Tiananmen Square, (Protester Point of View)

It was in no doubt, a massacre to begin with. Many students and people of China didn’t like the government, and they wanted to Protest for what they believed in. They believed the government had no right, and they felt they needed more freedom. As thousands joined together in Tiananmen Square, they soon found that it was a terrible mistake from the start.

Thousands of people left their normal lives, to come to the heart of Beijing and protest to something they truly believed in. As they covered the square protesting against the government, the government pulled out the military because it was getting “out of hand”. The protester even started a Hunger strike, to show the government that they were going to starve to death, giving China a bad reputation worldwide. When that wasn’t enough, the military surrounded Beijing. That didn’t scare the people, until the first shot was heard. Many fell dead around the others, but some stood firm.

As a result of this tragic massacre, thousands died to what they believed would change China for good. Number of death was unknown, but knowing that plenty of innocent people, died for the demands of free media in China. But without this “Incident” China would not be the standing power it is today.

STUDENT LEADERS: LI LU, WU'ER KAIXI, CHAI LING

Li Lu, Fund Manager and Investor

He was the narrator of the story “Moving the Mountains”, which he did write a book called “Moving the Mountains: My Life in China”. We mainly followed his life during the course of the story, and his time outside of China. Where he left China after being listed in the Most-Wanted List, and studied in Columbia University. Before that, attended Nanjing University, who majored in Physics.

Since then, he has left China, studied in Columbia University. Who later received three degrees simultaneously, Economic, Business, and Law, which was a first in the university. Li was inspired into Banking, as his soon “Mentor” Warren Buffet, came in to speak to them in Columbia University. After his graduation, he started his own company called Himalaya Capital Management. He is even hinted to manage a large potion of Berkshire Hathaway’s, as soon as Warren Buffet retires.

Wu’er Kaixi, Managing International Investment Fund in Taiwan

He was one of the important leaders that made a big impact during the Tiananmen Square Incident. He gave some of his personal experience during the incident, and appearing in the story more than a few times. Soon quickly emerged as a student leader.

Since his involvement, he was and still is 2^nd Most Wanted in Mainland China, for his leadership during the Tiananmen Square Incident. He fled to France, and soon studied in Harvard University, which he failed to graduate from. After his failure to graduate, he soon flew to Taiwan, and started his own family. Where he started his own talk show host, for a few years during his time. After his countless of jobs, he soon fell to International Investment Fund, who gave him the job to run their fund. On June 3^rd, 2009, he arrived to Macau to transit to China, who intended to surrender so he can clear his name so he may return back to China.

Chai Ling, President of Jenzabar, Software Company

She was also one of the student leaders during the “Incident”, she was known as the “General Commander” during the student protest. She was well known for organizing most of hunger strikes. She graduated from Peking University, during the time of Tiananmen Square Incident. After she was named in the most wanted list, she fled to Paris, and soon accepted a scholarship to Princeton University.

Now, she’s married, to Robert A. Maginn Jr., where they currently live in the Unites States. She is still active in speaking to people about the Incident, and was nominated twice for the Noble Peace Prize. She is currently the President of Software Company, Jenzabar. Whom did her husband, and sells software to Universities around the United States. In June 2010, she opened a non-profit organization called “All Girls Allowed” which is aimed to exposing and stopping the caused by China’s One-Child policy.

Student Leaders: Wang Chaohua, Wang Dan, Wei Jingsheng

Wang Chaohua

Wang Chaohua was one of the two women on the "21 Most Wanted Beijing Student Leaders" list posted by the Chinese government after the Tiananmen Square incident. After June 4, she spent 6 months in hiding and then she escaped to Los Angeles in March 1990. She received a PhD in modern Chinese Literature at UCLA. She is now a freelance writer. In the documentary "Moving the Mountain", filmed in 1994, she expressed her thoughts and regrets about the past, such as how those students at Tiananmen Square could have died as a result of the student leaders actions.

Wang Dan

Image Link

Wang Dan was the most wanted in the "21 Most Wanted Beijing Student Leaders" list. He was politically active student at Peking University and after June 4 incident, he was imprisoned for 4 years. After parole in 1993, he began to write for publications overseas. He was then suspected that he was conspiring to overthrow the government and was imprisoned for 11 years. In 1998, he was flown to the US on medical parole. He then studied in Harvard University in 1998 and received a master's in East Asian history in 2001 and Ph.D. in 2008. Wang Dan is still active in promoting democracy in China, he travels the world garnering support from overseas Chinese communities.

