In 1989 I was 7 years old, most likely only worrying about eating slices of cheese, chasing my brothers or watching cartoons on TV. If I try to think back of the first major news story I can recollect, I must say it was in 4th grade when my mother told me about Jeffrey Dahmer. I remember standing in her bedroom looking at her and feeling complete shock and disgust. You know that feeling, when something hits you to your core, time stops, and you'll always remember that moment as if you'll forever be in third person watching it unfold from afar. It's amazing as a child, the things you remember, and things you do not remember.
Fast forward to today, I'm infatuated with international events. Over the past few years I've learned more about the history of this planet than I ever did in all my Social Studies classes, combined. I've actually stood in historic places like in Berlin on top of Hitler's bunker, in the streets of Barcelona where Pablo Picasso went to art school, and even in the hidden room/house Anne Frank lived in Amsterdam. Traveling abroad and being THERE really imprinted the magnitude of these historic events on me. I was never a history buff growing up, but the more I learn the more I want to know. I could not be more curious and excited to learn more about history, other cultures, and the relationships between it all.
This week marks the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square riots, a student led protest, and I must admit it's not until now that I've learned the details about this situation. WOW. My heart is aching.
Here's a little history, thanks to this video put together by CNN.
http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/international/2014/06/03/orig-tiananmen-square-tank-man-anniversary-jag.cnn.html
"Tank Man" was identified by London's Sunday Express as 19 year old Wang Weilin - although his identify was never confirmed. Most believe Wang was arrested and executed soon after.
What tragedy. The people of China wanted reform, wanted change, wanted democracy. The protesters were calling for government accountability, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and the restoration of workers' control over industry. How beautiful is it to see people stand up for change, to demand something better, better rights? An uprising of this magnitude cannot be ignored or ever forgotten.
I'm baffled that I'm just now finding out what really happened here. Isn't it interesting how at random points in your life you're suddenly exposed to certain things, find yourself suddenly infatuated with certain cultures, regions, etc.?
The more I travel the more passionate I get. My curiosity never ceases and I feel I'm obligated to bring this type of awareness to others that I know aren't as widely cultured. As an American looking in, and have never traveled to China, all the information I've gathered has been from the internet or friends and family that have been there. I'm not one to say China should do this or that. But seeing footage of this event, seeing the faces of the people and the passion and stance they brought forward has brought so much compassion over me, it's really indescribable.
All we can do is learn and love, more.
Fast forward to today, I'm infatuated with international events. Over the past few years I've learned more about the history of this planet than I ever did in all my Social Studies classes, combined. I've actually stood in historic places like in Berlin on top of Hitler's bunker, in the streets of Barcelona where Pablo Picasso went to art school, and even in the hidden room/house Anne Frank lived in Amsterdam. Traveling abroad and being THERE really imprinted the magnitude of these historic events on me. I was never a history buff growing up, but the more I learn the more I want to know. I could not be more curious and excited to learn more about history, other cultures, and the relationships between it all.
This week marks the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square riots, a student led protest, and I must admit it's not until now that I've learned the details about this situation. WOW. My heart is aching.
Here's a little history, thanks to this video put together by CNN.
http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/international/2014/06/03/orig-tiananmen-square-tank-man-anniversary-jag.cnn.html
- April 15, 1989 former communist party general secretary Hu Yaobang dies of a heart attack. Hu had sought a more open political system and became a symbol of democratic reform.
- April 18, 1989 thousands of students marched to Tiananmen Square demanding the government follow Hu's example.
- May 15, 1989 a rally at Tiananmen Square draws more than one million people!
- That same day Premier Li Peng imposes martial law in Beijing.
- June 3, 1989 army troops begin their invasion to take control.
- June 4, 1989 troops take over the square.
- June 5, 1989 this happens - have you seen this photo before?
"Tank Man" was identified by London's Sunday Express as 19 year old Wang Weilin - although his identify was never confirmed. Most believe Wang was arrested and executed soon after.
What tragedy. The people of China wanted reform, wanted change, wanted democracy. The protesters were calling for government accountability, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and the restoration of workers' control over industry. How beautiful is it to see people stand up for change, to demand something better, better rights? An uprising of this magnitude cannot be ignored or ever forgotten.
I'm baffled that I'm just now finding out what really happened here. Isn't it interesting how at random points in your life you're suddenly exposed to certain things, find yourself suddenly infatuated with certain cultures, regions, etc.?
The Chinese government condemned the protests as a "counter-revolutionary riot", and has prohibited all forms of discussion or remembrance of the events since. Due to the lack of information from China, many aspects of the events remain unknown or unconfirmed. The number of deaths and the extent of bloodshed in the Square itself have been in dispute since the events. No official death toll has ever been released. As the Chinese authorities actively suppress discussion of the events as well as research of the subject, it is difficult to verify exact figures. As a result, large discrepancies exist among various casualty estimates.
The more I travel the more passionate I get. My curiosity never ceases and I feel I'm obligated to bring this type of awareness to others that I know aren't as widely cultured. As an American looking in, and have never traveled to China, all the information I've gathered has been from the internet or friends and family that have been there. I'm not one to say China should do this or that. But seeing footage of this event, seeing the faces of the people and the passion and stance they brought forward has brought so much compassion over me, it's really indescribable.
All we can do is learn and love, more.
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