Timesuck with Dan Cummins - 334 - The Tiananmen Square Massacre and Protests

Episode Date: February 6, 2023

The Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing, China in 1989  is one of the most important, noteworthy tragedies in modern Chinese history. It was the biggest protest against communism rule in over sixty ...years. But thanks to the consistent suppression and propaganda of the modern Chinese government…  many if not most Chinese citizens today...don’t even know it ever happened. Why is the communist regime in charge of China so insistent on erasing the history of this event? What IS the history of this event? I learned so much about communist China's history this week and now really fully understand why the Tiananmen Square  protests occurred, and why they were violently ended. I hope you learn a bunch too and get some laughs in as well. Hail Nimrod! Wet Hot Bad Magic Summer Camps are ON SALE!  BadMagicMerch.com Bad Magic Productions Monthly Patreon Donation: We will all be donating this month to Teach For America (amount TBD) - a diverse network of leaders who work to confront the injustice of education inequity through teaching. An awesome group of meatsacks doing their best to make sure poor kids - not just middle class and rich kids - also get a good crack and going to a good college to help improve their futures. You can learn more about Teach for America or get involved by going to teachforamerica.org Get tour tickets at dancummins.tv Watch the Suck on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1AgOQxbDDcIMerch: https://www.badmagicmerch.comDiscord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89vWant to join the Cult of the Curious private Facebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" in order to locate whatever happens to be our most current page :)For all merch related questions/problems: store@badmagicproductions.com (copy and paste)Please rate and subscribe on iTunes and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcastWanna become a Space Lizard?  Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcastSign up through Patreon and for $5 a month you get to listen to the Secret Suck, which will drop Thursdays at Noon, PST. You'll also get 20% off of all regular Timesuck merch PLUS access to exclusive Space Lizard merch. You get to vote on two Monday topics each month via the app. And you get the download link for my new comedy album, Feel the Heat. Check the Patreon posts to find out how to download the new album and take advantage of other benefits.

Transcript
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Starting point is 00:00:00 The Tiananmen Square massacre is one of the most important note worthy tragedies in modern Chinese history It was the biggest protest against communist rule in the past 60 years before it was squashed Thanks to the consistent suppression and propaganda of the modern Chinese government many if not most Chinese citizens today Don't even know that the protest or the massacre that followed ever happened Thankfully the corrupt and oppressive Chinese government has no bearing on what we talk about here in the suck dungeon. At least not yet. On June 3rd and 4th, 1989, the Chinese People's Liberation Army killed hundreds, probably thousands
Starting point is 00:00:36 of protesting civilians, mainly students in and around Tiananmen Square and Beijing, China. Demanding the government address a fault during the economy and many basic citizen rights disavowedowed by communist rule that many of us here take for granted in the US and elsewhere in the western world like free speech and freedom of the press. What started off as student led peaceful protests triggered by the death of a politician more open than most in China to moving towards democratic and capitalist freedoms quickly developed into something bigger as more more and more students arrive, their demands grew louder, they refuse to back down and stop protesting
Starting point is 00:01:08 despite threats of punishment. Eventually, regular citizens old and young and even members of the military and minor government officials joined the protests, grew from all walks of life for now protesting for change, demanding their own various reforms. Communist Party leaders grew fearful
Starting point is 00:01:23 that the protesters wanted to not just push for some changes, but to maybe overthrow the party itself. And they debated about how to end the protests. While some members did want to listen to the students demands and engage in a dialogue, others wanted to end the protests as quickly as possible without acknowledging the protesters demands for reforms. They worried that if they didn't squash the protest quickly, a wave of more protests would follow across the nation. They would grow larger, unruly. They worried the protest would turn into an actual revolution. After more than
Starting point is 00:01:53 a month of protest, the voices in the government are arguing for ending the protest without dialogue, voices of unequivocal suppression. Well, they want out. And the government now decided to act decisively and use any means necessary to quickly put an end to the public dissent. They sent in thousands and thousands of soldiers with orders to clear the square while peaceful removal was technically encouraged. There was also an order to remove the protesters by a hard deadline of six a.m. However, that happened not removing the protesters was not an option. However, that happened not removing the protesters was not an option. And the army succeeded in carrying out their orders at the cost of many, many lives. And then the day after the protesters were massacred, one brave man walked out and stood in front of a line of tanks, refusing to get out of their way, risking his own life and an act of defiance.
Starting point is 00:02:38 And he became known as the tank man and photos of this David versus Goliath have been shared all over the world as an inspiring symbol for other protesters standing up to oppression. The impact of Tankman and the students rebellion are still relevant today. Still powerful reminders of courage in the face of tyranny. But ironically, they have not done a lot of inspiring in the place they are arguably needed the most. Many youth in China not old enough to remember the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests in massacre as they occurred, do not know these events even happened.
Starting point is 00:03:09 China immediately made efforts to stop the distribution of photos and video of the massacre. International media were forbidden from documenting it as it happened. If it weren't for the bravery of some foreign journalists to find Chinese orders and courageous Chinese citizens subversively sharing their memories years later and helping smuggling film out of the country.
Starting point is 00:03:27 The outside world may have never known about this terrible tragedy. We wouldn't know that the police arrested thousands of people and executed an unknown number of unarmed protesters and people who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. China is still trying to suppress information about this event
Starting point is 00:03:42 to whitewash their history. With the rise of the internet, China began to employ and still employ advanced technology to censor any information about the Tiananmen Square protests and massacre and keep it away from its citizens. In the over 30 years since the massacre while China's economy has come a long way, sadly the personal freedoms for Chinese citizens, freedoms that the protesters died for have not. This week we'll discuss why the Tiananmen Square protests occurred, the key players involved, what type of government the protesters wanted to reform, share a timeline of the protests
Starting point is 00:04:15 from beginning to end, and discuss the aftermath and legacy of the Tiananmen Square massacre on another historical, freedom isn't free free edition of TimeSuck. This is Michael McDonald and you're listening to TimeSuck. You're listening to TimeSuck. Happy Monday, Meet Sacks. Welcome to the Cult of the Curious. I'm Dan Comet, the Suck Master Welcome to the Cold to the Curious. I'm Dan Cummins, a Suck Master, generic fighting man action figure, franchise owner,
Starting point is 00:04:50 for a new Antonio Benderes, hot, hard, father, daddy, satali and beast, little and male strip club. And you are listening to Type-Suck. Hail Nimrod, I love you Luciferina, praise be to both Jangles. He is closely listening to today's Chock Full of Comedy's episode and Glory be to Triple M. Thanks to everyone, I met after recent shows in Kansas City in St. Louis. Oh man, so fun.
Starting point is 00:05:13 Thanks to everyone who bought tickets, holy shit, how to blast. Thanks to Moon and Riz from the Riz show for introducing the shows in St. Louis and Johnny Deere for making a little appearance in Kansas City. Crazy about Moon, sounding a microphone before the second show. If you're there, you know. Such great guys, though, for real.
Starting point is 00:05:31 This weekend gonna be in Sacramento and Denver. Denver is sold out as is the early show with the Crest Theater in Sacramento, but still tickets for the late show in Sacramento. Available, come on Bay Area. Make it happen. Come here and say a bunch crazy shit life Great news for the store right now. We got a beautiful hot hard daddy tea It just hit the store a gorgeous Roman bust of me hot father daddy Dan on a sultry neon background
Starting point is 00:06:00 Do you want everyone to notice how much you crave creamy, Roman, hot, hard, fathered daddies dripping in olive oil? We'll pick up that phone and call 1-900 hot daddy and purchase your brand new rock cart, steamy, soaky, achy, pulsating, throbbing fathered daddy teen sweatshirt. If you can't get through it's because we're servicing so many other hot, hard, father, daddies. Don't worry though, you can still order the shirt from BadMagicMurts.com.
