The Tank's Secret: A Commentary on He Xiaoqing's (Rowena) Oral History "Tiananmen Exiles: Voices of the Struggle for Democracy in China" (Tiananmen Exiles: Voices of the Struggle for Democracy in China)

tank secret

——Comment on He Xiaoqing's (Rowena) oral history "Tiananmen Exiles: Voices of the Struggle for Democracy in China" (Tiananmen Exiles: Voices of the Struggle for Democracy in China)

In the early morning of June 3, 1989, outside the Chinese Revolution Memorial Hall in Beijing, Hong Kong student Liane did not stop a boy. Half an hour later, she saw the boy being carried over in front of her, covered in blood. Li Lanju passed out. When she regained consciousness, she was put into an ambulance. Li Lanju refused to get into the ambulance, feeling that the injured person needed it more than she did. A second ambulance came, but she still refused to get into the ambulance. At this time, a middle-aged female doctor stepped out of the car and said to her in English: "Son, we need you to return to Hong Kong safely. We need you to leave alive and tell the world what our government has done to us tonight. (Child, we need you to return to HongKong safely. We need you to leave alive to tell the world what our government did to us tonight.)”

This is a story recorded at the beginning of He, Rowena Xiaoqing's oral history "Tiananmen Exiles: Voices of the Struggle for Democracy in China" (Tiananmen Exiles: Voices of the Struggle for Democracy in China).

What happened in China that night? What did that night mean to China? Perhaps this is exactly what the oral history of "Tiananmen Exile: Voices of China's Democracy Struggle" is trying to tell the world.

1

To understand China in 1989, and China today, there is a shortcut to compare the history of the former socialist country Czechoslovakia. Some striking similarities can be found in the histories of these two distant socialist countries.

"I was 20 years old in 1956. That was a famous moment of deciphering, the first general collapse of people's hallucinations and the first reconstruction of hallucinations in a more or less 'corrected' way. Historically speaking, It was a charming time: in our part of the world, revolving lights of hopes and disappointments, far-fetched remedies and reckonings, reconstruction ideals and betrayals, first emerged. Those beautiful dialectics of truth and lies Rhetoric, in society and in people's minds, began to slip, and the veiled truths and tampered hopes that are so familiar to us today, began to burst into view."

In December 1976, in the postscript "Second Breath" to "The Script Collection 1970-1976", 40-year-old Vaclav Havel recalled the years he experienced when he was 20 years old. When he was 20 years old, in February 1956, the Twentieth Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was held. At this meeting, Khrushchev made a report "On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences" (the "Secret Report"), which fundamentally denied Stalin. This was an earthquake for all the socialist countries at that time In Czechoslovakia, a socialist country attached to the Soviet Union at the time, it seemed even more so, "for the first time the hallucinations of the people generally collapsed". The next twelve years were described by the absurdist dramatist and dissident Havel An important age of Check proposed reforms, but this wave of reforms was soon destroyed by Soviet tanks, which occupied the Czech Republic overnight on August 20, 1968. Since then, a more conservative, repressive, mediocre The regime replaced a more liberal and open regime. The Czech Republic entered a "grey era of pure utilitarianism".

If the time is pushed back a little, the 12 years (1956-1968) experienced by the young Havel are somewhat similar to the 12 years (1978-1989) in China in the 1980s - that is also a "deciphering" and "illusion" In the era of collapse”, the “covered up truth and tampered hope that are so familiar to us today” began to rush into people’s field of vision: Political movements such as the Cultural Revolution have been more or less "remedied and reckoned". On the other hand, starting from the "Tiananmen Incident on April 5th" in 1976, criticizing "two whatevers" and "emancipating the mind and seeking truth from facts", China's political environment has become increasingly relaxed. Although there have also been political criticisms such as "clearing spiritual pollution" and "anti-bourgeois liberalization", they have no longer developed into large-scale political movements and political persecution as before. Almost all Chinese are thinking and debating: China where is the problem? Where is China's future heading? The depth and breadth of people's thinking at that time can be seen only from the books that were popular at the time, such as "Towards the Future Series", "Towards the World" series, "Western Modern Thought Series", "Twentieth Century Library", "Twenty Books such as "Century Foreign Literature Series" cover almost all fields of literature, philosophy, politics, society, history, etc. "There is no forbidden area for reading", which has become the greatest happiness of people in that era.