Wei Jingsheng

Image Link

Wei Jingsheng was a red guard when he was 16. When Deng Xiaoping came into power and repudiated the cultural revolution, Wei Jingsheng attacked the government, one of the very few who denounced Deng. In 1979, Wei Jingsheng was imprisoned for passing military secrets. He wrote a letter denouncing the inhumane conditions in the prison. He was detained until 1997 and was deported to the US for "medical reasons". He has won many awards for his work for democracy and has been praised as the "Father of Chinese Democracy" and "Nelson Mandela of China". He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009. In the film, "Moving the Mountain", he gives his comment about the incident as a more experienced activist.

Tiananmen Incident - How Views Can Differ

It is interesting how views about one single event can differ so much, how some people know about a major event while some are forbidden to hear of it. For example, the 1989 protests in Tiananmen Square is named an incident in China and a massacre to most of the rest of the world. At the time, the government’s view was divided, some members, such as Zhao Ziyang, wanted a soft and sympathetic approach to the demonstrations while some, like Premier Li Peng, wanted military action. Overall, the government felt that the demonstrations were threatening the stability of China. 

Now days, China’s views of the incident is mostly the same, the crackdown on June 4th is still viewed as necessary military action to ensure stability. It is a topic forbidden in the government. When, in 2009, Hilary Clinton said Beijing needed to “provide public accounting of those killed, detained or missing, both to learn and to heal”, a Chinese spokesman replied saying: “The US remarks are groundless accusations against the Chinese government and in contravention of the fundamental norms governing international relations, as well as a gross interference in China's internal affairs…” Because it is a forbidden topic, information about the incident is generally banned in media in China. Twitter, flickr and other social-media websites were banned for days before and during the 20th anniversary of the incident. Internet censorship, such as in Google, is used to keep the people from finding anything related to the protests. 

This is how history is portrayed differently around the world. With suppression like censorship, sometimes events are not known in the country that it happened in but is known to the rest of the world. Sometimes, the view of the government determines what they show their people, and therefore not giving them the freedom to have a view themselves.

1989 - Tiananmen Square Incident Timeline

Timeline: 1959 - 1976 Cultural Revolution and Death of Mao

Timeline: 1949 - 1958 : First Five-Year Plan and the Great Leap Foward

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Timeline: 1949- 1953 - Beginning of Communist China

Japan-China War and The Civil War 1937-49

The Promise

The Promise

As I held my rifle in one hand and my rusty helmet in the other, I was certainly sure that this was going to be the last seconds of my life. I was finding for the Nationalist, part of the 87^th Regiment, and our duty was to protect the main streets of Shanghai. I thought we could handle the Japanese, doubling their troops, and having the defensive advantage. But little did I know they had Tanks, Ships, and equipment that we couldn’t afford.

It was a quite day, so far, and the Japanese were approaching near, with the sirens blasting around the whole city. The civilians, frightened, they took their valuables and ran off the other directions, following the directions that our officers gave. A terrible site that was, thousands of people with their eyes filled with fear, shoving each other for the sake of their own lives. Mothers losing their child in the crowd, the elders unable to outrun the others, crushed as other frantic citizens run over them.

Waiting for our commands, we sat in the man built pit, awaiting our orders from our regiment commander. As the sirens faded out, the only thing I was able to hear was the heavy breath of our regiments, as it soon might be our last. Taking a peek over the sandbags, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Thousands of Japanese soldiers running down followed by hundreds of tanks, dead on straight into downtown Shanghai. Shouts from our commanders, we all took our positions and shot a few rounds, waiting for that lucky bullet that will reduce their army by one. Although our ammunition was low, I couldn’t help but to fire a few more, as fear overcame me and the worst possible scenarios overwhelmed my mind. That very second, did the Battle of Shanghai official start, as the regiment besides us was blown out with a tank.

We took heavy fire, as the bullets hit the sandbags that lay in front of us, none of us dared to shoot back. Shocked took over me, unable to move a single nerve, as I see the brave ones fall down like dominoes. Shaking in fear, I forced myself to peek, with thousands of Japanese men screaming at the tops of their lungs, fearlessly running towards us. I was a young man, who dreamed of things that I’ve haven’t achieved; to die with a bullet between my eyes was something I didn’t want. Listening to the voice that was in my head, I hit the ground running, running off like a coward. I was not made to fight; I was made to be an artist. Dashing off towards the opposite direction, I ran up a steep hill, while the other citizens ran off another direction, running without looking back.

As I stood there, I knew that I could never forgive myself running away from a battle, to defend my homeland against the Japanese. But I knew in my heart that I would make it up to the world. Sitting with my eyes shut, listening to the screams of help that would haunt my life forever. Taking one last glance over the war that I have left, remembering every little detail that I could see, I dropped my rifle and helmet in the cold, patched dirt. Promising myself, that one day I will make this memory of mine, and paint it out, dedicating the thousands of lives that fought to protect the home many of us called, Shanghai.

