Introduction
“China is not far!” 35 years Fall of the Wall - 35 years Tiananmen
Two countries, two paths: 35 years ago, the Berlin Wall was torn down peacefully; 35 years ago, the protest movement in China was brutally suppressed.
“China is not far!” explores the connections between the Peaceful Revolution in East Germany and the events at Tiananmen Square in Beijing in June 1989. For the first time in Germany, a traveling exhibition sheds light on the Chinese pro-democracy movement, its brutal suppression, and the impact it had on opposition movements in the GDR — as well as the legacy of dissent and democratic resistance in China today.
The multimedia exhibition project offers new insights into the often-overlooked international dimension of the protests against communist tyranny. Through eyewitness accounts, original artifacts from Tiananmen Square, film footage, photographs, and documents — some of them published for the first time — the exhibition brings this global context to light.
The web story “China is not far!” is the exhibition’s digital companion, taking you on a multimedia journey through time to the heart of the democratic protests in China and the GDR. Discover more about the Chinese democracy movement, its violent suppression, and the impact these events had on the Peaceful Revolution in East Germany.
For more information about the traveling exhibition, go to the chapter “The Project.” To continue exploring the web story, simply scroll down.
If you’re viewing the web documentary on a mobile device and some horizontal background images are not fully visible, please rotate your screen to landscape mode.
“China is not far!” explores the connections between the Peaceful Revolution in East Germany and the events at Tiananmen Square in Beijing in June 1989. For the first time in Germany, a traveling exhibition sheds light on the Chinese pro-democracy movement, its brutal suppression, and the impact it had on opposition movements in the GDR — as well as the legacy of dissent and democratic resistance in China today.
The multimedia exhibition project offers new insights into the often-overlooked international dimension of the protests against communist tyranny. Through eyewitness accounts, original artifacts from Tiananmen Square, film footage, photographs, and documents — some of them published for the first time — the exhibition brings this global context to light.
The web story “China is not far!” is the exhibition’s digital companion, taking you on a multimedia journey through time to the heart of the democratic protests in China and the GDR. Discover more about the Chinese democracy movement, its violent suppression, and the impact these events had on the Peaceful Revolution in East Germany.
For more information about the traveling exhibition, go to the chapter “The Project.” To continue exploring the web story, simply scroll down.
If you’re viewing the web documentary on a mobile device and some horizontal background images are not fully visible, please rotate your screen to landscape mode.
Chronologie DDR
„Chinese Solution“Protests in the GDR against the suppression of the Tiananmen uprising
The GDR leadership endorsed the crackdown against the pro-democracy movement in China on the night of 3 to 4 June 1989. They referred to the peaceful protests at Tiananmen Square in Beijing as “counter-revolutionary riots.” The stance of the SED regime sparked fears among many oppositionists in the GDR of a “Chinese solution”. Nevertheless, they protested in various ways against the brutal actions in China. They wrote open protest letters to the Chinese ambassador and the GDR government, organized mourning and solidarity church services (“fasting drum circles”), and held demonstrations.The protests were not confined to Berlin. Opposition groups also used the church convention of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Saxony in Leipzig to draw attention to the events in Beijing.The People’s Police and State Security forces cracked down hard on the protests. They repeatedly arrested participants in various actions and broke up demonstrations using physical force. However, unlike in China, no shots were fired at the demonstrators during the break-up of the demonstrations by the Stasi and People’s Police, despite the use of physical violence. The feared “Chinese solution” by the opposition did not materialize.
Archiv Bürgerbewegung Leipzig / Karin Wieckhorst_Foto 035-001-056
Archiv Bürgerbewegung Leipzig / Karin Wieckhorst_Foto 035-001-056
4 June 1989 BBC Live Report Shocks
A BBC reporter was live at Tiananmen Square, broadcasting shocking images of injured and shot demonstrators. The ARD’s “Tagesschau” also provided detailed reports on the crackdown against the protests and the fatalities.
BBC
BBC
5 June 1989Opposition Reacts with Dismay
The opposition group “Weißensee Peace Circle,” which included our contemporary witness Evelyn Zupke in 1989, along with other opposition members, reacted with dismay to reports of the bloody suppression of the uprising at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. However, the opposition remained convinced that communist regimes would fail if democratization is not allowed, even in the face of violence.
Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft
Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft
6 June 1989 Protest Letter Delivery Violently Prevented
On 6 June 1989, nearly 50 demonstrators attempted for the second time to deliver a protest letter to the Chinese embassy in Berlin-Pankow. They were surrounded by security forces who confiscated the letter and arrested 15 demonstrators using physical force. Opposition members Stefan Müller and Andreas Mrachacz summarized the events.
Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft
Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft
7 June 1989Egon Krenz: Order Restored
Politburo member and Secretary of the SED Central Committee Egon Krenz (pictured in the middle) led an SED delegation at the “Saarbrücker Talks.” At a press conference in Saarbrücken, Krenz declared that in China, “something has been done to restore order”.
Federal Archive
Federal Archive
8 June 1989Demonstration Attempt Prevented
A flyer advertised a protest action for 9 June. It was distributed the day before at the youth club “Atelier 98” in Berlin and was confiscated by the Stasi. At the demonstration in Prenzlauer Berg, security forces were present. Thirty people were arrested, some mistreated by the People’s Police, but later released. The head of the youth club was dismissed the next day. A month later, the three organizers were arrested and charged under Paragraph 220 of the penal code for “insulting state organs and foreign representatives.”
Robert-Havemann Gesellschaft
Robert-Havemann Gesellschaft
9 June 1989Volkskammer Declaration on the Front Page of “Neues Deutschland”
The GDR Volkskammer’s declaration on the current events in the People’s Republic of China from 9 June 1989 speaks for itself.
Neues Deutschland Archive
Neues Deutschland Archive
12 June 1989“Schwarzer Kanal” Incites Against the “West”
The SED propagandist Karl-Eduard von Schnitzler commented on and criticized the Western media’s coverage of the unrest in Beijing using clips from Western television.
German Broadcasting Archive
German Broadcasting Archive
16 June 1989Bishop Demke Condemns the Suppression
Speaking before the synod of the Evangelical Church Province of Saxony in Halle, Bishop Christoph Demke expressed his dismay over the Chinese government’s actions against the peaceful demonstrators at Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
Imago
Imago
18 June 1989Informational Service in Leipzig
The working groups “Solidarity Church” and “Justice” organized an informational service in the Leipzig Markus Church community on the Chinese democracy movement and its suppression. The “Solidarity Church” working group repeatedly criticised the GDR media's distorted coverage of events in China, including this poster.
Jürgen Seifert
Jürgen Seifert
21 June 1989 GDR Opposition Demands the Resignation of the Chinese Government
In an open letter to Yang Shangkun (President of the People’s Republic of China), Li Peng (Prime Minister), and Deng Xiaoping (Chairman of the Military Commission), the opposition members called for the resignation of the Chinese government.
Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft
Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft
22 June 1989 Protest note handover fails
The second attempt to deliver a protest note to the Chinese embassy on 22 June 1989, failed. Security forces stopped the youth already at the Evangelical parish office in Alt-Pankow.
Stasi Records Archive
Stasi Records Archive
23 June 1989BILD Commentator Peter Boenisch Questions Absence of Protests in the West
The well-known BILD commentator and longtime editor-in-chief of both BILD and WELT questioned in a brief commentary why there are no protests in West Germany in support of the student protest movement in China.
Axel Springer Corporate Archive
Axel Springer Corporate Archive
25 to 28 June 1989 Mourning drums in Berlin-Lichtenberg
In the Erlöserkirche in Berlin-Lichtenberg, in line with a Chinese tradition, participants began fasting and beating a mourning drum as a sign of grief starting on 25 June 1989. The participants wished to commemorate the victims and protested the SED’s position. The action was co-organized by our witness Michael Heinisch.
Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft, Siegbert Schefke
Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft, Siegbert Schefke
26 June 1989Pastor Führer reads protest letter at the peace prayer in Leipzig
During the weekly peace prayer at Leipzig’s Nikolaikirche, Pastor Christian Führer reads a protest letter against the death sentences handed down to demonstrators in China.
Public domain
Public domain
28 June 1989 1,500 participants at a mourning service in Samaritan Church in Berlin
Over 1,500 people participated in the mourning service China in June 1989 at the Samaritan Church in Berlin-Friedrichshain. The mourning drumming was directed against the bloody suppression of protests in Beijing and the SED’s policies toward China. The service included an exhibition on the course of protests in China and the GDR, the media coverage in East and West, and a floral installation in memory of the victims.
Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft, Siegbert Schefke
Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft, Siegbert Schefke
28 to 30 June 1989Mourning drums in Potsdam
The mourning drums from Berlin were continued in Potsdam at the Erlöserkirche. During the drumming, the poem “Ich trommle” by the Potsdam writer Sigrid Grabner is read. The photo shows a banner from the group tierra unida: “We mourn the victims in China. We beat the mourning drum.”
Sigrid Grabner, Hendrik Röder, Thomas Wernicke: Potsdam 1945-1989. Between Conformity and Rebellion, Berlin 1999
Sigrid Grabner, Hendrik Röder, Thomas Wernicke: Potsdam 1945-1989. Between Conformity and Rebellion, Berlin 1999
29 June 1989From mourning drums to protest drums
The group “Church from Below” organized a protest drumming and fasting event at the Elisabeth Church congregation in Invalidenstraße, Berlin-Mitte.
Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft
Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft
30 June 1989Stasi report shows the breadth of the protests
On 30 June, the Stasi meticulously summarized the protest actions by the GDR civil rights movement that had become known to them up to that point.
Stasi Records Archive
Stasi Records Archive
9 July 198950,000 people show solidarity and demand democracy
50,000 people attended the closing event of the Church Congress of the Evangelical Church of Saxony in Leipzig. There were demonstrations against the suppression of the protests in China. Again, the Chinese characters for democracy were shown. This was also a message to the SED regime.
Archiv Bürgerbewegung Leipzig / Karin Wieckhorst_Foto 035-001-056
Archiv Bürgerbewegung Leipzig / Karin Wieckhorst_Foto 035-001-056
15 and 16 July 1989Junge Welt speaks of “anti-constitutional elements”
The FDJ’s central organ Junge Welt reported on a solidarity visit by Günter Schabowski, a member of the SED Politburo, to China. The newspaper referred to the Chinese democracy movement as “anti-constitutional elements.”
Junge Welt
Junge Welt
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31 July 1989Radio Glasnost reports on the protests
The independent Radio Glasnost reported on the protests in the GDR. The one-hour format on Radio 100, co-founded by Roland Jahn had been airing since August 1987, always on the last Monday of each month. The broadcasts were recorded on tape in the GDR and smuggled into West Berlin. In 27 broadcasts, Radio Glasnost reported on opposition activities throughout the GDR until early 1990. Since the station could only be received in Berlin and its surrounding areas in Brandenburg, GDR listeners recorded the programs and distributed them beyond the broadcast range.The members of the “Weißensee Peace Circle” put flyers in letterboxes to draw the attention of the East Berlin population to Radio Glasnost.
Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft
Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft
Brief an Willi Stoph
Goto first page
Chronologie China
Tiananmen SquareA funeral becomes a cry for Democracy
On the occasion of the funeral of Hu Yaobang, the former reform-oriented General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), tens of thousands of students demonstrated in Tiananmen Square in April 1989. They demanded freedom of expression and open dialogue on issues like rampant corruption. The number of protesters grew steadily. Large sections of the population of Beijing joined in. The regime did not respond to the demands. In May, hundreds of protesters went on hunger strike. Premier Li Peng reluctantly entered into a debate with some student leaders. Zhao Ziyang, the reform-oriented party leader, visited the hunger strikers on Tiananmen Square and supported them. A battle over the direction of the CCP breaks out within the leadership of the party, which the hardliners, led by military leader Deng Xiaoping, won, with the decision to use military force against the protesters. Zhao Ziyang was deposed. On 20 May, Premier Li Peng declared a state of emergency. Supported by the Beijing population, the demonstrators boycotted the initially unarmed deployment of the People's Army. On the night of 3 to 4 June 1989, tanks rolled into the square. 250,000 soldiers were deployed to crush the protests once and for all. They fired indiscriminately into the crowd. The exact number of dead is unknown. It is estimated to be in the thousands. Extensive persecution began. The memory of the protest movement is strictly forbidden in China to this day.
Picture: “Goddess of Democracy” looked to Mao.
Gettyimages
Picture: “Goddess of Democracy” looked to Mao.
Gettyimages
15 April 1989Hu Yaobang died of a heart attack
Hu Yaobang died of a heart attack on 15 April 1989 at the age of 73. Hu was the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1982 to 1987 and pursued a liberalisation of the economy and society. He was dismissed in 1987 because, in the view of the dogmatic party leadership, he was too lenient with the student protests that took place in the same year. In the days following his death, many students came together and marched to Tiananmen Square. Around 10,000 people gathered in the square to lay mourning flags and wreaths for Hu Yaobang, with some also calling for democratic reforms and an end to corruption.
Obituary for Hu Yaobang, released by Xinhua News Agency on 15 April 1989.
Humanitarian China, Zhou Fengsuo
Obituary for Hu Yaobang, released by Xinhua News Agency on 15 April 1989.
Humanitarian China, Zhou Fengsuo
18 April 1989Students propose a petition with seven demands
In the early morning of 18 April 1989, hundreds of students from Beijing University gathered around the Monument to the People's Heroes at Tiananmen Square. They had spent the previous night there guarding the wreaths and flowers dedicated to the recently deceased Hu Yaobang. The students proposed drafting a formal petition to the government. After much discussion, they drew up a "Seven-Point Petition", which included demands such as freedom of press and disclosure of party officials' incomes: The list became a central issue in the initial phase of the student movement. The government never responded directly to the petition.
The petition is first publicised on large posters that read "Raising Funds" (left) and "Peaceful Petition — Seven Demands".
Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China
The petition is first publicised on large posters that read "Raising Funds" (left) and "Peaceful Petition — Seven Demands".
Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China
22 April 1989Official Memorial Service
On the day of the official memorial service for Hu Yaobang, former General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), more than 80,000 students from all major universities of Beijing gathered on Tiananmen Square. Large numbers of demonstrators now rallied on the square every day.
Humanitarian China, Zhou Fengsuo
Humanitarian China, Zhou Fengsuo
23 April 1989Founding of the “Alliance of Independent Student Unions in Beijing”
With the founding of the "Alliance of Independent Student Unions in Beijing", the party's monopoly on power was increasingly challenged.
www.standoffattiananmen.com / www.64memo.com
www.standoffattiananmen.com / www.64memo.com
25 and 26 April 1989“People Daily” Editorial: Deng Xiaoping is willing to use military forces
Deng Xiaoping, the "patriarch" of the Chinese Communist Party, told Premier Li Peng: "We must take clear and decisive action to combat this riot." As chairman of the Central Military Commission, he controlled both the army and the People's Armed Police. His words were published on 26 April in an editorial in the "People's Daily" and broadcast on state radio.
Editorial in “People Daily” 26 April 1989.
Editorial in “People Daily” 26 April 1989.
