On the eve of the 34th anniversary of the massacre at Tiananmen Square, Radio Free Asia collected stories from young Chinese netizens about their knowledge of the events surrounding June 4, 1989.
When talking about June 4th, we have to mention circumventing the Great Firewall, because there were too many [missing parts to] our history textbooks, clearly censored and 'disappeared.' I'm someone who enjoys studying history, and when I started learning about modern history, I became curious: Why did it only take 49 years?
- Student V
In my second year of junior high school, a close friend and I were discussing which historical events could have been manipulated by the Chinese Communist Party. He told me about 'June 4th.' I, as a young teenager, was deeply shocked and also became aware of the existence of internet censorship.
- “Barely a post-’00s” student
The rumor of 'Deng Xiaoping's tanks crushing students was quite widespread in our hometown, but no one could tell the complete story. We all understood without speaking. When I was young, I was shocked when I heard about it.
- Xiang, a student
I was watching a livestream of a first person shooter video game on Bilibili, and the streamer usually enables a special mode to prevent 'bombing' by trolls. In this mode, the opponent's nickname is replaced with a character name followed by a string of numbers. That day, in the top right corner, the kill information suddenly displayed 'Dongli Xiaozi #8964' [which could be seen as referencing the date of the crackdown] and immediately the livestream was shut down. I felt a sense of absurdity and a desire to seek knowledge.
- Chen, a student
A political party that is sensitive and suppresses the people is destined not to go far. The open-minded thinking and courage of the students during June 4th are what we, the post-00 generation, admire. Such spirits should have been praised and celebrated, but they were suppressed and silenced by the government. It's so sad, so tragic.
- He, a student
Thanks to the efforts I made to understand June 4th by bypassing the Great Firewall, I have developed the habit of using YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and other apps that are inaccessible in China. Because of this, I have met many people, encountered new knowledge and perspectives, and learned to cherish everything I have in the present.
- Anonymous student
One time, my father mentioned the Tiananmen Square incident unintentionally, saying that Deng [Xiaoping] killed many students there and that it was a tainted place.
- Post-2000 member of the Communist Youth League
On April 4, 2020, which happened to be the National Mourning Day to remember those who sacrificed due to epidemic prevention, the flag at Tiananmen Square was lowered to half-mast. Two classmates and I made an appointment, brought candles and a portrait of Li Wenliang, and entered the square. It was this experience that gave me some degree of personal understanding of the experiences of the June 4th students, and it is something I will never forget.
- Beijing classmate
I was around 12 or 13 years old that year. I was watching the movie ‘Lan Yu’ on Bilibili Animation, and it subtly mentioned the June 4th incident. I saw some informative comments from users in the chat.
- Guo, a student
If it weren't for the song ‘Queen's Road East’ suddenly disappearing in the summer of 2019, I might not have known what happened in Hong Kong at that time, nor would I have known that such a significant event happened in 1989. When international media reported on the Hong Kong anti-extradition protests, they sometimes mentioned June 4th.
- Another student
Editors: Malcolm Foster, Shen Hua, H. Léo Kim, Josh Lipes, Paul Nelson, Brian Tian, Li Xiang
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Translated by: Shen Hua
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Graphic: Amanda Weisbrod
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Web page produced by Minh-Ha Le
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Produced by Radio Free Asia
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© 2023 RFA
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