Will today's students remember?

Keeping memories of June 4 alive is a challenge, write Albert Wong and Eva Wu
Last month, in a small room at the back of the Hong Kong Professional Teachers Union headquarters in Mong Kok, eight students gathered to discuss their feelings towards the 1989 democracy movement.

Sitting around a small rectangular table in a cramped room, the eight students hesitatingly introduced themselves and revealed which universities they attended before expressing their feelings on a historical event they have rarely had the opportunity to discuss.

They drank tea and ate biscuits. All eight of them were only 20 years old.

Twenty years earlier, students from universities all over Beijing had descended upon Tiananmen Square to commemorate the death of Hu Yaobang and call for widespread reforms in a protest movement that ended with the crackdown on June 4.

Wang Dan , a history student at Peking University, who later topped a most wanted list for his involvement in the protest, had just turned 20.

Wuerkaixi , a student at Beijing Normal University, second on the wanted list, was 21.
Last month's tea gathering was organised by the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, which hopes to stoke interest in the 1989 pro-democracy movement among students too young to remember it. The Y89 movement hopes to gather students born in 1989 to take part in commemorative events and take to the stage during the
June 4 candle-light vigil to symbolise how the next generation will not forget.

But so far, only 60 students have joined, well short of the 200 originally hoped for.

Many blame the lack of awareness on the absence of structured teaching and the unwillingness of textbook publishers to dedicate space to such a sensitive topic.

Another factor dissuading greater participation is the stigma attached to being politically active. Young people who participate in the June 4 candle-light vigil are sometimes derided by their peers for "playing with candle wax".

Despite the obstacles, activists are optimistic that by using technology, including the Web, along with the persistence of those who remember the events, the democracy movement will not be forgotten.

Li Yiu-kai, who is helping to organise the Y89 movement, admitted that recruiting participants has been difficult, and that at first, potential participants were worried about job prospects and whether they would be barred from the mainland.

Christina Chan Hau-man, who made headlines as a pro-Tibet protester who was hauled away while the Olympic torch relay passed through Hong Kong, is cited as an example of one who has been stigmatised because of her views.

Following her protest, she was denied entry to Macau under its internal security law even though she planned only to board a connecting flight that same day.

Furthermore, curiosity about her views turned to animosity, with both her e-mail and Facebook accounts being flooded with unwanted messages. "The guy who first organised the Facebook campaign with me - he just doesn't want anything to do with me any more," said Ms Chan. "I did think about leaving Hong Kong and never coming back."

Judith Ngan Sin-ling, a 20-year-old Baptist University student, said that while she grew up in a family who cared deeply about the 1989 movement, it was only this year that she committed herself to participating in commemorative events. "I never felt it was something I couldn't talk about because we talk about it all the time [at home]. But now I feel it is getting harder to talk about it, which is why I feel I need to do something," she said.

Ms Ngan has signed up to take to the stage at Victoria Park on June 4, but managed to persuade only one of her friends to take an interest. "It's not that they laugh at me, but they just don't care," she said. Hong Kong Federation of Students Secretary General Crystal Chow Ching blamed a lack of education rather than discrimination for preventing young people from participating.

"The real problem is not the students themselves, but [the fact that the] education system does not encourage much discussion of this topic. The lack of information in the textbooks is the real problem," Ms Chow said.

Last month, the students' union at City University published its monthly newspaper commemorating the anniversary. On its front page, it stated: "On June 4, 1989, the Chinese Communist Party's general secretary Hu Yaobang suddenly passed away."

The two factual mistakes in the statement immediately raised concerns about the extent of student ignorance over the topic. Hu died on April 15, 1989, and was no longer the party's general secretary.

Coverage of the crackdown in history textbooks for secondary students varies from just one sentence to two pages, with most of them labelling the crackdown as the "June 4 incident".
One publication dismisses the several months of protests, political deliberations, and military crackdown in one short sentence: "The government suppressed the student movement." In other textbooks, the "June 4 incident" is mentioned without further details and interested students must seek further information in the footnotes.

None of the textbooks say the People's Liberation Army "opened fire"; only words like "armed interference" or "the army cleared Tiananmen Square" are used. There are no pictures of tanks, only of protesting students. None of the textbooks touch on casualties or the death toll. The Education Bureau said its curriculum development institute outlined a guide for each subject but also allowed editorial freedom for textbook publishers. Textbooks were important but were not the only references, the bureau stressed.

With limited information in textbooks, veteran Chinese history teacher Chan Hon-sum organises his own materials. Every year since the crackdown, Mr Chan has spent a lesson showing footage from news reports at the time, displaying newspaper clippings and sometimes sharing with them his personal views on the crackdown.

"I am never too radical in class and the footage I show is just news reports," he said, adding that he came under no pressure from the school as a result.

"The way I teach is similar to news reporting but I do not hide my personal views from them. I do tell them that I was aggrieved whenever I recall it," said Mr Chan, who has taught history for almost 30 years. "I think teachers can share with students their thoughts on the incident. It does not matter if students have opposite views {hellip} what matters is that the facts cannot be washed away, particularly those having significant impact on the future."

Ho Hon-kuen, deputy president of the pressure group Education Convergence and deputy principal of Elegantia College in Sheung Shui, shows news reports and film documentaries about the protests and crackdown every year.

Mr Ho said the crackdown should be understood in the context of contemporary Chinese history. "It is not enough to talk about June 4. The [1919] May Fourth movement should also be taught. The crackdown has its origins and consequences," he said.

