The Legacy Of Tiananmen Square

From talking to the powerful in Beijing and the peasants in the countryside, an experienced journalist interprets China and its post-Deng future

Examines the struggle to bring democracy to China in the wake of the Tiananmen Square massacre.

America's foremost chronicler of contemporary China brilliantly illuminates the new power structure, economic initiatives, and cultural changes that have transformed China since the Tianamen Square massacre of 1989. "A rich portrait, capturing a fascinating and perhaps fateful moment in China's long, turbulent history".--Arnold R. Isaacs, San Francisco Chronicle.

*Includes pictures *Includes accounts of the protests *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading "Students, we came too late. We are sorry. You talk about us, criticize us, it is all necessary. The reason that I came here is not to ask you to forgive us. All I want to say is that students are getting very weak, it is the 7th day since you went on hunger strike, you can't continue like this. [...] You are still young, there are still many days yet to come, you must live healthy, and see the day when China accomplishes the four modernizations. You are not like us, we are already old, it doesn't matter to us any more." - Zhao Ziyang at Tiananmen Square. May 19, 1989. On June 5, 1989, a petrifying procession of Type 59 tanks with bright red stars emblazoned on the sides rolled down the eerily vacant streets of Chang'an Avenue, headed towards Tiananmen Square. Photographer Jeff Widener, along with the disorderly rabble of the media, public, and protesters, watched with bated breath, some from the sidelines, and some from the windows of buildings and nearby establishments. Suddenly, the buzz of panic turned into a chorus of disbelieving gasps. A man by his lonesome, dressed in a white cotton blouse and a pair of black slacks, casually strolled into the street, 2 shopping bags swinging in hand. Some were bewildered by the thought of the man foolishly attempting to cross the road at the worst possible time, but when this man deliberately stopped in the path of the tanks, there was a beat of stunned silence. The man, perhaps unaware of the thousands of eyes fixated on him, coolly stared down the tanks as their treads slowly grinded to a halt, one at a time. This iconic scene captured by Widener, dubbed the "Tank Man," has become one of the most widely recognizable photographs from the 20th century, an image that springs to mind at the mention of the infamous Tiananmen Square Incident of 1989. The Tank Man would become one of the most defining symbols of the cause - defiance against what the people deemed an oppressive higher power, shored up by the iron wills of this unidentified man and millions like him. That said, there is always far more than meets the eye - or the ear. Take Widener's photograph itself as just one example. Tank Man can be seen in front of 4 tanks, an image stirring enough on its own. Yet in another photographer's image, which shows a wider, almost bird's eye view of the scene, audiences can see a column of at least 14 tanks and counting. In the same spirit, beyond the electrifying chants and the dazzling colors brought forth by the sea of tents, banners, and headbands lies a darker and more complex story, one that spiraled out of control due to reasons both external and internal, leading to a grim and ghastly ending. Ironically, for those familiar with China, Tiananmen Square, a large city square in the center of Beijing, can be said to represent the essence of Chinese culture. In addition to the events of 1989, it has been the site of several important events in the country's history. It is characterized as being a vast open ground centered on and defined by a series of monuments constructed over a period of 500 years. Named after the Tiananmen gate, one that means the "Gate of Heavenly Peace," the square is located towards the north of the gate, separating it from the Forbidden City. Considered the fourth largest city square in the world, its dimensions are 440,000 square meters. The Tiananmen Square Massacre: The History and Legacy of the Chinese Government's Crackdown on the 1989 Protests examines the plight of the protesters, as well as the evolution, peak, and the bloody unraveling of their cause. Testimonies from not only protesters and eyewitnesses themselves, but the version of events from authorities, journalists, and soldiers are taken into account, giving more evidence to the reality that not everything is black-and-white.

An eyewitness account of Tiananmen Spring, available once again to commemorate the ten year anniversary of these historic events of China's recent past

Eric Fish provides compelling portraits of young Chinese as they struggle to cope with the country's wrenching socioeconomic and demographic transition after years of lofty expectations. He deftly captures their hopes, disillusionment, and rebellion in a system that is scrambling to keep them in line as they increasingly refuse to conform.

An exciting analysis of the myriad literary effects of Tiananmen, Belinda Kong's Tiananmen Fictions Outside the Square is the first full-length study of fictions related to the 1989 movement and massacre. More than any other episode in recent world history, Tiananmen has brought a distinctly politicized Chinese literary diaspora into stark relief. Kong redefines Tiananmen's meaning from an event that ended in local political failure to one that succeeded in producing a vital dimension of contemporary transnational writing today. She spotlights key writers-Gao Xingjian, Ha Jin, Annie Wang, and Ma Jian-who have written and published about the massacre from abroad. Their outsider/distanced perspectives inform their work, and reveal how diaspora writers continually reimagine Tiananmen's relevance to the post-1989 world at large. Compelling us to think about how Chinese culture, identity, and politics are being defined in the diaspora, Tiananmen Fictions Outside the Square candidly addresses issues of political exile, historical trauma, global capital, and state biopower.

The 1989 pro-democracy movement in China constituted a huge challenge to the survival of the Chinese communist state, and the efforts of the Chinese Communist party to erase the memory of the massacre testify to its importance. This consisted of six weeks of massive pro-democracy demonstrations in Beijing and over 300 other cities, led by students, who in Beijing engaged in a hunger strike which drew wide public support. Their actions provoked repression from the regime, which - after internal debate - decided to suppress the movement with force, leading to a still-unknown number of deaths in Beijing and a period of heightened repression throughout the country. This book assesses the impact of the movement, and of the ensuing repression, on the political evolution of the People’s Republic of China. The book discusses what lessons the leadership learned from the events of 1989, in particular whether these events consolidated authoritarian government or facilitated its adaptation towards a new flexibility which may, in time, lead to the transformation of the regime. It also examines the impact of 1989 on the pro-democracy movement, assessing whether its change of strategy since has consolidated the movement, or if, given it success in achieving economic growth and raising living standards, it has become increasingly irrelevant. It also examines how the repression of the movement has affected the economic policy of the Party, favoring the development of large State Enterprises and provoking an impressive social polarisation. Finally, Jean-Philippe Béja discusses how the events of 1989 are remembered and have affected China’s international relations and diplomacy; how human rights, law enforcement, policing, and liberal thought have developed over two decades.