Starting point is 00:06:30 And now how about that is it. And we mosey on over to today's topic. Just need to hit a little button to reset my mind. So how are we tackling today's historical subject? Well, first, I'm going to do a lot of victim blaming to establish how the protesters got in fact exactly what the fuck they deserved. Next, I'm going to spend quite a bit of time talking about how wonderful and wise the Chinese government is and have always been, hey, China, that I'm gonna shit on disgusting left-wing radical
Starting point is 00:07:06 western capitalist pig journalists for the hatchet job. They did on the coverage of this alleged tragedy. And summary, I'm gonna tell everyone you listen to go fuck yourself in this ill-advised career suicide-implosive final episode of Time Suck. Let's fucking go! Oh! No, that's not what I'm gonna do today. I'd rather not do that. I'd rather not do any of that. Instead, first we're gonna start with the brief overview
Starting point is 00:07:35 of the Chinese Revolution of 1911, and the beginning of the People's Republic of China, followed by a brief explanation of the structure of the Chinese Communist Party, need to understand what the protesters were protesting before we dive into covering the protests themselves. Then we'll discuss how the death of revered politician, who Yalbang led the student protests in Beijing,
Starting point is 00:07:55 followed by a timeline of the Tiananmen Square protest and massacre. After that, we'll discuss how China has changed in the over 30 years since the massacre, touching on censorship and banned Tiananmen vigils in recent years. Not all right. Here we go.
Starting point is 00:08:09 Okay, starting off as I said, way back in 1911. The Chinese Revolution in 1911 ended the Qing Dynasty, China's last imperial dynasty that had ruled since 1636. It's tempted to call it dynasty. That sounds too pretentious. It ended the Qing dynasty. And it established the Republic of China, which would reign kind of from 1912 to 1949. They always had a lot of fires.
Starting point is 00:08:34 They could never quite put out a lot of turmoil during the days of the original, the OG ROC. Technically the ROC is still around. Very brief detour here. In 1949, two million soldiers followed Chiang Kai Chek, excuse me, Chiang Kai Chek, chairman of the National Government of China, into exile into Taiwan following the Long Civil War, and then Chi Chek set up a provisional government there. And he would rule in Taiwan until his death in 1975. And enforced military, martial law, excuse me, the entirety of his reign, martial law was actually enforced in Taiwan all the way until 1987.
Starting point is 00:09:10 During the 1950s, 1960s, after the ROC government had to withdraw to Taiwan upon losing the Civil War, it was commonly referred to as nationalist China or free China to differentiate it from communist China or red China. And Taiwan was a member of the United Nations until 1971 when it then lost its seat to China. Taiwan in addition to being officially known still as the Republic of China, also sometimes now known as Chinese Taipei, less inflammatory term as far as mainland China is concerned. Taiwan has its own military, its own government, representative democratic republic, excuse me with its own constitution, but it is only recognized fully as a sovereign
Starting point is 00:09:50 state by 13 nations plus the Vatican that it has full diplomatic relations with the United States, not one of those nations and why not? Well, the short answer is China is a big fucking scary country. And like most of the rest of the world, we generally, despite the occasional tough talk of our leaders, do our best not to piss China off and risk their full economic or military wrath. No more jangles.
Starting point is 00:10:15 Not trying to acquire nukes to obliterate them. Bad dog. There's a lot of good people over there who want to be just as free as you. They didn't pick their shitty governments, right? They just ended up getting an unlucky die roll when it came to where they were born. And China is fucking scary, right? It has the second largest economy in the world compared to the US or, you know, you know, US is number one, China is number two. So following the US and it's projected to have the biggest economy in the world within the decade. China
Starting point is 00:10:38 also has these single biggest active military in the world, roughly two million active personnel followed next on the list as far as terms of largest armies by India and then the US. Even though the US has way more nukes, a lot more warheads, roughly 5,500 compared to 350, China is a very powerful nation. And you know, many, you know, the, I mean, many think that they will be one of the worlds, or excuse me, the world's most powerful nation in every meaningful way in the next few decades. So if they say Taiwan is not a real country, well, fuck. I guess no matter how real it actually is, that's not a real country. If stayed not officially, it keeps us from World War III, fine.
Starting point is 00:11:19 Sorry, Taiwan. Just be happy that China is not invading and annihilating you, I guess. Shitty consolation prize Uh, many worried that a China slash Taiwan version of Russia Ukraine is almost inevitable at some point and I hope that's not the case Okay, moving on now we can do a whole suck on the unique political status of Taiwan and what has led to it Uh, back to what led to the ROC now the fall of the Qing dynasty I also cover this in episode 238, right? Miles Adong, father of communist China, and worst mass murder of all time. I'll summarize it
Starting point is 00:11:52 again here a bit differently. During the Qing Empire, China had fought two opium wars against the West, both led by Britain, and they got their fucking asses kicked, both times. First by Britain, then again, by Britain and France, China lost Hong Kong and more, and was forced to open treaty ports for international trade. Trade that was unfavorable to China. China also then lost the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 and 1895,
Starting point is 00:12:16 forcing them to give up more territory, including Taiwan, parts of Manchuria, and China lost this control over Korea. The Russo-Japanese War of 1904 and 1905 then allowed Japan to establish more claims in the Northeast further. Weak in China during the latter half of the Qing rule, China is kept in this fucking ass kick, which was is generally not real good for citizen morale. These and other conflicts with the West and the East as well as various internal frustrations
Starting point is 00:12:44 with the government led to increased nationalism in China. There were a lot of people who were very proud to be Chinese, who wanted someone else to run the show and restore some national pride back into a older imperial days when China was a fucking monster to be dealt with. Cheng Ruler's attempted some reforms to appease the tractors, but they were too late. For instance, 1905, they abolished the exam system, which had limited political power largely to the elite, who passed a civil service exam for centuries. For a thousand years or so, this system was used to select candidates for bureaucracy. This exam system is a bit complicated
Starting point is 00:13:19 to explain, but candidates for public office had to pass exams, serve to ensure a common knowledge of Chinese writing, Chinese classic, you know, classics, music, literature, a traditional literary style amongst state officials, and all this reinforced a common culture in China, which helped unify the empire. But eventually it became outdated, and it ensured that new types of thinking, that revolutionary types of thinking by people
Starting point is 00:13:43 not interested in memorizing and regurgitating China's old ways, the system made sure they didn't make it into Chinese government. And with China continually getting pushed around by almost anyone who attacked them, more and more people were calling for a change in thinking. They were thinking enough of the old ways. They're not fucking working anymore.
Starting point is 00:14:01 In their final years, Qing officials also worked on modernizing the military, created elected assemblies and increased provincial self-government, but again, too little too late. There was too much poverty. There had been too much invasion by outside forces. Too many unfair trade deals made with the West. The military still too weak. More and more people wanted an end to the Qing dynasty.
Starting point is 00:14:20 Millions of Chinese people live in China. Millions more overseas started pushing for revolution. Two men named Kong Yue and Liang Qi Chou became leaders and proposed a constitutional monarchy. They wanted to keep China imperial, but also modernize it. But Sun Yatsen led another group to form the revolutionary alliance, which advocated for a non-imperial Republican government. And Sun Yat Sen is the only major Chinese political figure revered today in both mainland China and Taiwan from the 20th century. The ROC calls him the father of the nation.