27 April 1989The big march
As a result of the publication of the editorial, 150,000 students marched through Beijing and gathered in Tiananmen Square. Citizens of Beijing gathered on the roadside, cheering the students’ protest. The student movement developed into a broad democratic protest movement. In the following days, the students demanded dialogue with the government.
Humanitarian China, Zhou Fengsuo
Humanitarian China, Zhou Fengsuo
4 May 1989Zhao Ziyangs Keynote Speech
In the afternoon, Zhao Ziyang, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), delivered a keynote speech at the Asian Development Bank Conference in the Great Hall of the People. He explained that the student movement was patriotic and the grievances should be taken seriously. Zhao then tried to open channels for direct dialogue between students and the government at various levels. He also ordered the news media to report on the student demonstrations with unprecedented openness. The result was a split in the party between Deng Xiaoping, the military and senior party leadership, and Zhao Ziyang.
Shortly after the speech, large-scale demonstrations erupted in more than a dozen big cities. In Shanghai, students marched and held a sit-in in front of the city government office. In Beijing, the demonstrators filled the Tiananmen Square.
Zhao Ziyang, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
AFP
Shortly after the speech, large-scale demonstrations erupted in more than a dozen big cities. In Shanghai, students marched and held a sit-in in front of the city government office. In Beijing, the demonstrators filled the Tiananmen Square.
Zhao Ziyang, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
AFP
13 May 1989 Hunger Strike
The protesters tried several times to enter a dialogue with the party leaders – to no avail. As a result, more than 1,000 protesters went on hunger strike on 13 May and blockaded the party headquarters.
A student participating in the Tiananmen Square hunger strike wore a shirt that read, "I love life, I need food, but I'd rather die without democracy."
Gettyimages
A student participating in the Tiananmen Square hunger strike wore a shirt that read, "I love life, I need food, but I'd rather die without democracy."
Gettyimages
15 May 1989Gorbachev in Beijing
Soviet Communist Party General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev arrived in Beijing for a state visit lasting several days. Because of the hunger strike at the Tiananmen Square, the welcome ceremony had to take place at the airport. On 16 May Gorbachev met Deng Xiaoping in the Great Hall of the People.
AFP
AFP
17 May 1989People of Beijing marched in support of students
More than one million people demonstrated in Beijing at Tiananmen Square, one of the largest non-state-organized demonstrations in China’s history. The hunger strike lasted for over 100 hours and reached a critical point, with many students fainting and being taken to the hospital. At the same time, Deng Xiaoping forced an emergency meeting of the Standing Committee to vote on martial law. Two top officials were in favor (Li Peng and Yao Yilin), two were against (Zhao Ziyang and Hu Qili), and the fifth, Qiao Shi, abstained. Paralysis. Regardless of this vote, Deng Xiaoping forced the imposition of martial law on Saturday, 20 May, at 10 a.m.
Gettyimages
Gettyimages
18 May 1989Li Peng met hunger-striking students in the Great Hall of the People
Premier Li Peng met with student leaders Wang Dan, Wu’er Kaixi, and others for the first time in the Great Hall of the People. A dialogue did not take place. Li Peng gave a lecture, and Wu’er Kaixi broke off the conversation after the students realised they were being paraded. Afterward, Wu'er, weakened by the hunger strike, collapsed in the Great Hall of the People and was taken to the hospital.
Wang Dan (left) and Wu’er Kaixi (right) at the meeting.
www.standoffattiananmen.com
Wang Dan (left) and Wu’er Kaixi (right) at the meeting.
www.standoffattiananmen.com
19 May 1989General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Zhao Ziyang visited the students on Tiananmen Square
Shortly before 5 a.m. on the morning of 19 May, Zhao Ziyang appeared on Tiananmen Square. Using a megaphone, he gave a now famous speech to the students gathered on the square. It was first broadcast nationwide on China Central Television. The speech was tearful and foreboding. It was his last public appearance. He was dismissed as General Secretary of the CCP.
General Secretary of the CCP Zhao Ziyang
Gettyimages
General Secretary of the CCP Zhao Ziyang
Gettyimages
20 May 1989Li Peng declared martial law
On 20 May 1989, Li Peng delivered a speech at a meeting of party, government and military cadres, in which he declared martial law. The Politburo Standing Committee decided to impose a state of emergency in Beijing at the suggestion of Deng Xiaoping. Parts of the People's Liberation Army were relocated to the city. Li Peng imposed the state of emergency starting 10 a.m on the same day. 22 divisions with tanks and guns were on their way to the capital – probably 250,000 men in total. The protesters put up resistance. More than 500,000 protesters appeared on Tiananmen Square. The people of Beijing (over 1,000,000) blocked the access roads to Tiananmen for several days. The military was withdrawn.
Thousands of ordinary Beijing residents and workers peacefully persuaded the troops not to continue onto Tiananmen Square.
Gettyimages
Thousands of ordinary Beijing residents and workers peacefully persuaded the troops not to continue onto Tiananmen Square.
Gettyimages
22 May 1989Reporters from communist newspaper “People's Daily” joined demonstration
Raising a banner which read "Lift Martial Law and Protect the Capital", journalists from the Communist party's official newspaper, the "People's Daily", led a march towards Tiananmen Square in an authorized demonstration in support of pro-democracy students.
AFP
AFP
27 May 1989 Creation of the "Goddess of Democracy"
After a month of continuous demonstrations and almost 10 days of martial law, Tiananmen Square is emptied. Life in Beijing is returned to normal. As a final act of protest at the end of their unsuccessful hunger strike, the Beijing Students’ Federation tasked a group of art students with creating a statue called the “Goddess of Democracy” to be placed in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. According to Tsao Tsing-yuan, an associate of the artists who published a detailed account of the statue’s creation, the group consisted of about 15 students in their 20s. Based at the prestigious Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), the students were given 8,000 yuan (around $2,000 at the time) for materials and expenses – and only three days to complete the 10-meter-high sculpture.
Tsao believed that the group’s design, which depicted the figure as female, is influenced by Soviet sculptor Vera Mukhina. She also noted that the artists resisted the organisers’ request for the sculpture to resemble the Statue of Liberty, a replica of which had been displayed at demonstrations in Shanghai earlier that month. The students rejected the idea, partly because it might be seen as too openly pro-American, and partly because copying an existing work was contrary to their principles as creative artists. The students used an existing practice sculpture of a man and reworked it into the “Goddess.” In their design, the figure holds the flame of freedom with both hands, unlike the Statue of Liberty in New York, which holds it with one. This is a symbol of the difficult task of bringing freedom to communist China.
Construction of the statue in the workshop of the art academy in Beijing.
Gettyimages
Tsao believed that the group’s design, which depicted the figure as female, is influenced by Soviet sculptor Vera Mukhina. She also noted that the artists resisted the organisers’ request for the sculpture to resemble the Statue of Liberty, a replica of which had been displayed at demonstrations in Shanghai earlier that month. The students rejected the idea, partly because it might be seen as too openly pro-American, and partly because copying an existing work was contrary to their principles as creative artists. The students used an existing practice sculpture of a man and reworked it into the “Goddess.” In their design, the figure holds the flame of freedom with both hands, unlike the Statue of Liberty in New York, which holds it with one. This is a symbol of the difficult task of bringing freedom to communist China.
Construction of the statue in the workshop of the art academy in Beijing.
Gettyimages
30 May 1989 Erection of the "Goddess of Democracy " statue on Tiananmen Square
On the night of 29 to 30 May, the students assembled the statue from four parts on Tiananmen Square. They placed the goddess facing the huge portrait of Mao Zedong, the founder of Communist China, on the wall of the Forbidden City. 50,000 demonstrators awaited the unveiling of the statue. The statue was unveiled in the early hours of 30 May. The students sang the “Internationale” and read out an emotional proclamation. For four days, she once again kept the resistance against the regime alive. Once erected, this proved to be the last act of defiance by the protesters, as a few days later, government troops brutally suppress the democracy movement. The “Goddess of Democracy” remains a symbol of the democracy movement in China to this day.
