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
3 Jun 09
You are so right. People in this country don't realize how much freedom they enjoy and how that is abridged in so many other countries. They don't realize that there are those who are looking to abridge that very free exchange of information and ideas in this country. As it is, bloggers are being arrested even in this country for statements made over the internet. In some countries, they are arrested and executed if they speak out against the government. Free speech is our most important right, freedom to speak out ideas and freely publish information. If Americans don't wake up, it will be too late.
@jonesy123 (3948)
• United States
3 Jun 09
I have heard about it but never really saw the pictures or paid much attention to it at the time. I was a teenager and had other priorities than to pay attention to the news.
Yes, I think it's terrible how the media is strictly controlled in China and how young Chinese so often believe pretty much everything the government says. Even those who come here to mylot at times seem stunned by what we claim happened in their country, what their government has been covering up etc. Some of them believe us because they know that their government does stuff like that, others think that it is just American anti-Chinese propaganda and that we are the ones controlled by our government.
I sure hope those people didn't die in vain and that they eventually will be remembered. As long as the stories are told, the truth will be known.
And yes, it's disturbing how under the cloak of national security even here in the US laws are considered to restrict internet access and blackouts of certain websites. People are so complacent. They simply believe it would never happen.
2 people like this
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
3 Jun 09
There are some things we know about only because of brave people who use the net, cell phones, any technology they can to get word out to the rest of the world. The slaughter of protesting monks in Myanmar is an example. Brave people like Burmese Bloggers without Borders, sending out pictures and firsthand reports. We believe we are immune to this sort of technology control, but we are not. The government has just mandated an end to analog televisions, which makes it much more difficult for anyone trying to independently broadcast. Everyone should get a ham radio and a CB, frequencies that are uncontrolled. Some day we may need them.
1 person likes this
@hotsummer (13837)
• Philippines
3 Jun 09
i was 17 that time. and i wasn't aware of that news that time. so i just learned aboot it just about some 5 years or so. but i was not able to see any video of its news of what had happened until this morning when they recalled what happened on that part of the history of china. i felt pity toward those kids or teens that were killed.
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@Mikaela_taz25 (1842)
• Philippines
3 Jun 09
Sadly, I have only heard it last night in CNN. and you can call me ignorant but iv'e never heard of it. we had some violence here too but never had a chance to remember it in full because I was just a kid. and why the hell they would banned it! it seems that there's still some barriers that needed to be broken in China if the people would really have their freedom and knowing some important part of their history,.