With Chinese history textbooks generally avoiding the politically sensitive details of the crackdown, Richard Tsoi Yiu-cheong, vice-chairman of the alliance, worried that the younger generation would be misled: "They may think it was not something big or it was just a general social issue, which had no significant impact at all. Once they are out of school and realise the difference between what they learn and the fuller picture, they may misunderstand, and think that some people have magnified the whole thing," he said.

However, Mr Tsoi remained optimistic. "What we are doing is to guide them into making the first step. I hope they will make the second and the third step to discover the facts by themselves."

Indeed, Mr Li said that despite the disappointing reaction from 20-year-olds so far, those who had signed up had given him confidence that the memory of June 4 would not die.

Reflecting on the tea party last month, he said that despite initial nervousness, the students showed a deeper than expected knowledge. "You could tell that they understood this was not just an isolated event, but one that has implications for democratic development in China and Hong Kong" he said.

Mr Li, who has also created the Y89 website which includes YouTube clips of events in 1989, said the internet had been one of the most significant factors in preserving June 4 in people's consciousness. "Real images are always much better than our written texts," he said, adding that the alliance was planning to adopt more new media technologies in its efforts to educate the public.

Even immigration obstacles for exiled dissidents will soon be overcome, with plans to hold video conferences, so the likes of Wang Dan can talk to students, Mr Li said.

And despite their relative lack of activism compared to their counterparts in 1989, who joined hunger strikes and took donations to the protesters, Andrew To Kwan-hang, then-secretary general of the HKFS, said he was not overly concerned about today's students. "The current crop of students may not even have been born then, or were just one or two years old; you can't expect them to feel as strongly as we did, who saw and felt it first-hand," he said.

He also noted that the students in 1989 did nothing extraordinary. "You have to remember that we did nothing except follow the public sentiment. We were not acting so differently from the rest of the population," he said.

Nevertheless, he stressed that the role of a student leader, especially among those in the HKFS, was to "take the initiative". Ms Chow stressed that the HKFS understood its role as a leader of student movements, and would not waver in its commitment to vindicating the June 4 victims. "Our role is not only based on history and tradition, but it has come about through rational debate about June 4, and what it means to be Chinese and strive for a democratic China."

(source: SCMP, 31 May 2009)

繼承英烈志接好民主棒 六四20周年今日大遊行

平反六四，等了20年，屠城慘痛場面不會忘記。支聯會今日舉行紀念「六四」二十周年大遊行，要求北京政府平反六四，撫慰死傷者和家人，提醒領導人不要再犯如此大錯，並繼承建設民主中國英烈志。不論經歷者，或新生一代，抑或激憤曾蔭權的代表論人士，今日維園三時見。

華叔籲再發揮人民力量
支聯會每年六四前一個星期日都舉辦遊行，爭取平反六四，二十年來風雨不改。今年大會主題是「毋忘六四．繼承英烈志，薪火相傳．接好民主棒」，一頁頁的訴求包括要求北京釋放民運人士、追究屠城責任、結束一黨專政、建設民主中國。大遊行於今日下午3時在銅鑼灣維園一號球場出發，遊行至中環政府總部。支聯會副主席蔡耀昌說，今年主題之一是薪火相傳，遊行前會在維園舉行「新生代看六四」座談會，由泛民各黨派出30歲以下的代表出席，了解一班在89年仍然年輕的新世代對六四看法。特首曾蔭權早前在立法會以一句「國家的驕人成就」，企圖掩蓋六四屠城真相，又自稱代表全港市民，在社會引起重大迴響。支聯會副主席李卓人稱，曾蔭權的言論激起很多人對六四熱烈討論，尤其是在年輕人之間，更引起廣泛討論，期望今日的遊行會有更多年輕人上街，薪火相傳之餘，也向北京與曾蔭權證明，香港人沒有忘掉六四帶來的慘痛回憶。李卓人又指出，89年香港曾有過兩次百萬人上街聲援北京學運的光輝歷史，今日上街除了一種回憶，也是一種致敬。支聯會主席司徒華表示，六四發生已經20年，但內地政制沒有明顯改善，沙士期間隱瞞疫情，四川地震多項豆腐渣工程，足證內地依然是封閉社會。他說中國須先有民主，香港才可能有民主，呼籲港人踴躍參加今日遊行，再一次發揮人民力量。「03年7.1嘅50萬人上街，可以趕走葉劉，05年老董落台。」他指，內地很多城市留意到香港的新聞，若今日遊行人數眾多，對爭取平反六四有很大幫助。「左派」陣營、香港青年發展網絡召集人呂智偉，早前指李卓人當年派錢給天安門廣場的學生，華叔反駁荒謬，指當時阿人的資金是買帳篷給學生，餘下的百多萬元，更被北京市公安局沒收。他說，這一代的中共領導人仍然是由鄧小平所欽點，估計到2022年再經過數輪領導人替換後，才可能由沒有沾過六四血的新一代領導提出平反。

北京屠城情景歷歷在目
資深傳媒人公民黨毛孟靜於89年是法新社記者，她說當年要假扮日、韓留學生才能混入學生群中，採訪真相。她呼籲市民除了要今日上街，也要出席六四燭光集會及7.1遊行。時事評論員劉銳紹當年是文匯報駐京記者，當年軍隊屠殺市民與學生的情景歷歷在目，呼籲市民今日一定要上街。

紀念「六四」二十周年大遊行
主題：毋忘六四．繼承英烈志，薪火相傳．接好民主棒
日期：今日（31/05/09）
時間： 3:00pm集合
路線：銅鑼灣維園至中環政府總部
服飾：以黑或白的素色衣着為主
天氣：24℃--30℃，部份時間有陽光
備註：支聯會歡迎遊行人自備橫額及標語
資料來源：支聯會、天文台

(轉載自《蘋果日報》2009年5月31日的報道)