“Goddess of Democracy” looked to Mao.
Gettyimages
“Goddess of Democracy” looked to Mao.
Gettyimages
3 and 4 June 1989Deng Xiaoping pushed soldiers to Tiananmen Square: the massacre began
Deng Xiaoping sent his soldiers to Beijing. The citizens of Beijing tried to block the advancing troops. Also within the troops was some resistance against the imposition of martial law. However, all blockades failed in the face of the overwhelming number of military forces, who rolled into the city on tanks, armed with machine guns. When the demonstrators tried to block the advancing army convoys, the soldiers opened fire on them. The situation escalated, resulting in deaths and injuries. Nationwide, in 181 cities, including all provincial capitals and major cities like Shanghai, protests by students and workers escalated on this day and the days following. Tiananmen Square remained occupied by tanks.
Students block army movement at dawn of 3 June 1989.
Picture Alliance
Students block army movement at dawn of 3 June 1989.
Picture Alliance
5 June 1989Tank Man
On 5 June 1989, a civilian confronted the advancing tanks and stops them. The photo became a symbol of the protest movement. The resistance on Tiananmen ended on 6 June, the Chinese army was militarily superior. Some feared that a civil war could break out.
Gettyimages, Jeff Widener
Gettyimages, Jeff Widener
9 June 1989 Dictator congratulated the troop leaders
Deng Xiaoping met with over 100 generals, his first public appearance since April. His televised speech marked the end of the democratic protests and was a demonstration of his power. Thousands of arrests were made. Many activists and student leaders were wanted, with the list of the most wanted being published regularly. In just a few days, 40 officially confirmed executions were carried out. The government in Beijing later reported internally that 23 soldiers and police officers were killed and 5,000 were injured, along with 218 dead civilians, including 36 students, and a further 2,000 injured. Observers estimated that a total of 2,000 to 7,000 people were killed during and shortly after the suppression of the protests.
Most wanted list of 21 student leaders
Guangming Daily
Most wanted list of 21 student leaders
Guangming Daily
Dissidence today
Erinnerung als Widerstand
Memory as resistanceThe 1989 generation as a source of strength for today's democracy movement
The Tiananmen pro-democracy movement, which began on 15 April 1989, was the first large-scale public protest in the history of the Communist Party’s rule, and for seven weeks, the Chinese people experienced the freest and least fearful period since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) came to power. However, the authorities responded to the peaceful, student-led protestors’ demands for democracy, anti-corruption measures, and the lifting of the ban on newspapers and political parties with a bloody crackdown and indiscriminate killing of civilians. The movement thus served as a political awakening for many, and the dreams and sacrifices of the 1989 generation for democracy and freedom have become a precious legacy and source of strength for the Chinese people’s resistance to tyranny.
Since the massacre, known as “June 4” in China, the CCP regime has become increasingly heavy-handed and authoritarian. Censorship has expanded to Hong Kong, where a candlelight vigil was held annually for 30 years until 2019. Several organizers of a vigil in 2020 have since been jailed.Defending the memory of the movement and the massacre against censorship and enforced amnesia has been an important act of civil disobedience in China.The examples listed here show the Chinese government's crackdown on any commemoration of the victims of the 4 June massacre.
Humanitarian China, Zhou Fengsuo
Since the massacre, known as “June 4” in China, the CCP regime has become increasingly heavy-handed and authoritarian. Censorship has expanded to Hong Kong, where a candlelight vigil was held annually for 30 years until 2019. Several organizers of a vigil in 2020 have since been jailed.Defending the memory of the movement and the massacre against censorship and enforced amnesia has been an important act of civil disobedience in China.The examples listed here show the Chinese government's crackdown on any commemoration of the victims of the 4 June massacre.
Humanitarian China, Zhou Fengsuo
Fang Zheng
On the morning of 4 June 1989, Fang Zheng withdrew from Tiananmen Square with other student protesters. Tanks ploughed into the retreating students at Liubukou, killing at least five and injuring nine. Fang managed to save a female student, but both of his legs were crushed and had to be amputated. He is a key witness to the massacre and another “Tank Man”.
Xiang Li; 64 memo
Xiang Li; 64 memo
Li Wangyang
Li Wangyang was remembered by thousands of Hongkongers in 2018. He was imprisoned for 22 years for supporting the Tiananmen movement. During his imprisonment, he was severely tortured, maimed, blinded, and made deaf. He was found dead shortly after an interview with a Hong Kong journalist in June 2012.
HK01
HK01
Hu Shigen
Former university lecturer Hu Shigen was sentenced to 20 years in prison for commemorating “June 4” at a public event and was released in 2008. He later became a Christian and led house churches in Beijing. In 2015, he was jailed again for 7.5 years as part of the crackdown on human rights defenders.
HK01
HK01
Huang Qi
Award-winning citizen journalist Huang Qi is a pioneer of internet dissent in China. He founded 64tianwang.com in 1999, the name commemorates the suppression of the protests on 4 June 1989, criticizing current affairs and exposing the truth (e.g. corruption and shoddy construction behind school collapses in the 2008 earthquake). He has been imprisoned three times and sentenced to a total of 20 years.
HK01
HK01
Tiananmen Mothers
Members of the Tiananmen Mothers Group mark 30 years since their loved ones were killed. While the group refuses to forget the truth and give up the fight for justice, the CCP continues to deprive the Chinese people of their fundamental human rights and dignity by banning public mourning for the victims and censoring any relevant information online.
Voice of America
Voice of America
Chen Yunfei
Chen Yunfei was detained for 6 months for placing an ad in a local newspaper on 4 June 2007: “Saluting the resilient mothers of the June 4 victims!” It slipped through because a young woman handling the classifieds had no idea about “June 4”. In 2017, Chen was sentenced to 4 years again for commemorating the victims.
Rights Defense Network (wei quan wang); social media (left)
Rights Defense Network (wei quan wang); social media (left)
„Remember 8964“
In May 2016, four men in Sichuan designed a liquor label with “Remember 8964” and an image of the “Tank Man”, sold for 89.64 yuan per bottle. They were all jailed. Chen Bing (lower left), a student protester in 1989, received a sentence of 3 years and 6 months.
Twitter@64Liqueur
Twitter@64Liqueur
Sun Wenguang
Retired professor Sun Wenguang, 83, marked the anniversary at home on 4 June 2017. The outspoken scholar had a long history of being critical of the government. He was “disappeared” in August 2018 following an interview with Voice of America, in which he criticized Xi’s foreign policy. He reportedly died in police custody in 2021.
Radio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia
Wang Yifei und Zeng Guofan
“Vindicate 4 June 1989; end the one-party state” – one of the street slogans posted in Nanchang in early June 2018 by the Xinghua Society. Its founder Wang Yifei (right) and Zeng Guofan were jailed for two years and one year, respectively. The duo took a photo at the place where they were held incommunicado and deprived of food.
Radio Free Asia; Civil Rights & Livelihood Watch (right)
Radio Free Asia; Civil Rights & Livelihood Watch (right)
HKASPDMC
The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China (HKASPDMC) led a large crowd into Victoria Park to mark 4 June 2020, despite a ban on the vigil there for the first time that year. HKASPDMC leaders and Jimmy Lai were jailed for organizing the gathering.