Starting point is 00:14:57 Right? He's a hot, hard father daddy dripping in soy sauce. Do you like hot, Chinese father dandies? Call 1900 hot daddy to talk to real nude, rock hard. Revolutionary Chinese father dandies completely dripping in soy sauce. Moving on. The revolutionary alliance attempted at least seven revolts
Starting point is 00:15:20 against the imperial government before the 1911 revolution, but all their attempts were stopped by the army. But then eight-ish time was the charm. And the fall of 1911 and uprising and Wuchong led to a large nationalist revolt. As their vote continued, you know, the Qing leadership responded to new demands that would change their government to a constitutional monarchy. The Qing named when she died as Chinese as China's new premiere, but he was unable to take back the areas captured by the revolutionaries because the provinces had declared their loyalty to the revolutionary alliance led by Sun Yat Sen.
Starting point is 00:15:55 Sun Yat Sen was in the US at the time on a fundraising tour. He traveled to London in Paris as well to ensure that they wouldn't give support to the Qing government or any puppet government they backed when he got back his revolutionary said taken non-Jing representatives from various provinces now arrived for the first national assembly and they elected soon as the provisional president of the Republic of China. The emperor and royal family abdicated the throne February of 1912. This is a big step for China, but there were still a lot of problems going on in China. The New Republic didn't start off on easy streets. So many fucking problems.
Starting point is 00:16:30 China's recent history is not a stable one. The country was still not unified. It was far from it. Now, multiple local warlords took advantage of power vacuums to control territory without acknowledging the new government. And because of this, the new government had to be more focused on unification than actually implementing any actual reforms they had promised. Hard to pass reforms if many parts of the nation do not recognize your authoritative fucking warlords. After the Qing Dynasty was defeated and soon yapsen was elected president, he now had to flee Japan pretty quickly thanks to continuous uprisings and power struggles and leadership of China fell back to when Shikai, a military leader and longtime politician that was associated with the Qing dynasty.
Starting point is 00:17:15 He soon got sent then called for further revolution to overthrow this dude. Meanwhile, Shikai, you know, becomes new emperor, but can China right back to imperial rule, but he'll only reign for 83 days. Failing health and more uprisings ended his brief rule, and he goes back to being president. Well, he tries to. That's not enough for his detractors who wanted him completely gone. Before overthrowing him, he will die from health problems in 1916 to the age of 56 six inside note on this motherfucker uh... good thing he didn't remain emperor that would have been quite the power struggle for the throne had he died as emperor because he had thirty two kids that we know of thirty two
Starting point is 00:17:57 dude had a wife and nine concubines uh... after uh... uh... chicai hot nuts passes the country descends into what is called the warlord era for a dozen years. These warlords were military leaders who had controlled different factions of Chinese army. And this history makes me think of one of Patrick Swazie's best films, 1989's original roadhouse. Fuck the remake.
Starting point is 00:18:21 This movie helped me understand this part of today's episode. Actually, if you haven't seen it, well, it all starts with fucking Brad Wesley. Shitty little tyrant who ran a fictionalized Jasper, Missouri, then Dalton moves to town, and he's just trying to clean up the double-duse, just be a good bouncer. Yeah, he's small for a bouncer, but he's the best in the world.
Starting point is 00:18:40 But he can't clean up the club because Brad fucking Wesley has most of the town in his pocket. And then Brad tries to have Dalton killed, know Dalton's not gonna back down to anybody. Trying to have him killed by a local tough guy Jimmy Reno. And then Jimmy Reno fucks with the wrong dog in the fight. And he gets his throat ripped out. Second time Dalton headed rip out of motherfucker's throat. Then Dalton goes full Rambo on Wesley's compound.
Starting point is 00:19:03 And all the main bad guys die. And then the town's fucking spirited by Dalton's full Rambo on Wesley's compound. And all the main bad guys die. And then the town's fucking spirited by Dalton's courage to stand up to an oppressive regional dictator while they fucking kill Wesley. After Dalton's already killed most of his goons, well, pretend China had a bunch of Brad Wesley's in the early 20th century. And China's Dalton would be Chiang Kai-shek.
Starting point is 00:19:23 It's not a great analogy actually, but it kind of works. It kind of works. He became Commander-in-Chief in the National Revolutionary Army in 1926, following the power vacuum created by Sun Yat Sen's death. And then he had a lot of dissonant throats ripped out across China to unify the nation. He and Therese, wanted to move China toward being a democracy,
Starting point is 00:19:43 but the nation was still too fragile. Too many uprisings, various factions with varying levels of power. He supported modernization policies such as scientific advancement, universal education, women's rights. His government acted to modernize the legal and penal systems, attempts to stabilize prices, immortalized debts or amortized debts, reformed the banking and currency systems, build railroads and highways, improve public health facilities, legislate against traffic and narcotics and augment industrial and agricultural production and more. And he also had to deal with a lot of war. The second
Starting point is 00:20:14 Sino-Japanese war, lasting from 1937 to 1945. The second Chinese Civil War, aka the Chinese Communist Revolution, the last term 1927 to 1949, so much instability in China in the first half of the 20th century. And who won the Chinese Civil War? Well, the fucking commies. And off to Taiwan goes Chen Kai-shek and easy bojangles. They're not here, good boy. You're safe in the suck dungeon.
Starting point is 00:20:41 On October 1st, 1949, Communist leader Mao Zedong declares the creation of the people's Republic of China. And again, we dedicated an entire episode to this ruthless motherfucker, that episode I mentioned earlier, suck 238, right? Mao Zedong, father of communist China, and worst mass murderer of all time. Mao's declaration ended the civil war
Starting point is 00:21:00 between the Chinese Communist Party and the Nationalist Party, aka the Kuomintang or KMT, which had been ongoing since the end of World War II. Chen Kai-shik was ahead of the KMT and the KMT, by the way, were also kind of communist at some point, just never as much as Mao C.C.P. the Chinese Communist Party. There have been an on and off conflict between these two parties since 1920s, the KMT, much more pro-West,
Starting point is 00:21:25 less in bed with Russia than the CCP. After China officially became a communist state in 1949, the US now ended diplomacy with the country and would not resume diplomacy for many decades. The Chinese Communist Party had been founded in Shanghai back in 1921. Excuse me. The party was founded by a young, by young urban intellectuals inspired by european socialist ideas and the success of the bolshevik revolution in russia they liked
Starting point is 00:21:53 what lennon and stalin did up north says a lot says a lot about them and uh... not not much good my mind back in the nineteen twenty twenty four in the first united front and alliance between the ccp and the uh... k m t to end warlord is them communist join the national's army in the northern exposition of nineteen twenty
Starting point is 00:22:10 six and twenty seven to read the nation of the warlords that prevented the formation of a strong central government not today brad wazlies the fuck i had a before you just wrote trip down the cooperation between the two groups lasted until 1927 when the nationalists committed the white tear, where they killed Communists or purged them from the party. Over a million people died.
Starting point is 00:22:32 Over 10,000 Communists were executed in a 20-day period. Big Purge. That'll definitely cause a rift in your alliance, executing over 10,000 members of your coalition who don't match their, you know, in ideology and causing over, you know, over a million deaths overall. So that happens. And then the Japanese invade Manchuria in 1931 and do so much fucking raping, not kidding, unfortunately. I remember the second part of the World War II, two-parter.
Starting point is 00:23:00 And now the government of the Republic of China is under a lot of stress, not a fun time to be a politician there due to the constant threat of invasion or actually being invaded and then being captured and killed and maybe raped. And there's a massive communist uprising and there are still regional warlord insurrections to deal with. Now, group of generals, you know, very frustrated with national leader, Chiang Kai, because if it's focused on internal affairs, rather than the threat of Japan, there's just too many fires for anybody to put out. A group of generals abduct Kai-shek in 1937 for two weeks, force him to reconsider cooperating with the Communist Army, not sure if they tortured him or what, guessing he would probably not have treated super kindly. And now the second United Front is formed, but doesn't last long.