Grandeur to Ashes

“Ms. Li, we have to leave! People are saying that Japanese planes are flying over soon!” It was chaos, everybody at the studio was panicking as they evacuated. At the time, the situation was unclear to me. Having to leave Shanghai, my home, so quickly was too much to process in my mind. Although a rather large group, our film studio left together. Somewhere during the chaos, the studio also contacted my family, to ensure that they would come along. It all happened quickly, the chaos, the evacuation and leaving Shanghai. Soon I was heading to Chongqing. Too many thoughts ran through my at once that I couldn’t speak. We were out of Shanghai when I had heard the most devastating news. The Japanese did in fact fly over Shanghai and bombed the theater district. Right then, my heart skipped a beat. I couldn’t wrap my mind around it. The theater district, my home away from home, had just been bombed. I then heard in the background more news, that there were injured and dead men lying on the streets, most no longer recognizable. That area in Shanghai is so dear to my heart; I couldn’t believe that it is now destroyed.

All that happened exactly a year ago, August 14, 1937. I’ve spent all of the year recovering from the trauma. Fortunately, I still remember how much I love Shanghai, because that is all that’s left. On Avenue Edward VII was the greatest and liveliest area of Shanghai, the theater district. Oh, what joy the place brought me! There was always so much to see, such as street vendors and pavement sideshows. The foreigners, the rich and the sightseers also added to the excitement and splendor. Because I am an actress, the beautiful theaters were the highlight. Not only because they were where I spent most of my time, but also because they beautiful architecturally. When I filmed for several months, I was always overjoyed to watch the premieres. I was proud to see myself on the screen, knowing that I achieved my childhood dream of acting.

Now all of this has happened, what is in the future for me? My home, and my dreams have been taken away. Should I even hope for the future? Or is it useless?

Timeline: Japanese Invasion 1931-7

The Founding Myth - The Long March

The Long March is known to be a heroic event, one to be proud of. From reading, Long March: The True Story Behind a Myth, I now know that The Long March is not as great as it is portrayed to be. The chain-swinging escapes and the massive battles were exaggerated. Before reading the article, I really did believe that the Long March did happen exactly as it is portrayed in the textbook. Now I question myself how much of history we know is actually factual and not just fiction told by leaders. It is interesting how Sun Shuyun, the author of the article, links The Long March to Moses' Exodus. To make a fight successful, the fighters need an event that they can be proud of to encourage them. This article discredits the Long March but at the same time shows how Mao altered history to make it a founding myth of China.

The Long March Diary

Dear Diary,

Chiang Kaishek is drawing near, and Russian Agent Otto Braun has informed us that we should retreat as soon as possible. They surrounded us; we are unable to have our food, clothing, and ammunition. They cut us off, and it was time we broke out marching to Yanan, where we can finally be able to rebuild and be prepared once again. But in the last seconds, Mao was appointed once again. Many of us looked up to him, he was charismatic, and had a heavy accent that was unclear to some. He promised us a new China, and the things he tell us about a new China, where everything is “We” not “I”. That gave us hope for the long journey, the journey that will later create the new China.

I was one of the men that carried a gun up front, to protect my family from the enemy, while they are in the back drenched in sweat. It was a hard walk, going up mountains, crossing long rivers, and many other things that we’ve encountered along the way. Finding Chiang Kaishek men along the way, those brave men who lost their lives protecting us while we ran around.

Many of us didn’t make it. Some died from the battles, other died of diseases. Others just died from exhaustion, while some died from lack of food and water. It was unbearable, forcing to leave a friend behind, knowing they were unable to carry on, as if it was pointless to try. After countless days of hiking to our destination, not many of us survived the whole way. But we all had a goal for China, and maybe it was worth dying for. This is where we established a camp, and this is where the start of Communism starts, again.

A Diary Entry: The Long March

Dear diary,                                                                                                October 21, 1935

It has been 2 years that I have written. I now have a chance because we have finally marched our way to our destination, the Shaanxi Revolutionary Base. I cannot begin to describe the fatigue and obstacles we went through.

This Long March, as Mao Zedong calls it, started when the Guomindang trapped us in Jiangxi with lines of blockhouses. The German general, Otto Braun, lead us crashing straight through the lines of blockhouses and marching straight on forward. Breaking through those lines of blockhouses was our first difficult task. Otto Braun’s military tactic of marching forward made it so easy for the Guomindang to predict our movements! At each line of blockhouses we fought a battle against Chiang Kaishek’s army. At this early stage of our march, we had already lost many men.