HK01
HK01
Widerstand für Demokratie
Resistance for democracyCourageous people for freedom and justice
After the crackdown on the 1989 pro-democracy movement, significant civil resistance efforts have taken place in China, including the opposition party formation movement in 1998, the citizens’ rights defense movement since 2003, the “Charter 08” Movement in 2008, the Southern Street Movement since 2012 (cover image), and the New Citizens’ Movement since 2012. With the exception of the loosely defined citizens’ rights defense movement, which succeeded in a few cases of promoting the rule of law (e.g., the abolition of the administrative procedure known as “Custody and Repatriation” in 2003 and the abolition of re-education through labor camps in 2013), all these movements have been suppressed, with their leaders handed lengthy prison sentences. This demonstrates the Chinese Communist parties (CCP’s) zero tolerance for the Chinese people’s demands for political rights. After Xi Jinping came to power, the Party intensified its surveillance of the people, political indoctrination, and suppression of civil society. Many human rights activists, lawyers, journalists, scholars, NGO workers, and religious leaders have been jailed. The examples given here show that civil resistance in China never stops despite repression.
Humanitarian China
Humanitarian China
Qin Yongmin
On 11 July 2018, Qin Yongmin was sentenced to 13 years in prison by a court, with his wife Zhao Suli (in a red dress) in attendance. For his efforts in advocating for China’s peaceful transition to a constitutional democracy, Qin has been jailed for a total of 36 years since 1970, making him the longest-serving political prisoner in post-Mao China. His wife Zhao has been under house arrest since then.
HK01
HK01
Wang Bingzhang
Wang Bingzhang, the first PRC citizen to earn a doctorate degree in North America and a pioneer of the pro-democracy movement outside China, was kidnapped by the CCP in Vietnam in 2002 and sentenced to life imprisonment after a secret trial. He has been held in solitary confinement and has suffered several strokes in prison.
Radio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia
Liu Xiaobo
Dissident writer and human rights campaigner Liu Xiaobo was interviewed by Voice of America in March 1995. He was jailed for 11 years in 2009 over “Charter 08” – a manifesto advocating reforms that would lead to a new constitutional democracy in China. In 2017, he became the only Nobel Peace laureate to have died in prison.
Voice of America
Voice of America
Gao Zhisheng
Gao Zhisheng, a pioneer of the human rights defense movement in China and “the bravest lawyer in China,” has been repeatedly kidnapped, tortured, and imprisoned since 2006 for openly criticizing the CCP’s systematic rights abuses. In August 2017, he went missing again and has not been seen since.
China Change
China Change
Guo Feixiong
Dissident writer Guo Feixiong rallied journalists, lawyers, and intellectuals to support villagers who tried to peacefully remove corrupt officials and pushed for press freedom and the asset transparency of officials. He helped launch the Rights Defence Movement in China. He has been jailed three times for a total of 19 years.
Ai Xiaoming
Ai Xiaoming
Southern Street Movement
On 28 August 2011, Liu Yuandong and other Southern Street Movement participants put up a banner at Tianhecheng Plaza in Guangzhou to celebrate the fall of dictator Gaddafi, alluding to the CCP’s tyranny. A large crowd gathered, but the activists were soon taken away by the police. Many movement participants were jailed in the following years.
Ou Ronggui
Ou Ronggui
Wang Yi
Pastor Wang Yi with a placard reading “On 4 June, pray for the nation.” The house church leader famously called on Xi to repent in a sermon. He was imprisoned for 9 years after launching a joint declaration in 2018, calling on the government to respect religious freedom in response to the revised regulations on religious affairs.
Early Rain Covenant Church
Early Rain Covenant Church
Hu Jia
On 11 March 2018, social justice campaigner and 2008 Sakharov Prize winner Hu Jia posted this photo on Twitter in opposition to the constitutional amendment approved by the authorities that day, which removed the term limit on Xi’s chairmanship. He served 3.5 years in prison and has been under surveillance since then.
Hu Jia
Hu Jia
Xu Zhiyong und Ding Jiaxi
Legal scholar Xu Zhiyong (left) and lawyer Ding Jiaxi are prominent members of the New Citizens’ Movement, a loose network of activists founded by Xu in 2012 to promote government transparency and education equality. They were targeted again after meeting with other lawyers and activists in 2019, and were sentenced to 14 and 12 years in prison, respectively.
Sophie Luo
Sophie Luo
Dong Yaoqiong
Dong Yaoqiong, 29, livestreamed herself denouncing Xi’s “authoritarian dictatorship” and throwing ink on his poster in Shanghai on 4 July 2018. The video quickly went viral on the internet, prompting more ink-splashing acts in and outside of China. The CCP responded by taking down Xi posters and placing Dong in a psychiatric hospital.
Screenshot, Humanitarian China
Screenshot, Humanitarian China
White-Paper-Movement
White Paper MovementProtests against COVID lockdowns become protests for democracy
The Chinese Communist Parties (CCP’s) cover-up and mishandling of the COVID-19 outbreak eventually led to a global pandemic. After the outbreak of the epidemic in early 2020, Wuhan and other cities in Hubei Province were placed under draconian lockdowns, where people suffered from food shortages and lack of basic medical supplies. Whistleblowers and families of the deceased were suppressed, and citizen journalists were arrested. Over the next 3 years, numerous people across China lost their lives or livelihoods as a result of the inhumane so-called “zero-COVID” policy, prompting waves of citizens’ dissent and disobedience. On 24 October 2022, a fire in a residential building in Urumqi, Xinjiang, which had been under strict lockdown for 3 months, killed 10 people and injured 9. The tragedy sparked protests against COVID restrictions from Urumqi across China. In the largest spontaneous national street protests since 1989, many young people held up blank sheets of paper to protest government censorship. The “White Paper Movement” quickly spread overseas and increasingly became a protest movement in favour of democratic reforms; the CCP promptly responded with a crackdown on the movement and an abrupt end to “zero-COVID.” The examples listed here show the development of protests against COVID lockdowns into protests for democracy and freedom.
Humanitarian China
Humanitarian China
Xu Zhangrun
In February 2020, law professor Xu Zhangrun published an article titled “Viral Alarm: When Fury Overcomes Fear,” in which he criticized Xi Jinping for his handling of the pandemic that broke out in Wuhan, and pointed out that public anger against CCP tyranny has erupted like a volcano. He has been barred from teaching and publishing and placed under house arrest.
Social media, Humanitarian China
Social media, Humanitarian China
Fang Bin
Wuhan businessman Fang Bin documented the city’s lockdown in early 2020. A video he took showing overwhelmed hospitals and body bags went viral. He also called for citizens’ resistance against tyranny. He was arrested in February 2020 and held in secret detention for more than three years.
Screenshot, Humanitarian China
Screenshot, Humanitarian China
Lu Yang
In May 2020, poet Lu Yang was detained after posting a video online calling on Xi Jinping to step down and end the “evil dictatorship system that is against humanity and civilization.” He was jailed for six years.
Radio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia
Protester in Louhu
On 13 January 2022, a man held a banner reading “Down with Xi Jinping, Defend Reform and Opening-up” in Luohu, Shenzhen. He was violently taken away by police and has not been heard from since.
Short Clip, Social media, Humanitarian China
Short Clip, Social media, Humanitarian China
„Voice of April“
In April 2022, when more than 25 million people had been confined to their homes in Shanghai for weeks, a short film entitled “Voice of April” went viral. It shows residents complaining about shortages of necessities and medical care. Ji Xiaolong, who organized self-help groups among citizens, was jailed for 4.5 years for criticizing the COVID policy.
Screenshot, Humanitarian China
Screenshot, Humanitarian China
Peng Lifa
On 13 October 2022, Peng Lifa, dubbed “the Bridge Man”, unfurled huge banners on Sitongqiao Bridge in Beijing, calling for Xi to step down and for the “zero-COVID” policy to end. It was the most powerful public pro-democracy protest in China in recent years. Peng has since been secretly detained, but his slogans have been widely cited.
