1980s and Tiananmen Square Flashcards
summarize the contents of ‘the peoples republic of amnesia: tiananmen revisited’ by Louisa Lim in 8 points
- Chen Guang, a military photographer at the time of the 1989 student protests, tells of the events leading up to the aftermath. A Chinese soldier, he was tasked with capturing the crackdown. Lim uses soldiers’ recollections to show the events from their perspective, including Chen’s memory of the ground floor of the Great Hall of the People “turned into a makeshift hospital” and his conflicting feelings when he saw it.
- Lim interviews Zhang Ming, a participant in the protests who spent seven years in jail afterwards. He describes his decision to participate, his contributions to the protest and the mindset of the protesters. After “organizing massive student marches and a boycott of classes”, the decisions Zhang made during the protests would shape his life. Lim also focuses on the contributions of commercialism and economics to the amnesia surrounding the protests. She interviews Chen Ziming, an intellectual sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment as “one of the black hands behind the student movement”. According to Chen, a number of student leaders have benefited from compromise and fear political interference in their businesses: “They won’t even admit to being student leaders”.
- Lim encounters Wu’er Kaixi, who provides insight into the mind of a protest leader and recalls his involvement in events such as the hunger strike. He says that the hunger strike was his idea, a “deliberate strategy to escalate the movement”. Wu’er describes his struggles, ideas and life since his exile from China, his feelings towards those who remained behind and were imprisoned, and appeals to China’s leaders to be allowed to return to his motherland.
- The author explores the amnesia and censorship which the Chinese government has instilled into its young people, and how it has affected their knowledge of the Tiananmen Square events. Feel Liu, age 22, tells Lim about what he was taught in school about the protests; from a teacher’s perspective, the subject was “best left untouched”. Lim shows young people a photo of Tank Man and asks them if they have ever heard of him.
- She writes about Zhang Xianling, mother of student protester Wang Nan (who was killed during the June 4th massacre). Her attempts to cope with the death of her son and learn the truth behind the deaths of many other students led to the creation of the Tiananmen Mothers, a group of relatives of those who were killed on June 4, 1989. Tiananmen Mothers seeks justice and shed light on the circumstances around their children’s deaths. Zhang recalls the days before the massacre and the events leading to her son’s death.
- Lim explores the concept of patriotic education, interviewing party members about the protests, life after it and the desire to move past it. This includes China’s attempt at “ideological re-education”, one of the largest such attempts in modern history. Textbooks were rewritten to “change the prism through which the past and present were viewed”.
- Bao Tong, former secretary to Communist Party general secretary Zhao Ziyang, talks about the decisions which led to the crackdown from the perspective of political leaders such as Deng Xiaoping and Zhao Ziyang. Lim describes Tong’s life after his release from prison; he is not yet fully free, since he is closely monitored by the government. Tong, however, is relatively unconcerned; this has become his normal life: “I’m totally used to it, if they’re not with me, I feel lost”.
- Lim paints a portrait of Chengdu, a city in southwest China, after the protests with “memories, declassified U.S. diplomatic cables, diaries, hastily written reports of the time, contemporaneous photographs, and Chinese government-approved accounts”. Interviews present the crackdown in Chengdu on protesters of the June 4th massacre in Tiananmen Square. Dennis Rae describes mourning wreaths and signs carried around the city, its “panicked urgency” and the injured people in the local hospital
what are the results of Deng Xiaoping’s reform
China is more open economically, though they keep their central single party. (very successful - investment flowed and economy skyrocketed)
Political and economic reform were not linked
- communal life is gone.
- lifetime employment is gone. (notable change)
- roof prices are gone. (market dictated prices for basic goods)
- kept control of factors like banking, defence, oil, telecom
The country faces a phase of economic liberalization which:
- increases efficiency
- causes economic growth, workers become rich
- some dislocation brought about by uncertainty (esp from loss of lifetime employment)
why is 1984 a formative year of liberalisation for China economically?
1984 comes along with more autonomy.
There is a: - reduction of subsidies for housing, transport etc
- costal cities and zones take off economically (after liberalization)
- the state invests in infrastructures (investments that spur economic growth)
- GDP grew 7.5% annually
how is the political development of China in the 1980s received by the elite and what is Deng Xiaoping’s reply?
There are tensions and backlash from more conservative (more communist) factions.
These individuals are worried about the difficulty to marry social control and economic liberalization. (will lead to political liberalisation)
Deng Xiaoping answers that balance is possible since this coexistence works as a spectrum. (no need for dogmatism)
what is the Southern Tour and how did it influence the Chinese economy in the 1980s?
The party congress was going to take place in 1993.
In preparation, in 1992, DXP visits economic zones in the South and prepares speeches etc.
