Twenty-one years after the Tiananmen Square crackdown, China’s censors are still working to purge public discourse about the tragic events of June 4, 1989. But some Chinese Web users clearly have a healthy appetite for such a debate and are willing to circumvent the government censors.
The English-language version of the state newspaper Global Times raised eyebrows on Tuesday
with an article headlined, "Evolution
of Chinese intellectuals' thought over two decades." The opinion piece
included a quote from an academic referencing the "June 4 incident"--a departure
for domestic, state-run media, which never refer explicitly to the peaceful
demonstrations that were crushed by government troops in 1989. The article was
not carried in the Chinese version of Global
Times. The publication, which launched the English version this year, is
affiliated with the party stalwart People's
Daily.
It's hot in
"Twitter is a new thing in
The events of 1989, which culminated on June 3 and 4 when the army opened fire
on civilians trying to block its approach to the main site of protests at
Tiananmen, the "gate of heavenly peace," are dismissed as riots in official
state media accounts. Propaganda officials interpret references to the events as a sign of antigovernment sentiment and censor them in the Chinese media
and online. 
Twitter
Facebook
Email Lists
Donate