Voice of America
Voice of America
Strike at Foxconn
In early November 2022, tens of thousands of workers broke out of Apple handset maker Foxconn’s Zhengzhou plant in protest of the “zero-COVID” policy and walked home to bypass the COVID app measures. From 22 to 24 November, workers protesting breach of contract clashed with police, but eventually succeeded in getting compensation.
Screenshot, Humanitarian China
Screenshot, Humanitarian China
Urumqi-Vigil
On 26 and 27 November 2022, hundreds gathered on Urumqi (Wulumuqi) Middle Road, Shanghai, to mourn the victims of the Urumqi fire. The vigil turned into a protest; people shouted, “Freedom! Unlock Xinjiang! Unlock China! CCP step down! Xi Jinping step down!” Many were taken away by police. Protests took place in dozens of cities and at more than 100 universities across China.
Philip Róin
Philip Róin
Chen Pinlin
On 26 November 2022, Chen Pinlin and friends took videos of the protest on Urumqi Middle Road in Shanghai. Around the first anniversary of the White Paper Movement, Chen uploaded his footage as a documentary to the Internet, which was widely shared. Chen was arrested shortly after and is still held in police custody.
Radio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia
Fang Yirong
On 30 July 2024, college student Fang Yirong hung a banner on a footbridge in Xinhua County, Hunan, with the slogan that appeared on the Sitong Bridge in Beijing in 2022, and played it over loudspeakers: ‘We want freedom, democracy, the right to vote! Strike against the dictator Xi Jinping!’ He was arrested soon after and has not been heard from since.
Voice of America
Voice of America
Contemporary witnesses
Goto first pageDDR ZZ
Michael Heinisch-Kirch
Michael Heinisch-Kirch
Michael Heinisch-Kirch was born in 1964 in Frankfurt (Oder). As the son of a pastor, he was discriminated against by the SED regime as a teenager. Heinisch-Kirch refused to become a member in the youth organizations of the GDR as well as any cooperation with the Stasi (State Security) and any military service. In 1983, he began training as a social deacon and worked in youth services. In 1989/90, he was involved in exposing electoral fraud during the municipal elections and in the second occupation of the Stasi headquarters. In 2004, Heinisch-Kirch became a member of Alliance 90/The Greens and serves as chairman of the Robert Havemann Gesellschaft since 2021.
During the Tiananmen protest movement, Heinisch-Kirch organized solidarity rallies and led the “Drum Fasting for the Victims of Violence in China” campaign at the Church of the Redeemer in Berlin. Due to his regime-critical activities, he was subjected to coercive measures and monitored by the State Security as part of the operation “Protestant.”
During the Tiananmen protest movement, Heinisch-Kirch organized solidarity rallies and led the “Drum Fasting for the Victims of Violence in China” campaign at the Church of the Redeemer in Berlin. Due to his regime-critical activities, he was subjected to coercive measures and monitored by the State Security as part of the operation “Protestant.”
Life and being shaped in the GDR
Berlin opposition
Tiananmen protests Knowledge
Protest letter
Drum fasting
Reactions
The Stasi
Remembrance
China dissidence today
Engagement today
Stefan Müller
Stefan Müller
Stefan Müller was born in 1966 in Leipzig. As son of a pastor, he refused to join the youth organizations of the GDR and declined the Jugendweihe (youth initiation ceremony). During his school years, he wore the symbol of the peace movement “Swords to Plowshares.” Due to his political convictions, he was not allowed to freely choose his education and career and became a locksmith in the chemical industry in Bitterfeld. In 1984, Müller began training as a deacon. As a member of the circle of total military service refusers, he began conducting services for conscientious objectors at the Church of the Redeemer in Berlin from 1987. In 1989, he participated in exposing electoral fraud during the municipal elections. A Stasi (State Security) officer injured him during his arrest at a demonstration. Nevertheless, Müller continued his opposition activities. Since 1990, he works as a social worker.
In 1989, Müller was among the demonstrators who attempted to deliver a protest letter to the Chinese ambassador. They were arrested by the Stasi and fined. He continued to protest against the bloody suppression of the Tiananmen protest movement.
In 1989, Müller was among the demonstrators who attempted to deliver a protest letter to the Chinese ambassador. They were arrested by the Stasi and fined. He continued to protest against the bloody suppression of the Tiananmen protest movement.
Life and being shaped in the GDR
Berlin opposition
Election fraud 1989
Intercession services
Tiananmen protests Hope
Protest letter
Government reactions
Drum fasting
China dissidence today
Jeanne Grabner
Jeanne Grabner
Born in Berlin in 1968, Jeanne Grabner has been active in political and social causes since her teenage years. In 1983, she became involved with the opposition group tierra unida in Potsdam, focusing on solidarity work with Nicaragua. During the Peaceful Revolution, tierra unida organized numerous events both within and outside the churches, advocating for social justice. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Grabner spent several years in Central America, working as a non-violent escort for individuals facing political persecution. Today, she serves as the managing director of Schildkröte GmbH, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting educational equity.
In June 1989, Grabner and her tierra unida colleagues organized a three-day “drum of lamentation” at the Erlöserkirche in Potsdam, inspired by a similar initiative in Berlin. This event was held in memory of the victims of the Tiananmen Square protests. On 28 June, 1989, her mother, writer Sigrid Grabner, wrote a poem titled “Ich trommle” (“I drum”), which was read aloud hourly during the event. Manfred Stolpe, then Consistorial President of the Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg, intervened to prevent police action against the gathering.
In June 1989, Grabner and her tierra unida colleagues organized a three-day “drum of lamentation” at the Erlöserkirche in Potsdam, inspired by a similar initiative in Berlin. This event was held in memory of the victims of the Tiananmen Square protests. On 28 June, 1989, her mother, writer Sigrid Grabner, wrote a poem titled “Ich trommle” (“I drum”), which was read aloud hourly during the event. Manfred Stolpe, then Consistorial President of the Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg, intervened to prevent police action against the gathering.
Life and being shaped in the GDR
Opposition First steps
Government restrictions
Tiananmen protestsFirst impression
Wailing drum
Poem
Government reactions
Engagement today
Evelyn Zupke
Evelyn Zupke
Evelyn Zupke was born in 1962 in Binz on the island of Rügen. From early on, during her school years, she developed increasingly critical views of the regime. She was denied access to university studies, and beginning in 1985, she completed a distance learning course to become a therapeutic educator with the Diaconal Work in Fürstenwalde. In 1987, she moved to Berlin and worked at the Stephanus-Stift in a daycare center. Zupke became involved in the Weissensee Peace Circle and played a key role in exposing the fraud during the 1989 municipal elections. In various capacities, such as at the Round Table or as a member of the election commission for the Volkskammer election on March 18, 1990, she helped shape the societal changes during the years 1989/90. From the mid-1990s, she worked in trauma counseling. Since 2021, she has served as the Federal Commissioner for the Victims of the SED Dictatorship in the German Bundestag.
Zupke is one of the signatories of the statement made by members of the Weissensee Peace Circle on 5 June, 1989, which denounced, among other things, the brutal use of military force against the students of the Tiananmen protest movement.
Zupke is one of the signatories of the statement made by members of the Weissensee Peace Circle on 5 June, 1989, which denounced, among other things, the brutal use of military force against the students of the Tiananmen protest movement.