Starting point is 00:23:41 You know, Kai-shek is not that into it. He was forced to this under a lot of duress. The nationalists are focused on containing the communists. The communists are focused on increasing their influence in rural China, and then during World War II, support for the communist increases. According to the United States Office of the Historian, US officials in China reported a dictator, Oh my gosh. Dick tutorial suppression of descent in nationalist controlled areas.
Starting point is 00:24:11 These undemocratic policies combined with wartime corruption made the Republican China government vulnerable to the communist threat. The Chinese Communist Party made successful efforts at land reform and was praised by peasants for their efforts in fighting the Japanese. After the surrender of Japan at the end of World War II, civil war starts up yet again. In China in a big way, the US continues to support Chiang Kai-shek because he is not communist while Jangels tail is wagging. US forces even flew thousands of nationalist Chinese soldiers into Japanese controlled territory and allowed them to accept the Japanese surrender. But at the same time, the Soviet Union was occupying Manchuria and only left when Chinese
Starting point is 00:24:49 communist forces were able to establish a claim in the territory. So this is the, you know, early stages of the old Cold War, right? The fucking Soviet Union is trying to back their fucking regime, the US trying to back theirs, and in this case with China, the Soviets win. Then in 1945, Chang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong meet for a series of talks on the government in the post-war period. They agreed or at least pretended to agree on democracy, a unified military, and a quality among the Chinese political parties.
Starting point is 00:25:16 But the talks failed as far as who was going to be in charge. Not surprisingly, neither leader wanted to concede power, and by 1946, the nationalists and the communists were engaged in a civil war and unable to form a coalition government. As the civil war continued to seem likely that the communists would win because they had more support, better military organization and morale, and large stocks of weapons taken from the Japanese supplies and menchuria. The US continued giving military and financial support to the nationalists, despite the fact that they were losing losing and the fact that the Truman administration didn't see much strategic importance in the U.S. maintaining relations with nationalists China.
Starting point is 00:25:50 Ultimately in 1949, Mao Zedong proclaims the establishment again of the People's Republic of China and China becomes a communist country and is so to this day. The Communist had won. And now Chen Kai-shen and his forces flee to Taiwan. Because the nationalists were still in Taiwan, some anti-communists in the US believed that things could still change. Obviously that was in the case. During the Korean War from 1950 to 1953, the US and China now find themselves on opposite sides of a military conflict. Less than 10 years apart from working together, might have times changed.
Starting point is 00:26:22 Because Truman didn't want to let the war spread further south the US protected the nationalist government in Taiwan Following the communist revolution there was little contact trade and diplomatic ties between the US and China Until the 70s the US recognized the Republic of China in Taiwan as China's true government and Supported the Republic of China's position in the UN. But then, you know, the righty was on the wall, you know, China's fucking getting bigger, scarier, militarily, and just a more important trade partner, right, more cheap facturism shit. So we hopped that in one bed,
Starting point is 00:26:54 and we laid down in another one, the way of the world for the most part. Okay, now that historical overview is completed enough for today. Whole episode's not gonna be this dense. It'll move a lot more in the second half. Let's discuss the structure of the Chinese Communist Party, though.
Starting point is 00:27:09 The Communist Party, right? Because this is the party that the protesters are protesting against. The Communist Party is the power center that controls all Chinese government departments, military courts and parliament. There are eight additional political parties in China. They exist in a situation called by the CCP, a multi-party cooperation and political consultation
Starting point is 00:27:30 under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. Yeah, that's a lot of fancy words for. They sit at the fucking kiddie's table and they do not have a real voice. And if they ever express too much dissents, you're going to be fucking reeducated, motherfuckers, or just executed, or dissolved. Many minor parties have been dissolved like the democracy party of China founded in 1998 by former participants of the Chinaman Square protests. And then that party was banned the same year, right? We here in China are not authoritarian. We love discourse with alternate points of view.
Starting point is 00:28:07 You don't like what we're about? Hey, form your own party. All parties are welcome. Oh awesome. I'd like to form an anti-communist pro-westered democracy party, please. Yeah, yeah, no problem. You can work on your platform in one of our many
Starting point is 00:28:22 re-education camps. And then cue that motherfucker being grabbed by guards, having a backplaced over his head, being whisked away, and literally never seen by friends or family again. Yay, China. That is what life is. Actually, like there. The CCP party has a pyramid structure. Currently, Xi Jinping is at the top, the general secretary and president and chairman of the Central Military
Starting point is 00:28:45 Commission. He consolidated all those roles and is very powerful, considered by many to be the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong. He is firmly in charge and there are over 96 million party members below him. Xi Jinping has been the leader of the people's Republican China since 2013. Uh, young, Sean Cune was president 1989 during the Tiananmen Square protests. Jean Ping is a leading member of the public bureau standing committee, the seven most powerful politicians in China.
Starting point is 00:29:17 It's officially mandated purpose is to conduct policy discussions and make decisions on major issues when the larger public bureau decision making body, right, the big legislative body in China is not in session. These seven men make up the inner circle of the Pollock Bureau, short for political bureau. The Pollock Bureau was made up of 24 members, including the seven on the standing committee. Most of the members are close to the president and his allies. Some of them have high roles in government, just the political party or the military or a combination thereof. Underneath the general secretary is in the, uh, Politburo is the premiere of the state
Starting point is 00:29:52 council of the people's Republic of China, aka the premiere of China, aka the prime minister, the head of government and lead leader of the state council. The premiere is responsible for the National People's Congress and its standing committee. And the National People's Congress is two elects leaders, not the people. There are no democratic elections. The National People's Congress has a varying amount of delegates. 2300 has a five years ago, according to some sources, thought to be around 3000 now. How are they elected? Well, they're fairly elected by regional people's congresses. Smaller congresses around the country below them, and how are those people elected? Well, it's fucking complicated.
Starting point is 00:30:30 Supposedly some are elected by local votes, but the votes, if they actually occur, probably rigged. In all reality, top party members decide who gets to be on the NPC, a small, you know, cadre at the top decides everything in China, right? Nothing's left a chance. Exactly how it all works is very hard to determine due to China's intentional secrecy and propaganda. The National People's Congress is supposed to be the top governing body in China. Their main job is to write laws, supervise the government, but they
Starting point is 00:30:58 don't write or supervise anything. Leadership doesn't fucking agree with. You know, it could not be more different than what we have here in the US in so many ways. The Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party state that China is democratic, but many foreign and even some domestic observers categorize China as an authoritarian one party state. That seems a lot more accurate.
Starting point is 00:31:18 Many characterize it as a dictatorship recently. Officially, the state council sits under the NPC, the enact policy and preside over all government departments this is equivalent to the cabinet in the US government the military supposed to report to congress through the central military commission the communist party chief leads this commission which means that the party leads the people's liberation army which again as I mentioned has about two million soldiers and then there is the central political and legal affairs commission which is led by a pilot bureau member and oversees
Starting point is 00:31:49 the judiciary and prosecutors, the Central Commission for Disciplinary Inspection used to enforce internal discipline and loyalty. And that group sounds fucking terrifying. I assume that if you answer the door and someone from the central commission for disciplinary inspection is there, you just start crying. And you tell your loved ones goodbye. It's, it's a kin somewhat like a, like the Bureau of Internal Affairs for a police department. They're supposed to curb corruption within the party, but it seems like they're just more of a political tool used by leadership to punish anyone not loyal to current leadership. She Jim Ping had four high ranking members punished by this group for taking bribes as past fall, but it was rumored
Starting point is 00:32:31 that the real thing they did was just to pose as rule. And it's just easy to say this person took bribes and that's why they're going to go fucking disappear for a while. Then there is the central organization department, a human resources department that assigns roles to party members Then there is the Central Organization Department, a human resources department that assigns roles to party members. Every five years, the CCP convenes the National Party Congress, not the same as the National People's Congress, the set policies and elect leaders, members choose the Central Committee of 370 members. This is thought to be largely a dog and pony show.
