Nothing To My Name: The Tiananmen Square Massacre

Absolute power corrupts absolutely

Located in the center of Beijing, China, Tiananmen Square was the location of the 1989 protests against the Chinese government, as well as the June 4th incident, or Tiananmen Square massacre. Today, it is a popular tourist attraction and cultural site.

In the spring of 1989, university students began to gather in Tiananmen Square. They held protests against their communist government and advocated peacefully for a more democratic society. On the nights of June 3-4, the Chinese army marched the square and arrested, abused, and killed the protesters. Hundreds of thousands of students' failed attempt at overthrowing their government turned into one of the most famous--and censored--events in modern history.

Though Cui claims it has no political meaning, it represented the feelings among China's student activists: disillusionment and dispossession yet hope and optimism. Cui was widely known in China for his genre of music. His rock-and-roll style captivated Chinese youth who were hungry for something fresh and new. He performed this song on May 20, 1989, on a makeshift stage in front of thousands of Tiananmen protesters with a red cloth blindfolding him, which he claims symbolizes the Communist Party and their attitude towards the problems the protesters claimed need reform. He told Time Magazine, "I covered my eyes with a red cloth to symbolize my feelings. The students were heroes. They needed me, and I needed

Bearing a striking resemblance to the Statue of Liberty, (though not meant to be purposely modeled after it to avoid an overtly pro-American attitude) it stood ten meters tall and was placed facing the photograph of Mao Zedong. It wasn’t easy to transport the statue to Tiananmen Square, as the government had tried to stop them upon hearing of the statue's creation and planned transport to the Square. The government insisted that any truck transporting the statue would lose its license. Protesters devised a plan to leak a false itinerary, tricking authorities. The statue was then disassembled and transported in six rickshaw-type carts. It arrived on the evening of May 29. A bamboo scaffolding was hastily put up and used to help reassemble the statue. Still adamant on halting its construction, soldiers tried to disrupt its completion but were blocked by other protesters. By morning it was fully assembled. Though the authorities were eventually able to demolish it, it help lift weakening spirits and proved the protesters’ determination to the government. Replicas of The Goddess of Democracy are scattered around the world honoring those killed in Tiananmen