Before coming to Hong Kong, I never knew about (or perhaps I just didn’t care enough to remember) the events that led up to 6/4. It wasn’t as if the Tiananmen Square Incident just happened; tension on the Square had been building for a month. The popular way of reviewing 6/4 is that it was a fight for democracy that was brutally suppressed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), but the more I learn, the more I feel like the story is bigger than just that simple black and white explanation.
Tiananmen is particularly sad because at its origin, it was a young generation’s expression of patriotism and optimism for a better China. It is significant, even though I didn’t learn this in history class, that the Peking U students first gathered on Tiananmen Square in early May to commemorate the death of Hu Yaobang, a high-ranking official of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) who was denounced by other CCP officials for his free-market reforms. He was a well-known liberal, and the students demanded that the government reassess his legacy. The gathering to commemorate his death soon turned into a rally for greater government accountability. Slogans called for democracy and an end to government corruption. When students declared a hunger strike, tensions rose. Whereas at first, the newspapers (which I found from an archive in the CUHK library) contained pictures of the student protestors (wearing their bandanas and looking very rebel like) and articles about how the residents of Beijing supported the students, towards the later parts of May, the pictures disappeared entirely and were replaced by articles about martial law in strict fonts. In part, the students at Tiananmen Square were also unfortunate victims of an inner-party struggle. With the death of the liberal Hu Yaobang, it was a chance for hard-liners to win power. While moderates protested against using force on the students, hard-liners believed otherwise. Even though Xi Jinping (the pretty much determined next President of China) doesn’t talk about it, his father was a very high-ranking General at the time and belonged to the moderate camp that adamantly refused to use military force to remove the students. Ultimately, the hard-liners won. What would have happened had the moderates won? What would China be like today without this black mark to its name?
On the night of June 4th, I joined my workshop professors and a handful of other Yale affiliates to attend the annual vigil held at Victoria Park. I went mainly out of curiosity. I’ve been told that organized protests are a part of HK culture and that the 6/4 vigil is sometimes treated like a national holiday. Indeed , according to the organizer’s estimates, last night’s vigil drew a record of 180,000 people. Everyone had a candle (at first, I was terrified of the potential fire hazard) and we covered an area a few football fields large. We sang songs, some in Cantonese and some in mandarin.
The songs were all very fitting, but one song 血染的风采 especially stood out. 血染的风采 was originally a song for commemorating Chinese soldiers who died in the Vietnam War that had been appropriated for the 6/4 memorial. In its original context it is sung from the perspective of soldiers who ask their loved ones to not worry about the what-ifs of their probably death. The soldiers remind them that if they die, their death will be for a greater national cause. When it is sung for 6/4, the perspective changes to the victim of 6/4. One line in the chorus always gives me the Goosebumps for how well it fits its new context. A line in the chorus that is meant to be comforting and remind people that the nation's flag is stained by the soldier's sacrifices “共和国的旗帜上有我们血染的风采” (“the republic’s flag has our bloodstained glory”) instead reminds the listener of the blood of the 6/4 victims.
What impressed me the most was how patriotic the 6/4 vigil felt. People often think of Hong Kong as separate from China. Indeed with its colonial history under British rule, liberal culture, and 一国两制(one country, two rule) policy, it does seem like an oddly foreign (yet familiar…the people, the words, the smells are pretty much the same) place. The high cost of living would be entirely impossible on the mainland. On the surface the 6/4 vigil might just seem like a giant protest against the CCP, which made me apprehensive about going, but after staying for a while and soaking in the atmosphere, I realized that 6/4 was the Hong Konger’s unique way of owning their ancient Chinese roots and new Chinese identity. Hong Kongers are afraid that the mainland’s autocratic rule might eventually overwhelm their way of life and they’ll be the frog that is cooked in a slowly boiling pot of water. Through the 6/4 memorial, they are signaling their hope for change. An optimistic view, held by some Hong Kongers (especially those working in civil society) is that instead of having autocratic China slowly engulf Hong Kong, why not think about how the relatively corruption-free Hong Kong can affect mainland China?
Instead of seeing the 6/4 event as a simple protest against the CCP government, I see it as Hong Kong’s attempt to carry the 89 student’s hope for a better China. While I don’t necessarily support their slogans of down with the CCP, I do think that the CCP need to build a system that ensures greater government accountability. The Hong Kongers share the 6/4 student’s dream and they are using their unique Hong Kong culture of protest to communicate their hope. I find their their devotion to their civic duties extremely inspiring and patriotic; and their vision, I realized, was one that I could support.
Through participating in the 6/4 memorial, I began to see the similarities between myself and the people of Hong Kong. On the one hand, sometimes I think that the Chinese government is crazy and juvenile. Living in China where not everyone is treated the same under the law scares me and makes me want to leave. Yet, on another hand, I feel strong ties to this crazy place and also very patriotic at times. My family is there, my roots are there, and I am rooting for the country to succeed. It is because of my Chinese patriotism and my desire to see it succeed that I care enough to be upset about corruption and food scandals in China. The students of 6/4 were acting out their patriotism, and Hong Kongers, by remembering 6/4 are being patriotic to China in the way they best know how. Here’s to civic participation, and here’s to a brighter future for China. 平反六四.
A picture from where I was sitting.
A picture from The Atlantic
wow joy, amazing history lesson. and you got to experience some of it firsthand, that's amazing. good for you!
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