Anti-communist demonstrations erupted in China in 1989. Millions of students and civilians gathered in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square demanding democracy, freedom and an end to corruption. However, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on June 3 ordered tanks to violently suppress the demonstrators, causing the deaths of hundreds to thousands of innocents.
This bloody suppression of civilians, now known globally as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, shocked the entire world and has become an extremely important page in China’s history. Although 35 years have passed since the incident, the CCP still refuses to apologize, prohibiting even so much as the mention of the massacre. This is their attempt to conceal and desalinate history.
The CCP claims that this prohibition is a necessary measure to maintain social stability. However, no matter how the CCP attempts to explain itself, it is impossible to erase their crime of using cruel and violent means to slaughter and oppress civilians.
The Tiananmen Square Massacre is a dark piece of history the CCP cannot erase, and it led to an hour of challenges for the communist regime. The bloody act of suppression not only led to intense domestic and international criticism, but also cast a shadow over the CCP’s international image.
Despite the CCP’s attempts to divert civilians’ attention through diplomatic tactics and military intimidation, the incident still influences the party’s political direction. It has become their Achilles’ heel. It is evident that the spread of ideas such as democracy, human rights and rule of law are gradually shattering the CCP’s autocratic tyranny.
Hong Kong had, for a time, been the only part of China allowed to commemorate the Tiananmen Square Massacre, doing so through an annual candlelight vigil. The vigil not only served as a way to pay respects to the victims of the incident, but to express aspirations toward freedom and democracy.
However, in the wake of the imposing of Hong Kong’s National Security Law in 2020, the CCP tightened its control over the region.
The Hong Kong government has cited Article 23 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China to arrest prominent Hong Kong democracy advocate and former vice-chairperson of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements Chow Hang-tung (鄒幸彤) and six other organizers of the candlelight vigil, triggering severe criticism. The CCP’s actions again make it apparent that they aim to cover up history, in addition to inhibiting the democratic freedom of Hong Kongers.
People must look back on the incident to safeguard its truths and uphold democratic freedom. They must engrave incidents like this in their memory to ensure that they would not happen again.
As the CCP attempts to conceal history, people must bring the truth to light, thereby preserving their faith in the struggle for freedom and democracy. This way, they can honor those who died and establish proper ethical standards for generations to come.
Chen Chun is an international affairs researcher.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
George Santayana wrote: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” This article will help readers avoid repeating mistakes by examining four examples from the civil war between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) forces and the Republic of China (ROC) forces that involved two city sieges and two island invasions. The city sieges compared are Changchun (May to October 1948) and Beiping (November 1948 to January 1949, renamed Beijing after its capture), and attempts to invade Kinmen (October 1949) and Hainan (April 1950). Comparing and contrasting these examples, we can learn how Taiwan may prevent a war with
A recent trio of opinion articles in this newspaper reflects the growing anxiety surrounding Washington’s reported request for Taiwan to shift up to 50 percent of its semiconductor production abroad — a process likely to take 10 years, even under the most serious and coordinated effort. Simon H. Tang (湯先鈍) issued a sharp warning (“US trade threatens silicon shield,” Oct. 4, page 8), calling the move a threat to Taiwan’s “silicon shield,” which he argues deters aggression by making Taiwan indispensable. On the same day, Hsiao Hsi-huei (蕭錫惠) (“Responding to US semiconductor policy shift,” Oct. 4, page 8) focused on
Taiwan is rapidly accelerating toward becoming a “super-aged society” — moving at one of the fastest rates globally — with the proportion of elderly people in the population sharply rising. While the demographic shift of “fewer births than deaths” is no longer an anomaly, the nation’s legal framework and social customs appear stuck in the last century. Without adjustments, incidents like last month’s viral kicking incident on the Taipei MRT involving a 73-year-old woman would continue to proliferate, sowing seeds of generational distrust and conflict. The Senior Citizens Welfare Act (老人福利法), originally enacted in 1980 and revised multiple times, positions older
Nvidia Corp’s plan to build its new headquarters at the Beitou Shilin Science Park’s T17 and T18 plots has stalled over a land rights dispute, prompting the Taipei City Government to propose the T12 plot as an alternative. The city government has also increased pressure on Shin Kong Life Insurance Co, which holds the development rights for the T17 and T18 plots. The proposal is the latest by the city government over the past few months — and part of an ongoing negotiation strategy between the two sides. Whether Shin Kong Life Insurance backs down might be the key factor
RSS