From then on, Mao Zedong and Zhu De lead us forward. The 2 years of marching was difficult, we were always tired, sick, hungry and cold. We encountered dozens of obstacles. The one that made us heroes was when we swung across the Dadu River using suspension bridge chains. The Nationalists took many of the wooden boards off and therefore we courageously swung across, one by one. Then immediately after that complication, we trekked through the 4000 feet tall snowy mountains. It was here that the inadequate food supplies affected us most. We walked through the cold and we walked for almost 50 miles a day. All we saw was white all around and we really had no idea where we were heading. I passed by many dead men lying in the snow, a result of bitter coldness and extreme hunger. From the snowy mountains we marched through swampland, large areas of mud and water. By then our First Red Army had trickled down to a small number of men. Those who survived the obstacles still had the will to proceed through the difficulties because Mao Zedong, our great leader, encouraged us.  When times could not seem worse, he would proclaim: “Comrades! Look ahead! Keep on marching!” He reminded us of what we were marching for, revolution, freedom and equality.  I, coming from a poor peasant family, persisted because I truly believe in Communism; I believe that that is the only fair system there is.

And now I am at the base, we are waiting for the other Red Armies to join us. All of us are resting, even though we know there will never be enough rest to replace our fatigue. We have now finished the Long March. Hopefully this will change the course of history and may this be a reminder to the people in the future that long struggle can achieve greatness.

王國維
wang guo wei

Timeline: 1919 - 1935

Timeline: 1900 - 1927

Boxer's Rebellion

European leaders dividing a pizza labeled China

“What shame, what shame! Our country is falling. Our country of 5000 years of great history is being invaded by foreign devils. What good have they done? They have taken our villages, our homes, to make a closed off area for themselves. They have tried to change our culture with their European ways and make us follow their alien religion. They come into our own country and tell us that what we believed for centuries was wrong. They have put our sons out of work by bringing in their machines. It seems like these foreign devils are taking one of our cities every single day with their unequal treaties. Son, join the Yi-Ho Tuan. Don’t you want to support your Chinese heritage?” My mother, disturbed by the European influence, had told me the same thing everyday. She tried to convince me to fight against the Europeans by joining the Yi-Ho Tuan.

Chinese Christian converts seeking refuge

Everybody knows about the Yi-Ho Tuan’s intents to destroy foreigners and Christians. Although I knew about the horrifying changes brought about by foreigners, I didn’t find it necessary to be violent against them. It wasn’t after the foreigners affected me personally that I began to feel the anger to revolt. Unfortunately, my own brother was pulled into their evil ways. Those missionaries converted him to follow the Christian religion. For some reason, he willingly left the beliefs, those that our father, our grandfather, our great-grandfather believed in, behind. He brought chaos and embarrassment into our family. My mother couldn’t believe that her own son had become one of them. She had told me one last time: “What are you going to do now? Are you going to fight to get your brother back?” It was then that I listened to her, I lost my brother to those devils and I decided that I was going to revenge.

Six-nation force in Beijing

A few months after joining the militia, I marched towards Taiyuan with the others of the Yi-Ho Tuan. We felt the same anger. We marched strong knowing that what we were doing was right. We marched strong keeping our slogan in mind. “Support the Dynasty, Destroy the Foreigners!” We went into Taiyuan doing just that, we destroyed foreign Christian missionaries. Following that massacre were many other attacks. As we attacked more and more foreigners, the European governments grew more and more furious. A six-nation force was assembled just to stop our massacres.

All of this that I think about has lead to this moment as I wait for my turn to be beheaded. Under the unforgiving sun, crowds and crowds of people stand around watching the execution. They have tied my body to a pole and my hands behind my back. I lift my head unafraid to encourage the crowd to stand for themselves as I have done. In moments I will leave this world but I am not afraid. I know that I have shown the other Chinese men that you can revolt.

Puyi's Emperor Life

Named Emperor of China around the age of four,

Chosen by Empress Cixi from her own deathbed.

During the time when the Europeans demanded the shores,

Even “Unequal Treaties” or they threatened that they will spread.

As Emperor of China ruling over 10 millions souls,
There was too much going on for him, since he was a child.
Waking up in the morning to check what’s in his bowl,
If it wasn’t his favorite he’ll go very wild.

There was a man who wanted to overthrow me named Mr. Sun,
Starting rebellions against the Emperor, losing my men.
It was his time to step down being China’s number one,
Going to miss scribbling with my favorite pen.

When the time came to resign as the chosen kid,

Crying as his Daddy told him to step down.

Losing people’s faith of China as it surely did,

He’ll never forget his favorite, special crown.