(If you don't care what I have to say about this--and you probably shouldn't--skip to the end of this post, where I've linked to the musings of greater minds).
This Thursday is the 20th anniversary of a tragic date in Chinese history. If you don't know what I'm talking about, keep reading and you'll figure it out--or just Google the date. It is an historical moment that's not officially spoken of on the mainland.
The date came up in my Chinese class a few weeks ago, when we were talking about obtaining visas. This year is a lot like last year in the visa hassle department--harder to get, shorter stays allowed, etc. Last year, it was out of fear of Olympic protests. This year, my teacher Wang Laoshi told us in class, it is because of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and fears that rabble rousers from the China-hating West will ruin the birthday party. My classmates and I were quick to correct her--the government here likes to focus on the PRC anniversary as the reason for tightening of restrictions, but in reality, it's much more about that other anniversary, the one that the party pretends does not exist. It's also one that conjures up vivid images for lots of Americans, and one that elicits a lot more emotion and frustration.
She said to us, "I know something happened on that date, but I don't really know what. My parents and aunts and uncles won't talk about it." A long discussion ensued, with people in the class explaining some of what they know about the massacre, and promising to bring her books about it. I was thinking about what it would be like to be in her shoes. Take a really ugly piece of U.S. history--say slavery or the Jim Crow South--and imagine finding out about it from a bunch of foreigners when you're 22.
I told an American friend about my experience in class and his reaction was basically, "She's a plant. They know all about T-men. She's just feigning ignorance to get you all to talk about it and find out if any of you are troublemakers." He's got several more years of China experience than me, so I sort of believed him at first. Silly me. Over the next couple of weeks, conversations with Chinese friends and reading of posts by old China hand bloggers have made it pretty clear to me that the powers that be have done a pretty good job of erasing history. Sure, the information is out there to be accessed by the curious and industrious, but that's a small segment of the population.
A few years ago on June 4, a well-informed journalist friend from Guangzhou asked me, "Do Americans remember this anniversary?" I was touched by the way she asked the question--it was clearly important to her just to know the rest of the world cared. When I think back to 9/11, I remember being somewhat comforted by the shows of collective grief exhibited by our brothers and sisters around the world.
The whitewashing job that's happened is its own tragedy. And it doesn't just stop Chinese people from understanding what happened--it keeps people everywhere from understanding the situation, the real demands of the students and what actually happened.
Ok, enough from me. Here is my reading list if you want to learn more. Some of these sites are well worth bookmarking if you want good sources of China news and commentary. All are accessible without a proxy (at least for now) in China:
Lost Memory of June 4, Update #1 (from The Atlantic's James Fallows. I had the privilege of hearing him speak to a small group at a Beijing university a few weeks ago, and it was like a delightful time warp, putting me back at Northwestern in a fascinating class for three hours. I am guessing he will blog from the square on the anniversary, so check back in with him)
Lost Memory of June 4, Update #2 (short but sad post from Fallows)
Wear White on June 4 (a subtle protest option)
Sensitive Anniversary, Edited Memories - CN Reviews on the collective forgetting
T-Men at Twenty (Jeffrey Wasserstrom at The Nation)
Ban the VIIIIXVIIV Shirt (a creative protest against censorship)
In China, a New Breed of Dissident (WSJ on what's protested today in China, and how)
