This Day in 1989: January 27, 1991: Wang Dan, Guo Haifeng, et al Sentenced; Liu Xiaobo, Xiong Yan, et al Released

On January 27, 1991, Beijing Intermediate People's Court handed down a series of sentences to 1989 movement leaders:

1. Ren Wanding: 7 years
2. Bao Zunxin: 5 years
3. Wang Dan: 4 years
4. Guo Haifeng: 4 years
5. Yao Junling: 2 years

While another group of leaders were released without prison terms:

1. Liu Xiaobo
2. Chen Lai
3. Li Chenghuan
4. Liu Suli
5. Lv Jiamin
6. Xiong Yan
7. Chen Bo
8. Wen Jie
9. Ding Xiaoping

Days of 1989

Pictures of 1989: Bao Zunxin Speaks at Democracy Salon on May 12, 1989

Bao Zunxin (Standing, on the right) speaks at Democracy Salon at Peking University. The other standing one is Wang Dan.

Pictures of 1989

This Day in 1989: Fang Lizhi Speaks Up in a Salon

In the evening of January 28, 1989, the magazine New Enlightenment hosted a salon in a small bookstore in Beijing. Many active intellectuals, including Wang Yuanhua, Wang Ruoshui, Li Hongling, Wu Guoguang, Su Shaozhi, Hu Jiwei, Bao Zunxin, Jin Guantao, Yu Haocheng, attended the meeting, along with many foreign reporters.

Several intellectuals gave brief speeches on the current affairs. But the highlight of the night was the sudden appearance of Fang Lizhi, who was not even invited. Nonetheless, he was received by a round of warm applause. Fang Lizhi briefed the audience on his recent letter to Deng Xiaoping calling for an amnesty for political prisoners, insisting that the issue of human rights must be raised. Moreover, he proclaimed, "In the past, I have always encouraged people to join the Party and reform it from within. But now I have fully realized that it is not enough. We must also take action from outside of the system. We must force the issue in any way we can."

The audience was stunned into silence. The host hastily pronounced that the meeting is over.

Days of 1989

Document of 1989: 42 Scientists and Educators Open Letter

On February 20, 1989, 42 prominent scientists and educators in Beijing co-signed an open letter to the nation's top leadership calling for democracy. This is the third such letter following those of Fang Lizhi and 33 writers. This letter is relatively lengthy and detailed. As with the other letters, it called for the release of political prisoners but stopped short of calling for an amnesty. It also did not mention Wei Jingsheng's name.

Open Letter to Party Central Leaders from Beijing Science and Education Community


General Secretary Zhao Ziyang,
Chairman Wan Li,
President Li Xiannian,
Premier Li Peng,
and
Party Central,
NPC Standing Committee
CPPCC National Committee
State Council,


Since the 3rd Plenary Session of the 11th Party Congress, Our nation's modernization efforts, led by liberation of thoughts and guided by the openness and reform policies, have achieved world-renowned successes. Although some complications and mistakes have appeared, the overall direction of the development is in accord to people's will and the world historical trend. This decade has indeed been the best period since the founding of our nation. Today, however, the reform has encountered serious obstacles in its path: rampant corruption and graft, runaway inflation, deteriorating morale, serious crises in education, science, and culture. Chinese intellectuals with its tradition of taking up the responsibilities of the nation's survival cannot help but to worry deeply. For the purpose of preventing a premature death of the modernization efforts, we, old and middle-aged intellectuals who have worked at the frontiers of research, education, and culture, with our sense of social responsibilities for our nation and people and with our loyal and patriotic soul, sincerely suggest the following:

(A) In the context of openness and reform, the reform of the political system, i.e., the democratization of politics, need to be conducted with the economic reform. This is because that the experiences in world history and the realities in China show us that the democratization of politics (including rule by law) is the necessary guarantee for the economic reform and the entire modernization endeavor. Only with democratization people will be able to fully unleash their initiative and enthusiasm. They will be willing to share the burden of the unavoidable difficulties in the process of reform. With the collective mind and force of the people, no difficulties couldn't be overcome. Also, with market economy, only with democratization and under the supervision of the people and media we could have a "clean" government. In contrary, a government without people's supervision cannot stop corruption. This is a well-known law of history.