Life and being shaped in the GDR
Berlin oppositionFirst steps
Weissensee Peace Circle
Election fraud 1989
Chinese solution
Protest letter
Solidarity
Remembrance
Kathrin Mahler Walther
Kathrin Mahler Walther
Kathrin Mahler Walther was born in Leipzig in 1970. At the age of 16, she became involved in a grassroots opposition group in Leipzig, where she challenged the official narratives presented by her teachers and exposed the contradictions of the system during civics lessons. Her critical thinking often led to rejection at school. However, she found like-minded individuals in the Young Community in Leipzig and the Human Rights Working Group, where political issues were openly discussed, and alternative ideas were welcomed.
Following the Peaceful Revolution in 1989, Mahler Walther worked in the first democratically elected Saxon state parliament, engaging deeply with the new political landscape. She continues to be active in political education as a contemporary witness, and in 2019, she addressed 75,000 people in Leipzig during the 30th anniversary of the Peaceful Revolution. Today, as a sociologist, she leads a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting democracy and equal opportunities.
In July 1989, when peace and human rights groups were excluded from participating in the Protestant Church Congress, she and other activists organized an “Alternative Church Congress”. Mahler Walther’s group publicly expressed solidarity with the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre by displaying a banner with the Chinese characters for “democracy”. However, church stewards prevented them from protesting on stage, and the Stasi confiscated the banner.
Following the Peaceful Revolution in 1989, Mahler Walther worked in the first democratically elected Saxon state parliament, engaging deeply with the new political landscape. She continues to be active in political education as a contemporary witness, and in 2019, she addressed 75,000 people in Leipzig during the 30th anniversary of the Peaceful Revolution. Today, as a sociologist, she leads a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting democracy and equal opportunities.
In July 1989, when peace and human rights groups were excluded from participating in the Protestant Church Congress, she and other activists organized an “Alternative Church Congress”. Mahler Walther’s group publicly expressed solidarity with the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre by displaying a banner with the Chinese characters for “democracy”. However, church stewards prevented them from protesting on stage, and the Stasi confiscated the banner.
Opposition First steps
Human rights Working Group
Tiananmen protestsAlternative Church Congress
Protest campaign
Government reactions
China ZZ
Wu'er Kaixi
Wu'er Kaixi
Wu'er Kaixi was born in Beijing in 1968; his family is of Uyghur descent. He studied at Beijing University. Wu’er was one of the first students of the Tiananmen protest movement in mid-April 1989 and quickly became one of its most well-known leaders. He became president of the Beijing Students Autonomous Federation and one of the founders of the hunger strike. In the nationally televised meeting with the government, he publicly rebuked the Chinese Premier, Li Peng as a student representative. Following the suppression of the protests, Wu’er was placed as number two on the government’s 21 most wanted student leaders. He managed to escape to France and later to the US. In 1996, Wu’er emigrated to Taiwan and continued his advocacy against the totalitarian regime of the People's Republic of China. He was repeatedly denied entrance to return to China despite his effort to turn himself in for his arrest warrant.
Life and being shaped in ChinaLife in China
1980s reform
Tiananmen UprisingMood
Founding Student Union
First student march
Student class strike
Dialogue
Hungerstrike
Meeting with Premier Li Peng
June 4th
Escape
Remembrance
China todayIllusions
Hope
Zhou Fengsuo
Zhou Fengsuo
Zhou Fengsuo was born in 1967 in Xi’an, Shaanxi province. He studied physics at Tsinghua University in Beijing from 1985. In 1989, he was elected head of the Beijing Students Autonomous Federation and organized the first and only free election of a student union in 1988. He actively campaigned for democracy, called for freedom of the press for student newspapers, and built and led the radio station “The Voice of Students” during the Tiananmen protests in 1989. Because of his involvement, he was ranked fifth on the police’s most wanted list, arrested, and imprisoned for a year. Thanks to international support, Zhou was released in 1990 and emigrated to the USA in 1995. In the USA, he continued his pro-democracy work for China. He co-founded “Humanitarian China,” an organization supporting hundreds of families of political prisoners, the Tiananmen Mothers, and other politically persecuted people in China. He also became Executive Director of “Human Rights in China,” a long-standing and well-known Chinese human rights organization. In 2000, he led a class action lawsuit brought by various victims against Li Peng, Prime Minister from 1987 to 1998, for crimes against humanity in the suppression of the Tiananmen Square protest movement.
In 2014, Zhou slipped back into Beijing to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre, was arrested and deported, and participated in the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong the same year. In 2024, for the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre, he helped organize commemorative events around the world to ensure that the sacrifice and message of freedom from 1989 are never forgotten.
In 2014, Zhou slipped back into Beijing to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre, was arrested and deported, and participated in the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong the same year. In 2024, for the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre, he helped organize commemorative events around the world to ensure that the sacrifice and message of freedom from 1989 are never forgotten.
Life and being shaped in China
Tiananmen UprisingFirst contact
Student union
Milestones
June 4th
Detention
Emigration
Remembrance
Significance today
Engagement todayHumanitarian China
Lawsuit against Li Peng
Return in 2014
Wang Chaohua
Wang Chaohua
Wang Chaohua was born in 1952 and became a “sent-down youth” to spend years in the countryside for re-education during China’s Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). In 1987, she began studying Chinese literature at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing. On 22 April 1989, Wang attended the funeral of Hu Yaobang together with other students. The former General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party had been removed from office in 1987 for appearing too lenient towards the student unrest of 1986. The ceremony prompted Wang to join the Tian'anmen protest movement and she became a member of the leadership of the Beijing Students Autonomous Federation. After the suppression of the protests, she was put on the government's list of the 21 most wanted student leaders in Beijing. She was able to hide for 6 months and fled to the USA at the beginning of 1990. There, Wang completed her doctorate in modern Chinese literature in 2008 and works as a freelance author. She is intensively involved in the current discussion about the social situation in China.
Life and being shaped in ChinaChildhood
1980s reform
Tiananmen UprisingHu Yaobangs funeral
Standing Student Committee
Big march April 27th
Goals
June 4th
Hiding
Escape
Remembrance
Fall of the Berlin Wall
Huang Yicheng
Huang Yicheng
Huang Yicheng was born in Fujian province in 1996 and grew up in Shanghai. He studied at the renowned Peking University from 2014. From 2020 to 2022, he taught at an elite school in Shanghai. Huang joined the “White Paper Movement” in 2022. It is the first nationwide protest in China since the Tiananmen protest movement. Blank white sheets of paper become the symbol of the demonstrators. In dozens of places across the country, mostly students take to the streets, both individually and in groups.
Their protest was directed against the government's strict quarantine measures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, some are calling for democracy and freedom of the press. The police take violent action against the demonstrators. Many are arrested, mistreated and sometimes imprisoned. Huang was able to flee during his arrest by the Shanghai police on 27 November, 2022. He hid underground for several months before fleeing to Hamburg in 2023. There he went public and reported on the human rights abuses.
Their protest was directed against the government's strict quarantine measures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, some are calling for democracy and freedom of the press. The police take violent action against the demonstrators. Many are arrested, mistreated and sometimes imprisoned. Huang was able to flee during his arrest by the Shanghai police on 27 November, 2022. He hid underground for several months before fleeing to Hamburg in 2023. There he went public and reported on the human rights abuses.
Life and being shaped in China
White Paper MovementDevelopment
Government reactions
Similarities with 1989
Escape
Wishes to the West
Hopes
Jiang Lin
Jiang Lin
Jiang Lin was born in Nanjing in 1953. At 17, she joined the People's Liberation Army, where her father served as a general. From 1971 to 1982, she served as an officer at what is now the Air Force Medical University in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. Jiang was transferred to Beijing in 1982 and worked as a journalist for the People's Liberation Army newspaper from 1986 to 1989. In 1989, she was on the ground during the Tiananmen protest movement. She witnessed the brutal actions of the army units against the demonstrators and the violent clearing of Tiananmen Square. She found it incomprehensible that the People's Army was using tanks and machine guns against the people. During the unrest, she drove into the city in civilian clothes. Officers of the people’s armed police, a paramilitary unit, injured her so severely that she had to be treated in a hospital. There, she saw numerous demonstrators wounded or killed by bullets. In 1996, she left the People's Liberation Army. On the 30th anniversary of the suppression of the Tiananmen protest movement, Jiang broke her silence and speaks out since then about the events she has witnessed.
