English-language reading related to today’s anniversary:
· Fool’s Mountain: On my way to school, I saw beautiful flowers – An account of 1989 from a student in Beijing.
· CNReviews: June 4, 1989: Where Were You? What Were You Doing? – In the fascinating comment thread, blog readers share their memories of 1989.
· James Fallows at his Atlantic blog: June 4 report #1: about what it was like on the square on the day of the anniversary.
· Alec Ash at Six: Peking University on June 4th: 2009 is not 1989, and it’s not 1984 either – thoughts on how PKU students deal with politics.
· Reuters: “Is this an anonymous interview?”: Thoughts on June 4 from “one 27-year-old originally from Fujian province, who came two years ago to do a Master’s degree in Canada.”
· Bendilaowai: Memories of the day – a collection of “bits from real conversations with real people, brought here in their somewhat less than real names, that took place in the last week.”
· US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton: Message on the Twentieth Anniversary of Tiananmen Square
· Global Times (English): Prosperity tangible along Chang’an Ave – the newspaper speaks to people at home and abroad about the Incident and its lasting effects.
· Wall Street Journal: Prosperity Can’t Erase Tiananmen – Wu’er Kaixi writes, “In 1989 we wanted Nikes and discos. But we also wanted to belong to a country that truly lived up to the heritage of which it is so proud.” Wu’er Kaixi attempted to turn himself in to authorities in Macao today.
· New York Times: After Tiananmen and Prison, a Comfortable but Uneasy Life in the New China – an interview with activist Liu Suli. Also, a multimedia presentation by Nicholas Kristoff, the paper’s bureau chief in Beijing in 1989.
· BBC: Audio slideshow: Tiananmen Square – compiled by James Miles, who was their correspondent at the time. He spoke to the people on the square at the time, and the audio plus visual montage is chilling.
· Reuters: Tiananmen protesters in U.S. lament stunted movement – On June 4 a commemoration was held in Washington, and three previous members spoke about their experience in prison, put in for vandalizing Mao’s picture atop Tiananmen Square.
·Financial Times: Tight security for Tiananmen anniversary – Hong Kong FT interviews Bao Pu, editor of the Zhаo Ziyаng memoirs English edition, on video.