(B) The first necessity of political democratization is to effectively guanranttee citizens' basic rights in the Constitution, especially the guarantee of citizens rights of free expression, free press and publication. Only when people can freely express their thoughts, dissenting opinions can be published openly, and criticisms against leaders not be punished that we can achieve an active, comfortable, and harmonic society and that the democratic senses of citizens can be releashed. This is the only reliable guarantee to stability and unity, with which reform can continue smoothly.

(C) To prevent any repeat of historical tragedies of incriminating the publication of dissenting opeinions, please see to that all youths sentenced or detained because of crimes of thoughts be released. No longer incriminating thoughts will open up a new era for the politics of our nation.

(D) Government must provide necessary supports to the education and science endeavors that are critical in deciding the nation's future but do not yield direct economic benefits. It must do all it can to increase funding for scientific research, especially those in fundamental sciences, enhance the living conditions of all intellectuals so they don't face hardships. Right now, a few first-rated professors are already applying for hardship aids. Recently, a 78-year-old senior engineer jumped to his death because he couldn't afford to live. This obviously damages the modernization efforts and also the image of our nation.

If the above suggestions could be adopted, it would be a grand fortune of our nation and people. The concepts of democracy and science spearheaded by the pioneers of the May Fourth Movement 70 years ago would truly bloosom in the vast lands of China. It would also bring a celebratory atmosphere to the 40th anniversary of our nation's founding.

Sincerely,

Qian Linzhao, Wang Ganchan, Shi Yalang, Xu Liangying, Guo Xingguang, Xue Yugu, Ye Wuzheng, Huang Zongchen, Hu Shihua, Zhu Zhaoxian, Zhou Mingzheng, Xu Guozhi, Jiang Lijin, Sun Keding, Wang Rong, Liu Yuanzhang, Mao yuShi, Hu Jimin, Yan Rengeng, Zhang Yisan, Du Yuji, Yu Haocheng, Zhang Xianyang, Li Hongling, Bao Zunxin, Liu Shengji, shao Yanxiang, Wu Zuguang, Wang Laidi, Gu Zhihui, Ge Ge, Liu Liao, Zhang Zhaoqing, Liang Xiaoguang, Zhang Conghua, Hou Meiying, Wu Guozheng, Cai Shidong, Cao Zhunxi, Xiao Shuxi, Zhou Liquang, Liang Zhixue

(For the Chinese names of the signatories, please view the original version here.)

Documents of 1989

This Day in 1989: May 23, Mao's Portrait Defaced

On May 23, 1989, Wang Juntao put his vision of a new movement leadership into motion by rounding up all existing leaders and put them into a large conference room at the Institute of Marxism, Leninism, and Mao Zedong Thought a couple miles off Tiananmen Square. There, they formed a new coordination group that became known as the Joint Conference. Bao Zunxin was selected as the nominal leader but it was clear that Wang Juntao was running the show.

Among the many decisions they made to consolidate power and impose order to the chaotic occupation of Tiananmen Square, the most critical one was to endorse the provisional headquarters formed the day before and formally chastised it as the Headquarters for Defending Tiananmen Square. Chai Ling and her lieutenants remained as the leaders of the new headquarters, much to the dismay of Liu Gang and others who resented her leadership styles.

It was also a hot day at the Square, as massive demonstrations continued. In the early afternoon, three men at the base of Tiananmen threw plastic shells filled with paint onto the giant portrait of Mao Zedong and left a few visible stains on the holy picture. Students, suspecting it as a government conspiracy act, detained the three men immediately. With most of their leaders absent from the scene, students made a quick decision to hand the three to police.

The three men, Yu Zhijian (余志坚), Yu Dongxiao (喻东晓), and Lu Decheng (鲁德成), turned out not to be government agents but from Mao Zedong's home Hunan Province. They were a teacher, a local newspaper art editor, and a truck driver, respectively. For their act of defacing the portrait, Yu Zhijian received a life sentence, Yu Dongxiao 20 years, and Lu Decheng 16 years in jail.

Shortly after the defacing incident, a severe thunderstorm mixed with sand and hail belted the Tiananmen Square.