Starting point is 00:33:00 Leadership likely knows the outcomes of elections, legislation again, you know before the ccp convenes this national party congress we can only guess what goes on behind the scenes to make sure everything goes as planned right very much like uh... strong pollnable a putin and rush it today we know supposed elections over there are fucking sham we just don't know exactly how the sham is always pulled off no who's pulling what strings?
Starting point is 00:33:27 Anyway, the Central Committee serves as a board of directors for the party and is required to meet annually. The committee also selects the Politburo of 25 members. Politburo chooses the Politburo Standing Committee. And if some of these numbers, some sort of said 25s and said 24, hopefully I cleaned it up correctly, but again, it seems to be intentionally confusing. You know, there is a fair amount of guesswork exactly how the internal workings go over there because of, again, secrecy and propaganda. But the Politburo chooses the Politburo Standing Committee, which serves as the epicenter of the CCP's power leadership, as I said earlier, the seven
Starting point is 00:33:58 top positions, current leader, Xi Jinping, you know, led the party for almost a decade now, and consolidated control over the CCP and, quote, restored its central role in society in asserted China's global power. Some of the CCP's current challenges include slow economic growth, environmental issues and tensions with the West, especially the US. Some political experts on China have labeled Xi Jinping as the most influential Chinese leaders since Mao, as I said earlier, Xi has promoted a vision of China's rejuvenation and pushed for more assertive foreign policy, which has increased tensions with the US and allies. According to the council on foreign relations,
Starting point is 00:34:35 Xi's elevation marks the first time the CCP has moved towards strong man rule since former leader Deng Zhao Ping steered the party to consensus rule or collective leadership in the 1980s. Okay, now let me have a basic kind of understanding of China's recent history as a communist country and the structure of the CCP. Let's discuss a few of the important figures in the upcoming Tiananmen Square protests and massacre.
Starting point is 00:35:00 The Tiananmen Square protests have been called China's greatest political upheaval since the end of the cultural revolution. The 10th and square protests have been called China's greatest political upheaval since the end of the cultural revolution. The protesters wanted an end to governmental corruption among elite party members to have less restrictions placed on education, employment, family size, freedom of speech, freedom of press, etc., etc. There was a lot of people wanting a lot of different things. The protest started on April 15, 1989, among university students in Beijing, and then protest spread all across China.
Starting point is 00:35:30 Didn't end until June 4, 1989, winning an estimated 300,000 soldiers from the PLA, the People's Liberation Army, massacred the protesters. I love this fucking propaganda, by the way. It's always like the most totalitarian fucking places, just the most impressive places, have the nicest names. It's all about the people. It's the people's liberation army that will fucking annihilate the people if they do anything outside of the government's fucking firm orders for how to act, right?
Starting point is 00:35:58 But it sounds like, oh, it's a liberation army for the people to make sure you have freedom when it's actually the exact opposite of that PBS frontline rides throughout these weeks China's top leaders were deeply divided over how to handle the unrest With one faction advocating peaceful negotiation and another demanding a crackdown The protesting started after the death of Chinese politician Hu Yao Bong Yao Bong was a political reformer He held the top office of the CACP from 1901 to 1987, first as chairman from 1901 to 1902, then as general secretary from 1982 to 1907,
Starting point is 00:36:34 they changed their terminology a lot. And this was back before Xi Jinping's rule, where there was a lot more room for more of a conversation regarding important decisions than there seems to be now. room for more of a conversation regarding important decisions than there seems to be now. He was allied with Dung Xiaoping, a paramount leader of the PRC from 1978 to 1989. Dung was the chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1981 to 1989 before that role was, you know, combined with the General Secretary. And if this shit seems confusing regarding like their governmental structure and who's exactly in charge, it is confusing Again, it's intentional. I think it seems like they add you know some new fucking position names at least once a decade They switch what the position names actually mean from time to time which one's the most important You know who who is actually publicly speaking to the chinese people that will rotate from the inner circle
Starting point is 00:37:25 so you might have somebody doing the most speaking but they're not actually the person with the most power it's like this weird fucking political show game they play over there uh... to keep the world guessing how shit is actually ran right keep the keep the citizens guessing to uh... i think not being able to concise to explain who the fuck run to your government is a strong indicator that your government is shit
Starting point is 00:37:47 Anyway, who Yabong was born in November of 1915 would die April 15th, 1909 the day that the protests began at the age of 73 He was born in the Hunan province and he came from a poor family left home when was just 14, became a member of the CCP in 1933. When he was 17, he participated in the infamous Long March of 1934. In October 1934, during the Civil War, in China, the Communist broke through nationalist lines and fled from their headquarters in South-West China and went on this journey called the Long March, lasted about a year, and had a march about 4,000 miles. That is a long fucking march. My god, after the Long March, a mouse a dong would famously say that his, uh, his feet hurt
Starting point is 00:38:32 really bad. And he also said, Puy Puy's kind of have to walk that fog in. Puy Puy's my toes is a hood. No, he didn't say that. But he funny if he did that and talk like a baby. Now after the march, he emerged as the undisputed leader of the Communist. And the 30s who worked with future leader, Dung Zao Ping, and served as political commissar in the Second Field Army during the Chinese Civil War.
Starting point is 00:38:56 Political commissar is defined as a supervisory officer responsible for the political education, ideology, an organization of the unit, which they are assigned, with the intention of ensuring political control of the military. Who's Ali? Ali, Dung Jiao Ping was born on August 22nd, 1904, died on February 19th, 1997. Dung came from a land-doning family, studied in France in the 1920s, became a member of the Communist movement, also studied in the Soviet Union. When he came back to China, he became a leader of a communist enclave,
Starting point is 00:39:27 established by Mao Zedong in 1931. After the Cultural Revolution, who and Deng were twice purged and twice rehabilitated according to Chinese sources, twice that's the exact wording, twice purged and twice rehabilitated. What does that mean? Well, it means that they, they didn't agree with Mao and some shit. And we're very likely sent to one of China's re-education camps, where they were fucking tortured as long as it took to get their minds right.
Starting point is 00:39:53 These re-education camps, according to Amnesty International, are still very much around. There's a lot of them in China, and are quote, places of brainwashing, torture, and punishment. Let it heart back to the darkest hours of the Mao era. The organization estimates that about a million Chinese people are in these camps right, fucking now as you listen to this episode. Well, as I record it, I don't know, I don't know how long this episode will hang out on
Starting point is 00:40:17 the internet. 1977, who became director of the party's organization department and was then made a member of the Politburo and was named Propaganda Chief. Always a good sign of a fair noble government when they literally have a propaganda chief. That's cool. Who helped us mentor? Dung Xiaoping can solidate power in the 1970s, 1978. Dung Xiaoping launched economic reforms and quote, four modernizations in industry, agriculture,
Starting point is 00:40:43 science and defense. That's a big thing to talk about for a long time. We're going to move things forward with industry, industry agriculture science and defense big thing to talk about for a long time We're gonna move things forward with industry agriculture science and defense And they have actually done a good job of that during his reign a part of a wall near a commercial district in Beijing Actually became known as the democracy wall for the wall and it was used as a space Right where people could put up posters and criticize the government. They've changed. They're nice communist now And then that wall went away after just a few months Because there was a lot of criticism and they were like, oh no, we don't like this actually fuck that
Starting point is 00:41:15 1979 the government suppressed the wall and arrested activists Rotating thing critical on the wall and those activists were reeducated or executed It should kill me for people living in America today or any other nation that has basic human freedoms who support communism. If it was such a great fucking system of government, why historically do they not tolerate any criticism? The communist government of China, the Soviet Union, Cuba, North Korea, other communist states, right? Real averse to criticism in recent history. As in people routinely disappear or disappeared back in the Soviet era, are openly executed
Starting point is 00:41:55 or get reeducated, ie, fucking tortured and imprisoned when they dare to criticize the government. In my opinion, communism is for heartless tyrants and mindless fools. Never put that much trust in the state. Now, fucking ever. Big brother can always go suck a big bag of all the dicks. February of 1980, who was appointed General Secretary of the CCP and was elected to the political bureau's standing committee. His elevation was engineered by Dung, his mentor and de facto leader of China. And that's a lot of this stuff that goes on too, since there's not actually democratic elections, it's a lot of, you know, all scratch your back, you scratch mine. And, you know, there's different little like rival factions within party elite.
