This Day in 1989: February 4, Prominent Intellectuals Party for New Year

In the afternoon of February 4, 1989, dozens of prominent intellectuals and entrepreneurs attended a "New Year Party of Famous People in the Capital" (首都名人名家新春联谊会). Among the attendees who gave speeches are Fang Lizhi, Tang Yijie, Xu Lianying, and Chen Jun.

Fang Lizhi stated in his speech that Chinese intellectuals should form its own interest group to exert pressure on the government. He also emphasized that his focus is on human rights.


This Day in 1989

People of 1989: Xu Liangying (许良英)

Born in 1920, Xu Liangying spent his formative years during various wars. While he was enthusiastically devoting himself to the efforts of Communist revolution, he nonetheless kept up with his studies and became a well trained physicist and historian. In 1957, he quickly fallen victim to the "Anti-Rightists" movement and was expelled from a university job to his hometown for farm labor. It was in those dark years he managed to translate the entire Collected Works of Albert Einstein from English. The Chinese version was published in 1976, at the end of the Culture Revolution and became an instant sensation.

Near the end of 1986, Xu Liangying, along with Liu Binyan and Fang Lizhi, called for an open symposium in remembrance of the 30-year anniversary of the "Anti-Rightists" movement. After the eruption of a student movement, Fang Lizhi, Liu Binyan, and Wang Ruowang were expelled from the Party. Xu Liangying avoided that fate only by a mistaken identity in the official report. Undeterred, he turned himself in to the authority as a protest.

In 1988, Xu Liangying became an active supporter and participant in the "Democracy Salon" organized by Liu Gang at Peking University. He was also very close to active students such as Wang Dan.

In early 1989, shortly after Fang Lizhi published his open letter to Deng Xiaoping, Xu Liangying organized many scientists and educators to co-sign a supporting open letter. However, he did not actively participating in the ensuring student movement, partly due to his heart conditions. Nonetheless, he was closely monitored by authorities during the entire movement. He refused to escape abroad after the massacre and stayed in Beijing, making every effort to help victims such as Fang Zheng.

Xu Liangying passed away in Beijing on January 28, 2013. He was 93.


People 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

Xu Liangying Awarded 2008 APS Sakharov Prize

Xu Liangying (许良英) is an outspoken scientist in China. He is best known in China for translating and publishing the entire set of Einstein's Works. He was profiled in the New York Times two years ago as "Einstein's Man in Beijing: A Rebel With a Cause".

This month, he was awarded the 2008 Andrei Sakharov Prize by the American Physical Society "For a lifetime’s advocacy of truth, democracy and human rights -- despite surveillance and house arrest, harassment and threats, even banishment -- through his writings, and publicly speaking his mind."

Xu Liangying first got himself in political trouble in 1957, when he was declared an "extreme rightist" for his outspokenness. It was not until late 1970s when he managed to publish his translations of Einstein's works and his own research of Einstein's philosophy.

In late 1986, Xu Liangying had teamed up with Professor Fang Lizhi (方励之) and Liu Binyan (刘宾雁) to organize a conference revisiting that "anti-rightists" campaign on its thirtieth anniversary. Deng Xiaoping did not appreciate that idea, since Deng himself had spearheaded the campaign. After the wide-spread student movements in South China that year, Deng decided to purge Fang Lizhi, Liu Binyan, and Wang Ruowang (王若望). It was widely believed that Deng had mistaken Wang for Xu Liangying.

Xu Liangying was not deterred. In 1988, he was an adviser and guest speaker in Liu Gang's "Democratic Salon" in Beida. In early 1989, when Fang Lizhi published the open letter to Deng Xiaoping appealing for the release of Wei Jingshen, it was Xu Liangying who first responded with a letter of his own, co-signed by more than forty prominent intellectuals, to support Fang.

According to the New York Times profile, Xu Liangying suffered a heart attack during the heated period of the 1989 student movement and therefore could not join any of the demonstrations.