Also on this day, Wan Li, the chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, cut short of his state visit in North America and returned to China. Wang Juntao, Hu Jiwei, and others had high hopes for Wan Li to open an emergency meeting of his committee to reevaluate the martial law. But Wan Li did not make it all the way to Beijing. He stopped, or was stopped, at Shanghai "for health reasons."


Days of 1989

This Day in 1989: May 17, Millions March to Support Student, Targeting Deng Xiaoping

When the students launched their hunger strike at Tiananmen Square five days ago, they had dreamed that their suffering could wake up the consciousness in the general populace and make their appeal for democracy directly to the people. On this day of May 17, 1989, their efforts appeared to be paying off.

From the early morning and throughout the entire day, people marched, paraded, and come to the Square every which way they could. There were millions and millions of residents, workers, journalists, famous TV personalities, office dwellers, intellectuals, and even some monks. Indeed, the entire city of Beijing came out, and they were all in support of the students whose lives and health were under increasing danger.

The Party General Secretary Zhao Ziyang released a written statement appealing for students to stop the hunger strike. He promised not to punish anyone involved. But he did not address the students' demand either.

Most other organizations within the government apparatus were releasing open statements of their own. Their tones were increasingly siding with the students with appeals to the government to resolve the crisis immediately and humanly. In the meanwhile, Yan Jiaqi and Bao Zunxin continued their assault on Deng Xiaoping personally. Posters denouncing Deng Xiaoping started to show up in Tiananmen Square.

On this fifth day of hunger strike, there were now more than 2,000 hunger strikers in their camp, many had joined in the last couple of days. Many earlier hunger strikers had fainted or collapsed many times and were taken to hospitals in ambulances. Some of them quietly ended their hunger strike while at hospital, but many returned after receiving IV fluid treatment and nutrition. Accusations of cheating within hunger strikers were also rampant.

At the newly formed Hunger Strike Headquarters, Chai Ling, Li Lu, and other leaders were trying to find an exit strategy of their own. They had proposed that any hunger striker who was taken to hospitals should not be allowed to return. As soon as the last striker fainted and taken away, they would reach the end of the hunger strike. The strategy, however, was a non-starter as more and more new people were joining in the hunger strike every day. More emotional students were refusing water and talking about self-immolation to raise the stake. The movement was tittering on the edge of losing control.


Days of 1989

This Day in 1989: May 12, the Launching of Hunger Strike

On May 12, 1989, Wang Dan hosted his Democracy Salon as usual, the guest speaker is Bao Zunxin. It turned out that this was to be the last time this Salon would ever be held.

Wang Dan and Chai Ling got together on this day to launch a hunger strike. The reaction was lukewarm at first. Most students including both the Beijing Students Autonomous Federation and the Preparatory Committee at Peking University were against the idea. Only dozens signed up during the day.

That changed in the evening when Chai Ling made an impromptu and passionate speech on her personal motivation. She inspired many more to join the ranks of hunger strike and persuaded even more to support their cause.

See an excerpt of my book on how the hunger strike decision was made and gained momentum on this day twenty years ago.

With the hunger strike materializing ahead of the state visit of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, the government finally showed its first sign of willingness to deal directly with the students. The Dialogue Delegation was contacted after midnight for a potential dialogue with the government.


Days of 1989

This Day in 1989: May 10, Students Launch Bicycle Rally

The public petition and protest by young journalists continued to receive attention just as the student movement itself was in a somewhat hiatus. On May 10, 1989, several official newspapers, including the flagship People's Daily, reported the news of petition. In this morning, tens of thousands of college students rode through the city in their bicycles in an unusual form of demonstration to show their support and solidarity with the journalists.

Many famous authors in Beijing also participated in the demonstration on this day, a first for the normally dormant community. Zheng Yi was busy organizing his fellow intellectuals. At People's University that evening, Dai Qing and Bao Zunxin delivered rousing speeches in praise of the students demonstration on April 27.

Within the government, the Chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee Wan Li announced that a regular meeting of his committee will commerce on June 20. The agenda of that meeting would include a hearing on the student demonstration and class strike as well as an evaluation of a draft demonstration law.


Days of 1989