If you've watched television news or checked out a news website, there is little doubt that you know that today is the 20th anniversary of the government crackdown on democratic activists at Tiananmen Square... leading to the deaths of hundreds (or thousands) of citizens.
We visited the Square last August though under much different circumstances as the Square, the largest of its kind in the world, was oddly enough a point of pride for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.... and deservedly so, despite the atrocities that occurred there or for that matter the final resting place for a person responsible for the killing of millions of his own citizens... but it is an impressive, awe-inspiring, striking piece of real estate.
I know I have written about this before, but I think it bears repeating. No doubt you have heard of the recent crackdowns on access to the Square and how the government is blocking Internet access on the heels of this 20th anniversary. And it was no surprise that the Square seemed to be on high alert during the Olympics with the government fearful of any embarrassing situation while the eyes of the world were on Beijing. At one point, I thought we might never get to walk the Square... but as the proverb goes, the third time was the charm.
But we were very aware of the baggage that Tiananmen holds. We had two of the friendliest young people as our tour guides, eager to please our group ... but each time our bus approached the Square we were told to not to ask about/inquire about anything the events of 1989 while we were on the Square and you could kind of tell they were uncomfortable even bringing up the subject... and likewise, if there was a police situation, to not photograph it by any means. Again, such a contradiction to the gal tour guide toting an "I Love Lucy" purse or the young man who adopted Penn as his "Westerrn" name, comparing it to the award-winning actor.
Here is our first look at the Square, closed at the time...
Often when we go to places where bad things have happened, there is a palpable sense of heaviness... Ford's Theater in the DC or Ground Zero in NYC come immediately to mind... and I suspected that would be the same with Tiananmen... though I will sheepishly admit to not having more than a cursory knowledge what happened beyond the iconic Tank Man... remember this was in the days before the Internet and the early dawn of a world of 24 hour news (which makes me wonder if those two things would have impacted how things played out)... plus having just graduated undergrad college likely had me not focusing on world events.
But none of that heaviness ended up happening, I think there was just so much going on that it was pretty impossible to reflect on the events of 20 years ago. First, it was just hard to believe that we were finally on the Square... but with some paranoia that we would/could be told to leave at any minute... there was a pretty steady rain... so our visit was entirely from beneath an umbrella... and trying to look around while keeping an eye out for the umbrellas of the other 15 or so people in your group. It proved so challenging that we did lose the father-daughter pairing (I am sure I mentioned the make-up of our group was very Amazing Race-ish).
I am guessing it took about an hour for us to find them, though most of our group stayed camped out in tunnels leading in/out of the Square and the Beijing subway... both to stay out of the rain and stay in one place. With it being summer, the rain, and the hundreds of other people in the tunnel... I just remember how outrageously humid it was while we waiting.
I am guessing this is not a typical Tiananmen experience... and certainly not reflective, but nevertheless, a memorable one. After our trip, I did educate myself on Tiananmen... more of it sparked just earlier this year when I read the book Beijing Coma about the events of Tianamen (no surprise that author Ma Jian's works are banned in China) and the whole denial/censorship that it ever happened. In that book post, I mentioned that college kids today, born post-1989 Tiananmen, when shown a picture of Tank Man thought it was some sort of military parade. (Side note: We are recording an Frontline episode from 2006 titled "Tank Man" that airs on our PBS station next week)
I wondered if the Beijing Olympics would usher in some change... or more so, if the country/city could remain unchanged after the Games... but that doesn't seem to be the case on this anniversary... but even in our very brief visit, there is that recognition of the delicate balancing act that is China... very odd to those who take so much for granted, but I still utterly fascinating.
