people
The price of freedom
The tanks and soldiers are gone; the students reprimanded, threatened and imprisoned; and the Square has been swept clean of the corpses of thousands of Chinese students and workers who were killed by the Chinese government. But the effect of the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro democracy movement is still being felt today.
Above: "The Statue of Democracy" was made by the University of Peking's fine arts department and displayed during student rallies at Tiananmen Square. The photo was taken May 26, 1989. The statue was destroyed by tanks June 4, 1989.
This was demonstrated on September 2,1992, three years after the fact, when Shen Tong,the first prominent student leader known to return to China from exile in the United States since the crackdown, was arrested by the Chinese government.
Left: Flags identified students from different universities during the 1989 hunger strike by more than 3,000 Chinese students.
Shen's arrest demonstrates the Chinese government's intention to squash any remnants of the movement and those involved in it.
Because there are no first amendment rights in communist China, the people are not free to speak their mind. So when students like Shen,the eleven protesters convicted in February of this year,and the millions of Chinese who demonstrated for change at Tiananmen speak against the government, they are considered enemies of China.
That is why this KU student's name has been changed, so that when she returns to China she will not have to fear government reprisals for taking part in the demonstrations at Tiananmen and for speaking out now.
Story by Janice Swinton
three and a half years ago, Shu was riding her bicycle the 50 minutes it took to go from Peking University to Tiananmen Square where she joined fellow students in demonstrating for political and democratic reforms.
Some of her friends died during the crackdown at Tianannen Square, leaving a lifelong impression on Shu.
Today, she walks around the University of Kansas where she is a doctorate student and a graduate teaching assistant.
However, Shu still remembers the camaraderie of hopeful Chinese students during the weeks before the government intervention.
"I can never forget what happened at Tiananmen Square because it revolutionized my life," she said. "A government that was supposed to be for the people had turned against the people."
Shu and other students began examining Chinese government while attending Peking University, the birthplace of the student movements.
"Peking University is the place for revolutionaries," she said. "Once you walk into Peking University, you can sense the power of youth."
At Peking, the atmosphere was more academic, but the students also exercised freedom of speech and democracy, Shu said.
"We had the courage to challenge authority, think independently and openly voice our opinions," she said. "The atmosphere at KU is like an old castle with everything in the right order. Everything has been the same, decade after decade, with no one challenging it or asking why."
But while the students revealed in the atmosphere at
Peking University, the Chinese government considered them subversive.
The government labeled them troublemakers after a December 1886 student movement for more political reforms. This movement failed because the government said it was influenced by Americans who were trying to destroy socialist China, Shu said.
In order to crack down on the troublemakers, the government required all freshmen students from select universities to undergo two months of military training.
But that movement marked the beginning of student movements, at least one a year, which eventually led to Tiananmen Square.
"The government felt that the troublemakers could learn from the soldiers because they were the firmest supporters (of the government)," Shu said.
Shu trained on a military base for two months, learning how to fight and use weapons along with the usual governmentronagnanda.
"They still fired their guns. How ironic it was that the soldiers who had trained the students were gunning them down," Shu said.
But none of the students, including Shu, were prepared for what happened at Tiananmen.
Shu was one of the students who guarded the 3,000 students who were wasting in protest against the government, while a million other people crowded the streets in the Square.
At the beginning of the movement, Shu said there were no policemen in the Square. So she, along with other students, distributed food, directed traffic and kept the roads clear so ambulances could get through.
"I went to Tianamen every night and stayed until morning, then came back to talk to fellow students about what was going on." Shu said.
On April 19, 1980, Shu and the rest of the students discovered what was going on.
"1 sat in the Square listening to the authorities
NOVEMBER 3,1992 PAGE 5
KU Canjons
People and places at the University of Kansas.
calendar
Exhibitions
Spencer Museum of Art 864-4710
Hours: Closed Monday; 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-
Saturday; noon - 5 p.m. Sunday,
"A Noble Collection: Old Master Prints from the Spencer Albums." Ends Jan. 3, 1993.
"Heritage of the Brush: The Roy and Mariyn Papo Collection." Decs. 27.
"El Dia de los Murertos: Celebrating Mexico's day of the Dead." Ends Nov. 11.
KU Museum of Natural History
864-4540
8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Saturday; 1 p.m. - 5
p.m. Sunday.
An exhibit of "Milestones: The University of Kansas Museum of Natural History, 1866-1992," Ends March 14, 1993.
KU Museum of Anthropology
864-4245
Hours: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Saturday; 1 - 5
p.m. Sunday.
- Continued on Page 6.