At the same time, with the rise of literary trends such as scar literature, hazy poetry, experimental drama, reform literature, modern novels, and avant-garde literature, “people” themselves became the center of literary creation after 1949 for the first time. Similar to the absurdist dramas that Havel was keen on based on existentialism, Sartre, Nietzsche and their "people" existentialism became the "spiritual first love" of young people in that era. In this regard, Liu Mingjiu, the editor of "Sartre Studies", explained: "The 1980s was an era of self-choice for the Chinese people, and many people were thinking about their own values and life paths. The core of Sartre's 'existentialism' It is precisely because of the emphasis on 'self-selection' that this concept just fits the subjective needs of the generation at that time, especially the release of many young people's venting of such emotions." Along with the thinking and awakening of "people", it is the youth People's concern and thinking about reality, their pursuit and yearning for "freedom" and "democracy". This is a time of bravery and optimism, and there is reason to be hopeful for the future. In September 1986, the Central Political System Reform Research Group was established, which almost made people smell the atmosphere of "democracy" and "freedom", but all this came to an abrupt end on June 4, 1989. Like the Czech Republic in 1968, it happened overnight. The time came to an abrupt end, and from then on, China entered the 1990s, a "grey era of pure utilitarianism". The passions and dreams, freedom and democracy of the 1980s were almost instantly crushed by tanks and became a secret.

2

How to face the secrets of tank building? How to face the post-totalitarian society after the tank? The secret formula given by Havel, who has lived in a post-totalitarian society for a long time, is to "live in reality", which is the greatest power of the powerless. Because the highest principle of post-totalitarian society is "stability", and the basic conditions for its operation are "fear" and "lie". "Pervasive, omnipresent fear creates pervasive, omnipresent lies." How to break a society that relies on "fear" and "lie"? Javier's answer is "live in reality".

"Living in reality" is the greatest gain that He Xiaoqing's oral history "Tiananmen in Exile: Voices of China's Democracy Resistance" can give us.

In this oral history, He Xiaoqing records the stories of three people, Yi Danxuan, Shen Tong and Wang Dan, as well as He Xiaoqing's own story in the form of interviews. If these four people have anything in common, it is that they belong to the "eighth" The 9" generation, whose life trajectories were changed by the "June 4th" incident, embarked on the road of exile or self-imposed exile.

"Why did you do 'June 4th'?" This may be the most common question He Xiaoqing encounters. In 1989, He Xiaoqing was only a high school student. He did not go to Beijing, nor was he a student leader at the time. He just participated in the parade just like many students back then. However, why did she choose to self-exile many years later, go to Canada alone to start anew, study for a master's degree and a doctorate, then go to Harvard as a postdoctoral fellow, and finally set up the "Tiananmen Incident" course at Harvard University? Why has she been unable to let go of "June 4th" for 25 years and spent ten years completing this serious academic book? He Xiaoqing first used a chapter to tell his own story, how from "Xiaoqing", which his father hoped to mean "break dawn" and "Qingming", to become "Rowena": a determination to tell the truth The one who discovers secrets. All of this is so natural and so unbelievable, but she did it - so, there is the Harvard University course on "History and Memory of Tiananmen Square"; thus, there is this book. This is a book that focuses on "Tiananmen Exiles".

