May 11, 1989 was a subtle turning point in the student movement. At the time, most student in the city had thought that the movement was already over. Classes had resumed everywhere except for Peking University and Beijing Normal University. Even at those two schools, many were expressing the need to resume classes.
The government had adopted a much more conciliatory tone in its handling of the movement. The harsh language in the April 26 People's Daily editorial had disappeared. Officials from General Secretary Zhao Ziyang, Premier Li Peng, on down were visiting factories and institutes to conduct dialogues with the masses. However, despite daily inquiries by the students' Dialogue Delegation, nobody had come in official contact with students. Most notably, Hu Qili held a dialogue with the petitioning young reporters and promised more press freedom.
On this day in 1989, posters were appearing at Peking University calling for a hunger strike. It mentioned that the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was scheduled for a state visit in a few days, great timing for launching a dramatic action.
In the afternoon, the Beijing Students Autonomous Federation had a meeting. Tempers flared on the issue of hunger strike. Wang Chaohua, Liang Qingdun, and other leaders rejected the tactic while Ma Shaofang strongly advocated it. Eventually, the Federation reached a resolution that they would not launch any significant action in near future but rather hold a "wait and see" position on evaluating the government's next move.
After the heated meeting, Wang Dan, Wuer Kaixi, Ma Shaofang, Cheng Zhen, Wang Zhaohui, Wang Wen gathered in a small restaurant by the campus of Peking University. They were not happy with the Federation's stance and decided to launch the hunger strike on their own.
On that same day, Chai Ling also appeared to have reached the same conclusion after talking to her friends in the "authors class" at Peking University. She came back to her husband Feng Congde and was very happy about the decision. In a joking mode, she told him that they could sneak in bread. It would be a symbolic gesture, not that serious.
Days of 1989
Showing posts with label Liang Qingdun (梁擎墩). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Liang Qingdun (梁擎墩). Show all posts
Monday, May 11, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Place of 1989: Beijing Normal University
The precursor of Beijing Normal University was established near the turn of last century with a declared purpose of educating future teachers. As an old institute that shared the same ancestor and tradition with the older Peking University, Beijing Normal University had seen her own share of student movement in the troubled history of modern China. Most significantly for this school, three of her students were killed in a peaceful demonstration on March 18, 1926, which was remembered as the "March 18 Massacre."
That historical event was commemorated on campus with an elegant statue, a landmark where more recent students gathered for their own demonstrations.
During the 1980s, Beijing Normal University was a relatively tranquil place and not known for her student activism. Until 1989, that was.
In the very early days of the 1989 student movement, Wuer Kaixi, an undergraduate student from this school, stood up and demonstrated his ample leadership skills. He would become known as the most charismatic leader throughout the movement, even after his own mistakes had led to his banishment from the student leadership. Surrounding him, other students from this small school, such as Cheng Zhen (程真) and Liang Qingdun (梁擎墩), also played important leadership roles in the movement.
Student leader Chai Ling was also a graduate student at Beijing Normal University during the movement time. But she lived and participated in her undergraduate alma mater, Peking University, instead.
At the late stage of the movement, it was a young professor from this school, Liu Xiaobo, who became a focal point. Together with Gao Xin (高新), the editor of the school's newspaper, Liu Xiaobo launched a hunger strike of his own. In the fateful early morning of June 6, 1989, it was the voice of these older intellectuals that helped persuade students into their final withdraw from Tiananmen Square.
That historical event was commemorated on campus with an elegant statue, a landmark where more recent students gathered for their own demonstrations.
During the 1980s, Beijing Normal University was a relatively tranquil place and not known for her student activism. Until 1989, that was.
In the very early days of the 1989 student movement, Wuer Kaixi, an undergraduate student from this school, stood up and demonstrated his ample leadership skills. He would become known as the most charismatic leader throughout the movement, even after his own mistakes had led to his banishment from the student leadership. Surrounding him, other students from this small school, such as Cheng Zhen (程真) and Liang Qingdun (梁擎墩), also played important leadership roles in the movement.
Student leader Chai Ling was also a graduate student at Beijing Normal University during the movement time. But she lived and participated in her undergraduate alma mater, Peking University, instead.
At the late stage of the movement, it was a young professor from this school, Liu Xiaobo, who became a focal point. Together with Gao Xin (高新), the editor of the school's newspaper, Liu Xiaobo launched a hunger strike of his own. In the fateful early morning of June 6, 1989, it was the voice of these older intellectuals that helped persuade students into their final withdraw from Tiananmen Square.
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