Starting point is 00:42:35 And they, you know, one faction just ends up, you know, kind of taking power behind the scenes and they move their people into the important positions and there's fucking bribes and constant corruption. It's a fucking dumpster fire. A general secretary who replaced Maoist ideology with what he called seeking truth from facts, who helped abolish the post of chairman at a party congress in 1982 and helped oversee the purging of Maoists and corrupt party members in the 1980s. More purging! So many purges in communism, right? And it always says like they're always purging like So many purgists and communism.
Starting point is 00:43:06 Right? And it always says like, they're always purging like corrupt party members. I doubt it. They're purging people who just don't agree with them, who might expose them for their own corruption. Who may have been an alright dude? Maybe he was often criticized for praising so-called Western ways. For example, during
Starting point is 00:43:25 1924 trip to Inner Mongolia, he suggested using individual plates forks and knives to avoid contagious diseases. I love that he got criticism for that. How dare he promote basic common sense hygiene? You know, when traditional ways are not as hygienic, he also started, and this was his cousin uproar, I'll start wearing a jacket and a tie. Hmm? Rather than the Mao suit as it was called. I started dressing like some dude who might be from Europe or some shit. What the fuck? Why not just hire an actor?
Starting point is 00:43:54 Dress up like Uncle Sam and constantly put that guy's balls in your mouth, who? You want to look so Western. Who also criticized for moving too fast towards the market and for his tolerance of dissident intellectuals. And that is another shit character flaw of communism, a special hatred of intellectuals, right? He's criticized for tolerating intellectuals. Reminds me of Paul Pot purging intellectuals from Cambodia. When asked which of Mao's dog's thoughts could apply to Chinese efforts at economic modernization, he answered, I think none.
Starting point is 00:44:24 That pissed a lot of people off who revered Mao. 1997, who was ousted as General Secretary by quote hardliners who accused him of bourgeois liberalization that had contributed to some student protests that year and the year before. Lost the faith of the upper elite by being too open to dialogue. Back in late fall of 1986, small groups of students in several cities staged some peaceful demonstrations demanding political reform.
Starting point is 00:44:50 On January 16th, 1907, an television announcer read a statement from who, who had resigned after making a self-criticism of his mistakes on major issues of political principles in violation of the party's principle of collective leadership. The New York Times wrote that his resignation came amidst a flurry of secret meetings that are still not entirely understood. Yeah, no one understands. So much of this. I'm guessing he resigned rather than suffers some kind of fatal accident or have some family
Starting point is 00:45:18 members, you know, disappear. Uh, Zhao, you young, then becomes general secretary after who steps down. And then Lee Pung becomes the premier of China. Right. Lee was the most visible part, uh, you know, party member during the protest and thought to be second and third and charge kind of behind a Zhao, uh, you young also behind, uh, Deng Zhao Ping. Uh, it gets a little crazy.
Starting point is 00:45:41 Deng Zhao Ping chairman of the Central Military Commission during the chairman's square protests. Lee Pung was born in 1928, died July 22nd, 2019, premiered of China from 1988 to 1998, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the NPC from 1998 to 2003. As a young man, Lee studied at the Moscow Power Institute, Russia, and returned, well, Soviet units at that time, returned to China in 1955. Moscow Power Engineering Institute is a public university in Moscow that offers training in power engineering, electric engineering, radio engineering, lots of, lots of engineering, electronics, information technologies and management. From 1955 to 1979,
Starting point is 00:46:19 it leads supervised major electrical power projects in China, learning from the Soviets in June of 1983, he was appointed vice premier by the NPC, and he advocated for a cautious approach to economic liberalization. He wanted to maintain political stability as the economy slowly modernized. And I do understand because the history went over earlier, you know, the urge for some of these guys
Starting point is 00:46:40 to do things slowly and maintain political stability, because it was a shit show in China as far as centralized, you know, leadership for the entire first half of the 20th century essentially. Now let's meet another dude in the inner circle of power and confusion during the protests, a guy whose name we just heard, Zhao Yu Young, Zhao was born on October 17th, 1919, died January 17th, 2005. John was born in the Hunan province, served as premier of China from 1980 to 1987, and General Secretary of the CCP from 87 to 89.
Starting point is 00:47:15 John had been a member of the CCP since 1938. All these guys are middle aged or senior citizens, you know, longtime commies by the time of the student, gentlemen, protests. Their minds were not going to be changed. This motherfucker was also purged during the cultural revolution. Had to do a little purge in and rehabilitation. Get his mind tortured until he was thinking in line with everyone else. And he became first party secretary in 1975 in the Sishwan province.
Starting point is 00:47:44 He became a member of the Politburo standing committee in 1980, Zhao advocated for any structure system policy or measure that could stimulate forces of production. Britannica writes throughout the 1980s, Zhao's pragmatic measures led to rapid increases in both agricultural and light industrial production, and his policies became the guiding principles for China's future economic development As mentioned previously job became general secretary after whose resignation and Lee pang took over premiership Deng Xiaoping would hold who responsible for campus demonstrations that called for political reforms
Starting point is 00:48:19 However, who would remain a member of the Standing Committee until he died. Who Yabong suffered a fatal heart attack during a pilot bureau meeting on April 8, 1989, died a week later, April 15, 1989, at 73 years old. Was he poisoned? If so, no one can prove it. Doesn't seem like he was. After who died large groups of student mourners came to Tiananmen Square and called for governmental and societal reform, some students held up a banner with whose portrait calling him China's spirit.
Starting point is 00:48:46 They opposed corruption, nepotism, a decline in living conditions. In the following days, thousands of protesters came out and then the demonstrations spread outside of Beijing. And that caused a lot of alarm amongst communist party leadership. After 10 days, initial protest started to die down, but then the people's daily newspaper,
Starting point is 00:49:04 published an editorial titled, The Necessity for a Clear Stand Against Term oil. And the people's daily editorial accused the protesters of conspiring to overthrow the government. The students were furious at the accusation. They called themselves patriots who just wanted to improve China. And I'm guessing that journalists for that paper existing in a corrupt communist state were for fucking sure pressure to write what they wrote. And by pressure, I mean, possibly just given what they were to print, whoever told them,
Starting point is 00:49:35 you know, to write about the protest, write what they wrote, fucked up. If they just would have not addressed the protest. Now not called the protesters, traitors, it seems very likely according to Western sources that the protest would have just died down and been done with. But now there's resurgence, right? The number of protestors were fading right before the editorial came out. But now it's like some gas have been thrown on the fire that looked like it was going to die out on its own, right?
Starting point is 00:50:01 Whoops. According to the associated press, the tone of the editorial raised the strong possibility that the participants could be arrested and tried on national security charges. After the publication of this, more protests break out, increasingly big protests in different Chinese cities. Student leaders began a coordinated hunger strike to demand a dialogue with the country leaders and demand recognition of their movement as patriotic and democratic. The formal welcoming, adding to this mess, the formal welcoming ceremony for Gorbachev.
