The 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown is marked by ongoing commemorative events outside China, as Beijing continues to suppress large-scale commemorations within its borders. These overseas efforts aim to preserve the memory of the bloody event and counter China's attempts to erase its history.
China's suppression of large-scale commemorations of the Tiananmen Square crackdown has only served to intensify overseas efforts to preserve the memory of the event. On the 35th anniversary of the crackdown, events in the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, and Taiwan have emerged as crucial platforms for keeping the incident in the public eye.
These events, including talks, rallies, exhibitions, and plays, provide a space for those who cannot speak out in China to share their experiences and perspectives. They serve as a counterbalance to the aggressive erasure of memories of the crackdown, particularly in Hong Kong, where the massive annual vigil commemorating the victims has been banned.
In addition to the crackdown's human toll, the overseas commemorations highlight the decline of intellectual freedom in Hong Kong. The rejection of Rowena He's visa renewal and the arrest of seven people for posting social media content about the crackdown are just two examples of the erosion of liberties under the new security law.
Despite these setbacks, efforts to preserve the memory of the crackdown continue. In New York, a museum dedicated to the event exhibits artifacts such as a blood-stained shirt and a student protester's tent. The museum aims to expand its reach by organizing temporary exhibitions on university campuses in the United States and potentially other countries.
Overseas memorial events are crucial because they allow mainland Chinese and Hong Kongers to access information about the crackdown online, circumventing internet censorship. They also provide insights into the broader struggle for democracy around the world.
Film and television dramas can also be powerful tools for preserving and transmitting the memory of the crackdown. Theater productions in Taiwan and London have garnered emotional responses from audiences, connecting them to the tragedy on an intimate level.
Sue Thomas, a British theater-goer, expressed the profound impact of the play "May 35th," which tells the story of an elderly couple mourning their son who died in 1989. "As a parent myself now, it made me think of it in a much more heartfelt way," she said.
For Rowena He, the scholar who shared her experiences as a post-show speaker, the play evoked the trauma of the past 35 years. "It shows how much suffering people have had to endure," she said. "I hope we can bring the younger generation to understand this."
Overseas commemorations of the Tiananmen Square crackdown serve as a vital link to the past and a reminder of the struggles for freedom and the importance of preserving historical memory in the face of censorship and erasure.
