On June 4, China marked the 36th anniversary of the bloody crackdown at Tiananmen Square that ended pro-democracy protests in the country. But the event passed like any other weekday for most Chinese citizens—precisely the way the ruling Communist Party wants it to be. Security forces were tight on Wednesday around Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, exactly the place where student-led protests shook the Party in 1989.
In 1989, the leader of China, Deng Xiaoping, sent the military to end the protests on the night of June 3 and 4. The crackdown targeted students who had been protesting for weeks, using military force and violent means. Soldiers used live ammunition and forced their way through crowds on the streets, which were attempting to block their advance toward the centre of the square. It is believed that thousands of people were killed, including dozens of soldiers.
Over time, the Party has tried to erase what it calls merely a “political turmoil” of 1989 from the collective memory of the world. It has done so by banning any public commemoration or mention of the June 4 crackdown, scrubbing references from the internet, and cracking down on mass gatherings. In recent years, this ban has also extended to Hong Kong, where a massive candlelight vigil is no longer permitted. It is only in Taiwan—a small, self-governing island claimed by China but running its own internal affairs—where large June 4 gatherings are still allowed and continue to take place.
The citizens of China are also kept under surveillance to ensure they do not evoke the country’s bloody past. Former district council member Chan Kim-Kam said that customs officials questioned her after she advertised small white candles for sale in an Instagram post titled, “June, we don’t forget.”
History of Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square, situated in the capital city of Beijing, is an open space in the center of the city, flanked by monumental Communist-era buildings on two sides and the mausoleum of Mao Zedong. University students once occupied this symbolically important site, and it was there that the call for freedom divided the Party leadership in the spring of 1989.
However, the decision by China’s top leaders to send in troops marked a decisive turning point in the evolution of modern China. The move kept the Party firmly in control even as it began loosening its economic controls over the country. While many argue that the country’s rapid economic development since then proves that the decision made on the night of June 3 and 4 was justified, not everyone shares that view. Tiananmen Mothers, a group formed by relatives of the victims of the crackdown, issued an annual online appeal to the government—signed by 108 members—calling for an investigation into what happened on June 4, 1989. The group also demanded compensation for the families and legal action against those responsible for the deaths.
Internationally, the Canadian and German embassies in Beijing posted images of lit candles on large screens facing the streets. Taiwan’s President, Lai Ching-te, also used the anniversary to position the island as being on the front line of defending democracy against authoritarianism. He drew a distinction between Taiwan’s multi-party democracy and China’s one-party rule in a Facebook post, which read: “Authoritarian governments often choose to remain silent and forget about history, while democratic societies choose to preserve the truth and refuse to forget those who have contributed to the ideals of human rights and the dreams they embrace.”
Taiwan Islands
Taiwan’s transition from authoritarianism to democracy began in the late 1980s, supported by the U.S. and other democratic partners that opposed China globally. The country also deterred invasion attempts from China. Even today, the Communist Party of China claims it favors peaceful reunification of the island with mainland China without the use of force. However, Taiwan holds a completely opposing stance.