Starting point is 00:50:31 Right, Soviet Union's premiere with cancel due to these protests, which became a big loss of face for the Chinese government. Protestsers knew, of course, about Gorbachev's visit. They knew that event was bringing a lot of Western journalists into the nation, you know, who would be there to cover the protests. I'm sure that emboldened them in their effort to protest. I wonder if they thought that China would be reluctant to use deadly force around a bunch of Western journalists.
Starting point is 00:50:55 They of course would be wrong if they thought that. On May 18, 1989, the student leaders had a meeting with Premier Lee Pung and other officials, but it didn't lead any progress. The students complaints were not just about freedom, they were about economics. China's economy is 24 times the size now that it was back in 1989. Despite its population only increasing from 1.12 billion to 1.4 billion. Over the past 40 years, going back seven years before the protests and massacre, the number
Starting point is 00:51:24 of people in China with incomes below a dollar ninety u s per day the international poverty line is defined by the world bank to track global extreme poverty has fallen by close to eight hundred million people back in nineteen nine china was one of the most extremely in povars nations in the world now overall economically it's doing better than the US.
Starting point is 00:51:46 People are even more likely to protest over extreme poverty than they are over a lack of freedoms. The day after failed talks between students in the government May 19th, 1989, the government declares martial law. But then when the military initially comes into squash student protests, they're met with unexpected kickback. Students and other residents of Beijing had actually managed to block the first wave of military vehicles attempting to enter
Starting point is 00:52:09 the city with roadblocks, main of cars, buses, whatever they could find. Students came to Beijing across the country, protests spread to about 400 other cities as well. The army left and the government reconvened to figure out their next move. They decided that the only way to end the protest was to send in the army again and estimated 180,000 soldiers by one source, armed police were sent to the city on June 3, 1989, Beijing residents, especially in the neighborhoods of Moushid and Shidan resisted soldiers again. They barricaded routes again into where they were protesting with buses, trucks, anything they could get your hands on. And citizens ended up setting trucks buses and military vehicles on fire and then shit
Starting point is 00:52:49 got crazy and unarmed civilians started to die shots are fired so many shots soldiers closed in on tenement square the hub of the protest in some students refused to leave until they were persuaded by other student leaders. The city's hospital soon became crowded with wounded and dead civilians hundreds if not thousands of people were killed in Beijing Also, another cities that night where there were not Western journalists to document what happened because that we don't know What happened around much of the country at the same time Western powers in Hong Kong condemned the army's actions after the massacre Chinese
Starting point is 00:53:21 Leadership didn't care not really within three years by 1992 China had restored most of their overseas relationships. They restricted more freedoms than they had in years in the wake of the protests. The economy, though, is now booming after the Tiananmen Square massacre, Deng Xiaoping relaunched economic reforms that brought in a new period of growth in China. The protests were initially labeled a counter-revolutionary riot, but now were called political turmoil, and then not acknowledged at all. The Chinese government still does what it can to hide the fact that these protests ever occurred. The government has never apologized or expressed any regret for the massacre and has rejected all outside investigations.
Starting point is 00:54:00 Over 30 years after the Tiananmen Square massacre, Hu Yao Bong is still being honored. On the 30th anniversary of his death, several notable organizations posted on Weibo, a popular Chinese social media platform used by over 250 million Chinese now in honor of Hu. But the hashtag 30th anniversary of Hu Yao Bong's passing was actually deleted from the site, to help curb any kind of critical online activity. Of course it was, but Jangels is laughing. This is how it works in the communist nation. actually deleted from the site to help curb any kind of critical online activity. Of course it was, but jangles is laughing. This is how it works in communist nation.
Starting point is 00:54:33 The Washington Post writes many young Chinese will know little if anything about whose role. All but the most anodine references to events related to Tiananmen Square are scrubbed from China's history textbooks and all discussion of it is centered on the Chinese internet. Yay censorship! These are going to fucking great in your country is centered on the Chinese internet. Yay censorship. Things are going to fucking great in your country when it's censored your internet. According to the Washington Post, whose anti-corruption activism is helpful for current general secretary G or Xi Jinping, who's also promising an end to corruption. They folks in that party, whose legacy since Xi Jinping took power 1.5 million officials have been in prison. But again, how many of them are in prison for you know, being corrupt? How many are just critical of
Starting point is 00:55:11 Xi Jinping? How many have been scapegoats? Okay, the hard part of the episode is now over with all this information. You know, this information dense context now established. I wanted to pull my fucking hair out trying to comprehend the confusing corrupt spiderweb that is a CCP's organizational structure. Let's now cover the Tiananmen Square protest and massacre from beginning to end. Right after today's mid show sponsor break, you knew that was coming. Thanks for sticking around. Now it is really time to get into the action of today's timeline.
Starting point is 00:55:46 Shrap on those boots, soldier. We're marching down a time suck timeline. Alrighty, April 15th, 1989, it all begins. Former communist party general secretary, who y'all bought? And as we have said, dies of a heart attack at the age of 73. He was a leading reformist more open to quickly moving China's falter in economy towards Western capitalism than his peers and his death worries many students are not feeling great about their financial future in China. They're also craving more freedoms than their parents did.
Starting point is 00:56:19 They didn't grow up like many of their parents and grandparents amidst constant fighting and upheaval. They've had more stability, but also poverty. They've had more security, but also more time to think about the future and what could be, as opposed to just worrying about ever-present turmoil. All right, a generation more likely to protest. On April 17th, 1989, 10 to thousands of students started gathering in Tiananmen Square in Beijing to mourn who? The square is described by PBS as the nation's symbolic central space.
Starting point is 00:56:46 It's like the Chinese equivalent of Times Square, right here in the States, or the equivalent of Moscow, Russia's Red Square. And it's also the biggest public city square in the world. Hundreds of students marching to the square to Laidoree, that the monument to the people's revolutionary heroes, the big 10-story obelisk that was erected as a national monument of China to the martyrs of revolutionary struggle during the 19th and 20th centuries in 1958. And they laid it to honor Hu Yabong by this symbol again of political reform and anti-corruption to many of them. The students used his legacy to ask for increased freedom of speech, economic freedom and to government corruption and so more right all very noble
Starting point is 00:57:27 you know good things to ask for but they're also essentially asking to be done with communism in order to get a lot of the shit from April 18th through the 21st nineteen ninety nine the demonstrations increase in Beijing and start to spread to other cities and universities workers even minor government officials start to protest against issues of inflation, their salaries, their housing and more. As far as housing goes in China, you can own a house, but you can't own the land it sits on.
Starting point is 00:57:54 That's owned by a state. That sounds fun, right? According to the BBC, the demonstrations become fucking massive by the end of April, over a million students and workers occupy the square and immediate vicinity at one point. The Tiananmen Square protest is the largest political protest in communist China's history. This is a big fucking deal. What does big deal? These protests are Cheeketilo. I think quite like this has ever happened to the communist before. Party leaders started to worry that the demonstrations will lead to
Starting point is 00:58:23 chaos and rebellion. One group of party leaders led by Premier Leigh Pung, who was the second ranking in the party hierarchy at this point, suspected that, quote, black hands of bourgeois liberal elements are secretly working to undermine the government. Uh-huh. That's one way to put it. Another way to put it is a bunch of students are smart enough to know that you guys are a bunch of fucking dipshit garbage leaders.
