Thirty-four years ago today, a tragedy occurred at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square: The student-led pro-democracy demonstration was brutally crushed by force. Since then, this has been a taboo subject inside China, while the Western establishments often use it as a sweeping example against China.
What really happened and how should it be correctly assessed today?
Simply put, for China, it was great that the protests were put down, finally, without which there would have been no modern China!
1. 1989 Tiananmen Square protests
Read Wikipedia – 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.
2. My assessment
- What happened at Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, was a tragedy. I especially feel sorry for those who died on that day.
- Like the Arab Spring, the protest started with some legitimate reasons (e.g., government corruption). But the Chinese government failed to keep it under control, unlike what the U.S. government did with Occupy Wall Street – limiting it to a confined area and letting it fade by itself over time.
- The longer it lasted, the more the protesters demanded, to the point that some even thought they could possibly overthrow the authoritarian government and replace it with democracy, just like many folks thought during the Arab Spring.
- After paralyzing Beijing for months (see photo below), it had to be put down, and it was on June 4, 1989!
3. China before June 4, 1989
China under Mao (1949-1976) was a disaster, almost totally.
After Mao’s death in 1976, China, under the leadership of a wise man named Deng Xiaoping, started transforming itself from communism to state capitalism, with good success by 1989. Ironically, it was largely because of this success, from the greatly improved economy to political liberalization, that the students started protesting against some inadequacies, demanding more and more (e.g., democracy) as the protest was allowed to continue.
Why was the protest allowed to continue for months?
One main reason: The Chinese leaders were unsure about China, fiercely debating among themselves as to what to do. Yes, the anniversary of the May Fourth Movement in the height of the protest had surely made a bad situation worse.
4. China after June 4, 1989
The tragedy not only disrupted the transformation, but also set it back by a few years, because it gave the left a reason, better than anything else they could have possibly hoped for, to go back to the good old days.
Fortunately for China, Deng got total control back within a few years, and the transformation got rolling again, with no way back …
5. Discussion
Dogs bark; Birds fly; Students protest.
Typically, a protest led by students starts with some valid reasons. But it must be kept under control, or it is bound to outburst and failure. This was true not only for China in 1989, but also for the Mideast (e.g., the Arab Spring), as well as for America (e.g., Kent State shootings and Occupy Wall Street).
In hindsight, few, if any, of the student protesters in Tiananmen Square in 1989 knew what they were doing, as they understood neither China nor democracy. Yes, China was already well underway in its dramatic transformation for prosperity. No, democracy is not good (for China). For more, read Western liberal democracy is a lie!
6. More discussion
Now, why does this whole thing remain such a taboo subject inside China but a forever memory against China in the West, especially in America?
The Chinese government knows it screwed up for failing to keep it under control sooner. The result was the use of the deadly force to end it.
In other words, in today’s China, there is absolutely no chance for that kind of protest to scale up. It would be swiftly dealt with, because the Chinese leaders are very sure about China. They will keep the reforms going without the Western liberal democracy.
On the other hand, Americans, especially the neo-cons, are disappointed that China did not fail like the USSR did! For more, read Why does America hate China?
To profoundly understand America and China, read History 2.0 – China’s Comeback vs. America’s Decline.
7. Closing
For China, it was great that the protests were put down, finally. Without that there would have been no modern China! The whole thing should be taught, as explained in this article.
America should not continue to be obsessed with Tiananmen Square as an anti-China example. It is time to acknowledge that China did the right thing for China at that time!
Furthermore, it is time for America to recognize that what happened in China in 1989 actually delivered the knock-out punch to end the Cold War in 1991!
Any doubt?
Wait for my publication next week: “How did the Cold War end, actually?”