Although the title of the book is "Tiananmen Exile", in fact the protagonists of this book are not just the students in Tiananmen Square, but an entire generation in China, an entire generation who grew up in the 1980s. This generation, somewhat like Javier, a 20-year-old student in 1956, went through "a period of progress, heroic self-confidence and relative bravery and optimism." Although most of them were born before the "Cultural Revolution", they grew up after the "Cultural Revolution" and read in the 1980s when their ideology and culture were flourishing; they were vigorous, free and romantic; they read, thought, and argued; they were ideal, passionate, and optimistic . They care not only about the fate of people, but also the fate of the entire country and society. That's what characterizes that generation. This is easily found in He Xiaoqing's interviews with three exiles, Yi Danxuan, Shen Tong and Wang Dan: whether it is social politics or personal life, they all have their own independent thinking. The difference is that when the tank ran over the ideal, Javier was 32 years old; and most of these Chinese students were only about 20 years old, which seems to be destined for them to experience more and more complicated, and also destined to become China's "missing people". . Find them and their "secrets", maybe we can understand today's China.

What kind of experiences and secrets do the "89" generation have? In the four protagonists in "Tiananmen Exile", we can see the epitome of the "1989" generation: although they experienced the Cultural Revolution, unlike their parents, the experience of the Cultural Revolution left them more confusion rather than trauma; and the family background of intellectuals better provides them with an environment for independent thinking. Without exception, whether it is Shen Tong and Wang Dan in Beijing, or Yi Danxuan and He Xiaoqing in Guangzhou, they all came from intellectual families and have always been outstanding students in the school. It is easy to find the spirit of the 1980s in them. Brand: independence, ideal and thinking. This may be doomed to their future life trajectory: from the beginning of the favored sons to exiles, the "Tiananmen Incident" in 1989 has become a turning point in their lives and a brand that will never disappear.

The difference is that each exile has his own story: Unlike Shen Tong and Wang Dan, who were students in Beijing, Yi Danxuan was a student in a college in Guangdong in 1989. He was first arrested and imprisoned, and later She had no choice but to come to the United States to complete her studies, but was unable to return to China; unlike Yi Danxuan and Wang Dan who were immediately arrested and imprisoned, Shen Tong was the only one who went to the United States to study without going to jail; unlike Yi Danxuan and Shen Tong The thing is, Wang Dan is almost synonymous with this student movement and has been imprisoned twice. In the end, however, they became exiles and had to complete their studies in the United States and continue their lives in the United States. Unlike the three of them, He Xiaoqing chose to go into exile voluntarily. In fact, over the years, He Xiaoqing has interviewed far more than these three people. In the book, you can also see many figures of exiles who cannot be represented. This may be the common destiny of their generation: the trauma of June 4 destined them to stay away and become "exiles," either physically or mentally. How do they view their life and future after exile? Everyone has their own thinking. In He Xiaoqing's interview, it seems that the answer can be found, but there seems to be no answer. Because in China in the 1980s, it all seemed natural, but today it seems so incredible. But, everything happened, and it just happened. Whether it is the melancholy and introverted Yi Danxuan, or the controversial Shen Tong, or the eye-catching Wang Dan, or He Xiaoqing, who is trying to find secrets from their mouths, or more exiles and people who cannot be presented. The "89" generation is like the title of Nietzsche's book: "Human, everything is too human". In the book, He Xiaoqing asked, "Why did you participate in the 'June 4th' in 1989?" Wang Dan replied, "I think it is human nature to pursue a free life. When a social movement like the June 4th occurs, it easily inspires people Yearning for freedom (I think it is human nature to prefer to live in a free environment. When a social movement like June 4 happens, it triggers people's longing for freedom.)" I think, if that era or "Eight or Nine" What is the secret of a generation, the secret is here: the yearning for freedom in human nature.

3

When watching "Tiananmen Exile", Taiwanese college students occupied the Legislative Yuan because they were dissatisfied with the service trade agreement. Two days later, a short article written by Chen Jiaming, an adjunct teacher at National Taiwan University and an assistant researcher at the Center for Human and Social Affairs of the Academia Sinica, was circulated on the Internet. The article recounted that on his way to the Legislative Yuan by taxi, he was met with cynicism by the driver, "What shocked me was not that he said any support for the service trade. It was his defeatism, cynicism, and nihilistic criticism. He completely Without a position, it is to give up on oneself, to be cynical about all efforts." Then, he suddenly understood why there were only students and young people on the scene, and no adults. This also made me suddenly realize why there are young people like the "89" generation. As scholar Hu Ping said in the preface of Wang Dan's "Memoirs of Wang Dan": "Unlike their father and brother, Wang Dan's generation of young people did not frighten, but grew up."

