Hong Kong and China: June 4, 18 Years Later

For 18 years, Hong Kong people have been insisting to join the candle night vigil in Victoria Park in memory of June 4 Massacre in 1989. This year, probably more people would come out to rescue the history.

The controversy lies in the commentary of Ma Lik, the Chair person of Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB), a pro China political party in Hong Kong. He tried to argue that June 4 is not a massacre in term of scale and that Hong Kong people need more patriot education to fasten the democratization process.

At the Eve of June 4 Eighteenth Year Memorial, Human Rights Watch issued a statement against China’s government’s failure to account for the massacre of June 4, 1989, which would eventually defy Olympic gloss.

Seechuen was surprised how quick and how much the truth had been distorted in the past few years. However, he still thanked Ma Lik so that June 4 photos could reappear in mainstream newspapers:

感謝馬力(當然還得感謝記者),又有機會在報章頭版看到這張圖片。

Thank you Ma Lik (Of course, we need to thank the reporters as well), so that we have the chance to see the above photos in newspapers headline.

從八九到現在,我看到,是非真是可以被顛倒。時間、權力與金錢所能夠扭曲的,遠多於我的想像,也遠快於我的估量。

From 1989 till now, what I see is that the truth can be put up side down. The distortion by time, power and money is far from my imagination and estimation.

Horizon devoted this song (from youtube), with his collection of photos to the mothers who could not find their children in the Tiananmen Square:

Mininoise blogs about a song by Cui Jian, “The last gun shot”. He remembers the song because of this line: “Because my sickness is feeling nothing”.

我知道,
人會因為害怕太痛,把感覺隔絕起來;
用一堵圍牆,把它監禁。

感覺總又想逃獄,挑戰灰厚深牆。
可惡!
「你逃出來就算了,快給我滾!」

依吔依吔喊叫,
會是最好的止痛劑。

上星期起我把歌帶在身上,
從耳筒直插大腦沒天沒地的不斷重播。

其實,在最初的那幾年,
我已在慢慢地染上了一個病。
而且,一直沒有痊癒。

I know,
When people are afraid of the pain, they would block the feelings,
Building walls to put the pain in prison.

The feelings, however, want to escape and challenge the wall.
Damn it!
“Why don't you just escape? Get the hell out of here!”

Crying Yeeyeeyaayaa
Would be the best pain killer

Last week, I brought the song with me,
The ear phones connected directly to my brain, and the song ran continuously.

Well, in the first few years,
I have already infected with a disease
And it has never been cured.

Duimanpark pointed out that Hong Kong people's attitude towards June 4 is out of genuine patriotism:

是的,八九年之前,勢利的香港人都不太願意承認自己是中國人,因為當時祖國代表窮與落後,縱使香港人心知要在九七年回到這位滿身泥濘的母親的身邊,香港人還是消極地逃避著。

八九年四月至六月,局劫動盪,這幾個月給數百萬香港人上了一課活生生的「國民教育」。香港人心中的頻率與中國接通了,領略到「血濃於水」四字的真諦,他們忽爾脫下銅臭的外衣,出錢出力地為那弱不禁風的民主幼苗悉心灌溉。

仍記得六四屠城之後的一兩天,我在中學校園與其他師生唱著「義勇軍進行曲」,這也是我首次認識這支歌。

Before 1989, Hong Kong people didn't want to admit that they were Chinese, because Mainland China was backward and poor. Although Hong Kong people knew that they had to return to this poor mother country in 1997, they were avoiding the reality.

From April to June, the political turmoil had given millions of Hong Kong people a lived “national education”. The pulse of Hong Kong people was connected with China, and experienced the meaning of “Blood is thicker than water”, they took down the money minded attitude, and cultivated the sprawl of democracy with their hearts.

I still remember that one or two days after the June 4 Massacre, our school was singing the national anthem, that was the first time I got to know of the song.

6 comments

  • 過路人

    收到這個, 這麼多年後, 好像有人要將是非顛倒.

    我最愛裡面一首廣場,和很少聽到的最後一槍.

    http://www.hiradio.net/?p=294

  • […] Global Voices on the 18th anniversary […]

  • sam wong

    so many years, the images still in my mind, never wiped out. chinese killed chinese, blood splashed, bodies crushed, and souls shot. i left hong kong trying to forget this hellish nightmare and to live a freer life. but then i returned to our muddy mom as i have no choice but to admit i’m a chinese. I thought i were shot the day as i’s watching on the tv, but i feel i’s reborn after these years. rethink and rethink about the whole story. as long as it’s the way, the right way; we have a tendency to move toward it. freedom.

  • […] Global Voices Online » Hong Kong and China: June 4, 18 Years Later […]

  • mahathir_fan

    Don’t worry, nobody died on June 4th on Tiananmen Square…

    Video evidence: http://youtube.com/watch?v=igsW5yQ6428

    Fast forward to 5:57 time.
    (Movie clip time:5:57) Student said:
    Many people say that at Tiananmen square about 2,000 were shot or perhaps several hundred were
    shot. On the square were tanks that crushed people and students etc. etc.
    I would like to stress that I did not witness this a bit.

  • Boon

    After 20 years, people still see China as if they were still in 1989 and worst still young Hongkies still are brainwashed by the western media over the whole matters. Can blame them when their parents used to call mainland chinese as “Ah Chan” and now they still think they are better. But I strongly doubt it. Poor “Hongkie Chan”. Hongkie have never protested when they were colonised by the British. Wonder Why. A question to think of, why the student leaders were able to escape China tight security in those time. No foreign power involvement in the whole crisis. And none of them died of course (but happily living in the west now) except the many foolish followers and still being used in their anti-china campaign and a valuable propaganda materials too. Although I strongly object the used of excessive force in crushing the protestors but perhaps it was still a blessing in disguise. If got out of hand, many many more will probably died instead of just students in tiannamen square. So wake up fellow hongkie san.

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