DXP is not running day to day but influence in unquestionable
During this period, DXP promote the use of markets by communist individuals.
also condemned conservatives trapped in traditionalism (‘women with bound feet)
under JIang Zemin and Zhu Rongji, This gave a second wind to the market reforms and lead to things like 1) standardized budgeting 2) taxes.
concerned with ‘bourgeois liberalisation’ - individualistic attitudes not socialist ones
what is the Democracy Wall and why was it influential?
On a wall in Beijing, protestors were writing, postering drawing various forms of criticism of Deng Xiaoping. (pro pragmatic movement)
economic liberalisation impact to political liberalisation
The president says this is a good thing (still loyal), so protestors keep going and even intensify the practice, groups (human rights alliance) form
The party then cracked down and jailed prominent leaders (Wei JingSheng), showing the party’s fears concerning spiritual pollution and loosing political control
what is spiritual pollution and why is the party so concerned with it?
Spiritual pollution is any form of ideology or belief which steers individuals away from the party’s ideology and practices.
debates sparked - individual rights, alienation, humanism
occurred through the economic liberalisation -> political liberalisation
in this case, straying from communism/socialism/maoism to any other ideology (mainly capitalism)
party crackdown (1982/83) on ‘polluting’ activities
what caused corruption to be such an issue in the Chinese economy in the 80s?
7 -8 years into the reform, inflation is very high, corruption becomes a big issue as the system is still irregular
The fact that the state is also privatizing lots of their assets grants many opportunities for corruption.
what are the Student Protests of 1986 and why are they so important?
Students began protesting both 1) extremely high inflation rates and 2) issues of political representation in 1986. (corruption, democracy, human rights)
150 campuses see protests and demonstrations take place (spurred by talks from Fang Lizhi to become activists and intellectually curious)
The party cracks down but cannot succeed without using measures of dictatorship, a challenge since they had previously called the students’ concerns irrelevant. (peaceful protest to avoid gov violence) (foreshadow Tiananmen square)
Highlight: a student in Shanghai asked Jiang Zemin who elected him. The politicians then asked for his name and address. catalysed students to increase protest in support of their classmate
what did Chinas societal context in mid to late 80s indicate?
the party was facing the biggest challenges to itself from societal issues since the death of Mao
what are the events that led to Tiananmen Square?
April 15th 1989 Hu Yaobang passes away. He was very well liked by the students, seen as a reformer with a relax attitude within the party.
He was fired in 1987 due to this attitude, party thought he was letting the students get away with too much protesting
People gather in Tiananmen Square, Beijing to mourn his passing (initially, was a loyal protests).
According to the People’s Daily, on April 26th, forces must stand against turmoil as there are, in the crowds, students with evil motives (violence and hooliganism)
April 27th: more people gather to the Square, demand a dialogue with the leadership (Zhao Ziyang) about democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of press etc.
ZZ agrees to speak with them. Does not go well, the protests are divided into factions and disorganized (lots of hunger strikes)
the leadership does not agree with his initiative as it shows division within the party.
why was the party disagreeing with Zhao Ziyang’s iniative to discuss with the students of Tiananmen Square?
The leadership does not agree with ZZ’s initiative as it shows a separation within the party.
Deng Xiaoping wants to be tough with the protestors.
Zhao then decided to quit , but the DXP did not let him because it shows division with the CCP. He is instead fired.
addresses students himself on May 19th in the square (‘im sorry. you should criticise and blame us. it is reasonable for you to do so’)
He is also put on house arrest.
explain how the Tiananmen Square protests began intensifying in May of 1989
Martial law is declared by the CCP. (military rule over civilian government)
May 20th - 250 000 troops try to enter Beijing, but are blocked by residents and convinced to turn back as much of the population knows someone at the square and wants to protect them.
By the end of May there are 300 000 protestors in the square.
DX and CCP cannot accept the troops withdrawal, uses the PLA from outside Beijing to remove ties to protestors
what occurred on June 3rd and 4th 1989 in Tiananmen Square?
June 3rd - troops entered TS with orders to have it cleared by the 4th
The party rallied troops from outside the city who had no ties to Beijing.
Between 600 and 1200 people were killed during the army’s marching on the Square.
3000 - 5000 people remained in the Square. After negotiations, the party let them go.
The party regained control and began arresting individuals.
Highlight: the man crossing the street and placing himself in front of the tank repeatedly who has never been identified.
who is Lui Xiaobao
One of the people who was arrested following the events of Tiananmen Square. He was a professor, writer and militant.
He later got the Nobel Peace Prize from his prison cell.
Along with him, there were 600 arrests and 45 executions.
This happened across the country, though more was known about Beijing because journalists were already present to report on a conference between China and the USSR.