Prehistory Tibet 8. März 1989 Lhasa
Maos Portrait
Tiananmen UprisingSurrounded
Letter from the generals
Human Wall
Muxidi Bridge
Face to Face with the devil
Today I am a student
Rescue
Hospital
China dissidence today
Das Projekt
The Project
In November 2024, marking 35 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the traveling exhibition “China is not far!” opened to the public for the first time in Berlin. The premiere and first two stops took place in front of the Berlin House of Representatives and the Axel Springer Building. Following this launch, the exhibition is now set to go on tour across Germany.
Three Chinese shipping containers do not, as usual, bring consumer goods to Germany but serve as mobile exhibition spaces that reveal the dictatorship behind China’s economic rise.
The first container documents the East German protests against the violent crackdown in Tiananmen Square. The second container traces the course of the democracy movement, its suppression, and highlights protest movements in China from 1989 to the present day. The third container displays original objects from Tiananmen Square. Overseeing everything is the “Goddess of Democracy,” a scaled-down replica of the symbol of the democracy movement in China.
Ten contemporary witnesses, five from the former GDR and five from China, share their stories about the events of 1989 and the current opposition in China. Additionally, newly processed archival materials are made available to the public.
“China is not far!” was conceived, researched, and designed by the Axel Springer Freedom Foundation in collaboration with our partners from beier+wellach projekte, Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft e.V., the Berliner Beauftragter zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur, Humanitarian China, and Human Rights in China.
If you are interested in bringing “China is not far!” to your city or institution, please get in touch. E-Mail: freedomfoundation@axelspringer.com
We have endeavoured to identify all rights of use for the publication of third-party materials. In the event of any legal claims, please contact us so that we can add the names of the copyright holders or remove the images in question.
Three Chinese shipping containers do not, as usual, bring consumer goods to Germany but serve as mobile exhibition spaces that reveal the dictatorship behind China’s economic rise.
The first container documents the East German protests against the violent crackdown in Tiananmen Square. The second container traces the course of the democracy movement, its suppression, and highlights protest movements in China from 1989 to the present day. The third container displays original objects from Tiananmen Square. Overseeing everything is the “Goddess of Democracy,” a scaled-down replica of the symbol of the democracy movement in China.
Ten contemporary witnesses, five from the former GDR and five from China, share their stories about the events of 1989 and the current opposition in China. Additionally, newly processed archival materials are made available to the public.
“China is not far!” was conceived, researched, and designed by the Axel Springer Freedom Foundation in collaboration with our partners from beier+wellach projekte, Robert-Havemann-Gesellschaft e.V., the Berliner Beauftragter zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur, Humanitarian China, and Human Rights in China.
If you are interested in bringing “China is not far!” to your city or institution, please get in touch. E-Mail: freedomfoundation@axelspringer.com
We have endeavoured to identify all rights of use for the publication of third-party materials. In the event of any legal claims, please contact us so that we can add the names of the copyright holders or remove the images in question.
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“China is not far!”
Chapter selection
„Chinese Solution“
4 June 1989
4 June 1989
5 June 1989
5 June 1989
5 June 1989
6 June 1989
6 June 1989
7 June 1989
8 June 1989
9 June 1989
12 June 1989
16 June 1989
18 June 1989
21 June 1989
21 June 1989
22 June 1989
23 June 1989
23 June 1989
25 to 28 June 1989
26 June 1989
28 June 1989
28 June 1989
28 June 1989
28 to 30 June 1989
29 June 1989
30 June 1989
15 and 16 July 1989
31 July 1989
Offener Brief
“Aktuelle Kamera” Spreads False Claims
Mourning drum is passed on
Exhibition offers unfiltered information
White carnations
Tiananmen Square
15 April 1989
18 April 1989
22 April 1989
23 April 1989
25 and 26 April 1989
27 April 1989
4 May 1989
13 May 1989
15 May 1989
17 May 1989
17 May 1989
18 May 1989
18 May 1989
19 May 1989
20 May 1989
22 May 1989
27 May 1989
30 May 1989
3 and 4 June 1989
3 and 4 June 1989
3 and 4 June 1989
5 June 1989
9 June 1989
Errichtung der Göttin
Students carrying a wounded colleague
A rickshaw driver carries the wounded
Brennender Lastwagen
Tanks on Tiananmen
Tank Man
Dissidence today
Memory as resistance
Fang Zheng
Li Wangyang
Hu Shigen
Huang Qi
Tiananmen Mothers
Chen Yunfei
„Remember 8964“
Sun Wenguang
Wang Yifei und Zeng Guofan
HKASPDMC
Resistance for democracy
Qin Yongmin
Wang Bingzhang
Liu Xiaobo
Gao Zhisheng
Guo Feixiong
Southern Street Movement
Wang Yi
Hu Jia
Xu Zhiyong und Ding Jiaxi
Dong Yaoqiong
White Paper Movement
Xu Zhangrun
Fang Bin
Lu Yang
Protester in Louhu
„Voice of April“
Peng Lifa
Strike at Foxconn
Chen Pinlin
Fang Yirong
GDR
Michael Heinisch-Kirch
Life and being shaped in the GDR
Berlin opposition
Tiananmen protests
Protest letter
Drum fasting
Reactions
The Stasi
Remembrance
China dissidence today
Engagement today
Stefan Müller
Life and being shaped in the GDR
Berlin opposition
Election fraud 1989
Intercession services
Tiananmen protests
Protest letter
Government reactions
Drum fasting
China dissidence today
Jeanne Grabner
Life and being shaped in the GDR
Opposition
Government restrictions
Tiananmen protests
Wailing drum
Poem
Government reactions
Engagement today
Evelyn Zupke
Life and being shaped in the GDR
Berlin opposition
Weissensee Peace Circle
Election fraud 1989
Chinese solution
Protest letter
Solidarity
Remembrance
Kathrin Mahler Walther
Opposition
Human rights Working Group
Tiananmen protests
Protest campaign
Government reactions
China
Wu'er Kaixi
Life and being shaped in China
1980s reform
Tiananmen Uprising
Founding Student Union
First student march
Student class strike
Dialogue
Hungerstrike
Meeting with Premier Li Peng
June 4th
Escape
Remembrance
China today
Hope
Zhou Fengsuo
Life and being shaped in China
Tiananmen Uprising
Student union
Milestones
June 4th
Detention
Emigration
Remembrance
Significance today
Engagement today
Lawsuit against Li Peng
Return in 2014
Wang Chaohua
Life and being shaped in China
1980s reform
Tiananmen Uprising
Standing Student Committee
Big march April 27th
Goals
June 4th
Hiding
Escape
Remembrance
Fall of the Berlin Wall
Huang Yicheng
Life and being shaped in China
White Paper Movement
Government reactions
Similarities with 1989
Escape
Wishes to the West
Hopes
Jiang Lin
Prehistory Tibet 8. März 1989
Maos Portrait
Tiananmen Uprising
Letter from the generals
Human Wall
Muxidi Bridge
Face to Face with the devil
Today I am a student
Rescue
Hospital
China dissidence today
The Project
The Project
The Project
The Project
The Project
The Project
The Project
The Project
The Project
The Project
The Project
The Project
The Project
The Project
The Project
The Project
Pläne
Pläne
Vor Springer
Vor Abgeordnetenhaus