Tiananmen Square

This picture reflects the Tiananmen square protests of 1989, commonly known as the 'June Fourth incident'. Tiananmen square is a famous monument in Beijing, the capitol of China, widely used as a national symbol. The June Fourth incident went on for approximately one and a half months, with the causes of conflict ranging from the death of Hu Yaobang, economic reforms, political corruption, career prospects, social unrest in Eastern Europe and more. The two parties to this civil conflict are the Communist party of China, Government of the people's republic of China, People's liberation of China and the People's Armed Police, against commoners such as university students, factory workers and many more.

To me, this civil conflict represents a time of hardship for the people as they struggle to gain social equality, a government without corruption, freedom of press and speech, as well as socialism and democracy. To China, it shows that they've had problems and hardships as they country progresses. This must also have been a really hard time for them with the death count up to 2000 and more than 10000 injuries. 

The Communist Party of China (CPC) forbids discussion of the Tiananmen Square protests, and has taken measures to block or censor information. Textbooks have little, if any, information related to the protests. Following the protests, officials banned controversial films and books, and shut down a large number of newspapers. Within a year, 12 percent of all newspapers, 8 percent of publishing companies, 13 percent of social science periodicals and more than 150 films were banned or shut down. In addition, the government also announced it had seized 32 million contraband books and 2.4 million video and audio cassettes. Access to media and internet resources on the subject are restricted or blocked by censors. 

The party’s official stance towards the incident is that the use of force was necessary in order to control a 'political disturbance' and helped to ensure the stability necessary for economic success. Chinese leaders, including general secretaries Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, reiterate this line when asked about the question by foreign press.

The clearing of Tiananmen Square was criticized around the world. The US immediately put economic sanctions on China, and large-scale protests took place in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Chengdu, and other cities. Many of the people who had protested in Beijing left the country, and many countries around the world offered them visas and refugee status. The Tiananmen Square Massacre remains a banned topic in China as of 2012, and any mention of it in media, literature, or art is subject to censorship. Therefore, from this incident, i believe we can learn that we should try not to have riots, but instead representatives to talk things through calmly. Riots  an only cause harm; even if the goal was accomplished, this cannot be exchanged with the hundreds and thousands of casualties of our fellow human beings. 

Zheng Boya (24)

2E