Yes, from this perspective, this generation is the luckiest again. They do not have as much suffering and trauma as their fathers did, nor do they have a generation that grew up with "pervasive and pervasive lies" since then. As a scholar who studies the history of "June 4th" and a member of the "1989" generation, He Xiaoqing has many wonderful analyses of their generation and that era, of which the most shocking is his analysis of "89" Subsequent analysis - "Distorted Patriotism" paragraph: "In the post-Tiananmen era, Chinese education has shifted from a Marxist-socialist orientation to a nationalist patriotic education. From kindergarten to university, schools at all levels put their Classrooms become forums for patriotic education."

According to a survey of second-year high school students in a certain school, "What I Know About the Cultural Revolution", among the 536 students, 12% thought they knew more about the Cultural Revolution, and 15% knew the beginning and end of the Cultural Revolution accurately. . The main channels for learning about the Cultural Revolution are film and television dramas and the middle school history textbooks I just learned. The most typical event of the Chinese Revolution in the minds of 24% of the students is "connection", and 15% of the students think it is "no money for food". Although 75% of the classmates knew the term "going to the mountains and going to the countryside", 95% of them didn't know what was going on. 18% of the students felt different degrees of regret for not catching up with the Cultural Revolution. In the end, 38% of the students said that they did not have time to understand the ins and outs of the Cultural Revolution, and 11% of the students said, "Let it pass if it has passed."

If a similar investigation was conducted on the "June 4 Incident as I know it", what would the result be? I have personally heard people ask more than once: "I heard that there are tanks, is that a rumor?!" Some people even asked aggressively: "How do you prove that there are tanks?" Of course, more young people heard about this, I can't be sure: "It seems like there was a riot." If it is said that the people of the generation before "1989" were frightened, and the "1989" generation grew up, then those who received "patriotic education" after "1989" Can the generation be said to be deceived?

25 years have passed since the 1989 Tank Secret. As Havel said, "maintaining stability" has become the highest principle of this society. "The pervasive and ubiquitous fear creates pervasive and ubiquitous lies." Looking at the news, there are frequent social events, and the bottom line of public morality is constantly being challenged. What is the problem? In April 1975, the open letter of the dissident Havel to the then Czech President and General Secretary of the Czech Communist Party Husak. In the letter, Havel pointed out: "After the castration of this culture today, what a profound intellectual and moral impotence this nation will endure tomorrow." Then, Havel added: "The basic condition for improving the quality of life is Keeping its hidden secrets clear."

This is the greatest significance of He Xiaoqing's oral history "Tiananmen Exiles" - it not only proves the existence of tanks, but also reveals the secrets of tanks. In the book, you can not only see the exiled generation and their glory and dreams, but also see a history and secrets of the exiled history. This is not only the "basic condition" to improve our lives, but also the greatest power against the powerless in the post-totalitarian era. In the interview, both Wang Dan and Shen Tong mentioned this power, which is "living in reality". It will eventually repel "fear" and "lie".

4

For 25 years, Li Lanju, a Hong Kong student rescued by Beijing citizens, has always insisted on telling the truth on various occasions. In a 1997 magazine photo, she was standing alone in front of a group of Chinese students who welcomed Jiang Zemin to Harvard University, but they were furious at Li Lanju, shouting at her, "You are a liar."

He Xiaoqing said that this photo always reminded her of the iconic June 4th "Tankman" photo -- the photo of the "unknown protester" standing alone against a tank in Tiananmen Square on June 5, 1989 . "She is alone, but she is powerful."