Starting point is 00:58:45 A minority faction led by the party general secretary, Zhao Yu-Yong believed the student mainstream is good and the government should affirm their patriotism. Although, you know, any inappropriate methods of action should be pointed out to them. Li Pung wanted the protest to be nipped in the bud, but Zhao Yu-Yong convinces Li and his supporters to wait it out. Arguing our main task right now is to be sure that the memorial service for Comrade Yalbong goes off smoothly. So that's the do for the time. Let's let these people protest April 22nd, 1989 over 100,000 university students assemble outside the Great Hall of the people, the site of Hu Yalbong's memorial service. Three students carried
Starting point is 00:59:24 a petition of their demands up the steps of the Great Hall and insisted on meeting with Li Pung, but he does not respond. Over the next few days, students boycott their classes and form unofficial student unions, which was illegal. To have a legal student union, the CCP has to approve your student group, getting together to talk about whatever the fuck you want to talk about with the group of like-minded people and not keep the CCP informed of what you are discussing Not okay in China in 1989 not legal. I don't think it's okay or legal today At these motherfuckers, we're risking re-education by doing this April 25, 1989 10 days after Yalbang's death Lee Pong calls for a meeting of the Politburo while
Starting point is 01:00:05 Zhao Yuyong is visiting North Korea, right? Zhao Yuyong, the voice of reason in today's story. So he's gone. This other guy, Lee Pong gets the rest of the people together and be like, ah, what the fucking crush these motherfuckers. This meeting is dominated by party members and antagonistic to the students. The group convinced Dung, Zhao Ping, de facto head of the state that the students wanted to overthrow him and the Communist Party and then needed to act.
Starting point is 01:00:31 Maybe the students did, but I don't think it was that explicit. Dung decided that the party had been tolerant and restrained up until this point, but that now they need to act. He said, we must explain to the whole party and nation that we are facing a most serious political struggle. We've got to be explicit and clear in a poise in opposing this turmoil. On April 26, 1989, the people's daily state newspaper publishes an editorial titled the necessity for a clear stand against turmoil. But sadly, by this time, the protests are starting to die down, right? Most Western, you know, experts on this protest and mask of the follows think that if they
Starting point is 01:01:10 just would have fucking not published this editorial that the protest would have just died down and just went away over the next few months. But instead they fan the flames. The editorial mirrors Dung Xiaoping's opinions from the April 25th meeting. The following is a translation of this editorial. In their activities to mourn the death of Kamrad Hu Yaobong communists, workers, peasants, intellectuals, cadres, members of the People's Liberation Army and young students have expressed their grief in various ways.
Starting point is 01:01:47 They have also expressed their determination to turn grief into strength to make contributions in realizing the four modernizations and invigorating the Chinese nation. Some abnormal phenomena have also occurred during the morning activities. Taking advantage of the situation in an extremely small number of people spread rumors, attacked party and state leaders by name and instigated the masses to break into the Shinhua Gate at Songnan High where the party's Central Committee and the state council are located. Some people even shouted such reactionary slogans as down with the Communist Party. In Sean and Chang-Sha, there have been serious incidents in which some lawbreakers carried out beating, smashing, looting, and burning.
Starting point is 01:02:31 I like when they point out that the protesters dared to critique party members by name. A government that considers itself above critique, above criticism, is not a government worth having. Taking into consideration the feelings of grief grief suffered by the masses, the party and government have adopted an attitude of tolerance and restraint, right? They're fucking good guys! Toward some improper words, uttered in actions carried out by the young students when they were emotionally agitated. On April 22nd, before the memorial meeting was held, some students had already showed up
Starting point is 01:03:03 at Tiananiman Square, but they were not asked to leave, as they normally would have been, and instead they were asked to observe discipline and join in the morning for Comrade Hu Ya Bang. I like that twist. They were protesting. They were asked to join in the morning,
Starting point is 01:03:18 work and troll in this shit. The students on the square were themselves able to consciously maintain order. We got this. Owing to the joint efforts by all concern, it was possible for the memorial meeting to proceed in a solemn and respectful manner. However, after the memorial meeting, an extremely small number of people, I like to focus, extremely small.
Starting point is 01:03:39 This is just a couple of fucking distance that we got to fucking shut the fuck up. Not most people who love what we're doing. So yeah, I said, however, after the memorial meeting, an extremely small number of people with ulterior purposes continue to take advantage of the young students' feelings of grief for Comrade Hu Yao Bong to spread all kinds of rumors to poison and confuse people's minds, using both big and small character posters. That's a weird detail. Listen, they weren't just putting up dissenting opinions with like small fonts, okay?
Starting point is 01:04:11 They fucking, they took it too far. They put big fonts on the posters, so people could, you know, read it. Ha ha ha, the audacity. Using both big and small character posters, they vilified hurled invect vectors at an attack party in state leaders How dare a free opinion be shared how dare anyone put up a poster attacking a politician What if they sought what if their mom sought what if they're hot hard nude father daddy sought
Starting point is 01:04:42 Oh men simply tripping in soy sauce. That's a running game for the Julius Caesar's suck, by the way, if you are new and so confused. Back to the CCP's official published statement. Bladently violating the Constitution, they called for opposition to the leadership by the Communist Party and the socialist system. And some of the institutions of higher learning
Starting point is 01:05:02 illegal organizations were formed to seize power from the student unions. In some cases, they of higher learning, illegal organizations were formed to seize power from the student unions. In some cases, they even forcibly took over the broadcasting systems on the campuses. In some institutions of higher learning, they instigated the students and teachers to go on strike and even went to the extent of forcibly preventing students from going to classes. You served the name of the workers' to distribute reactionary hand bills and establish ties everywhere in an attempt to create even more serious incidents. These facts prove that what this extremely small number of people did was not to join in
Starting point is 01:05:34 the activities to mourn Comrade Hu Ya Bang or to advance the course of socialist democracy in China, neither were they out to give vent to their grievances. flaunting the banner of democracy. They undermine democracy and the legal system. What fucking democracy are they referring to here? There is no democracy in the CCP. Though Jangle just muttered lies and propaganda. That's right, he can speak perfect English when he wants to.
Starting point is 01:05:59 The statement continues. Their purpose was to was to sow dissension among the people, plunge the whole country into chaos, and sabotage the political situation of stability and unity. Don't fuck with our power. This is the plan conspiracy in a disturbance. Its essence is to once and for all negate the leadership of the CPC and the socialist system.
Starting point is 01:06:22 This is a serious political struggle confronting the whole party and the people of all nationalities throughout the country. If we are tolerant of or conniving with this disturbance and let it go unchecked, a seriously chaotic state will appear. Or a much better Democratic Western not shitty communist state will rise from the fucking human rights trampling ashes of this shit show or that. Also, the CPC is the same thing as the CCP. Chinese, Chinese Communist Party, Communist Party of China, same shit. Then the reform and opening up the improvement of the economic environment and the res—oh boy. Recentification of the economic order construction and development the control over prices. Oh, sorry rectification There's a lot of letters in that word rectification of the economic order
Starting point is 01:07:10 I know a lot of your pride fucking really thrown there. What what kind of are you talking about rectification and fucking what dude? I Know I've ever been heard that word before Got a fucking rectify with some rectification But okay, I'm going to back up because I now have made it confusing. Then the reform and opening up the improvement of the economic environment and the rectification of the economic order, construction and development, the control over prices, the improvement over our living standards, the drive to oppose
Starting point is 01:07:37 corruption and the development of democracy and the legal system expected by the people throughout the country, including the young students, will all become empty hopes. Even the tremendous achievements scored in the reform during the past decade, maybe completely lost. And the great aspiration of the revitalization of China cherished by the whole nation will be hard to realize. A China with very good prospects and a very bright future will become a chaotic and unstable China without any future.
Starting point is 01:08:02 Ha! If China's government really was cherished by the whole nation, there wouldn't be these big protests with there. I love how they sell so much fear. We have to stop these protesters. Or all of your freedom, all of this economic, there is no freedom. There's very little freedom in China as he's saying this and it's an economic, it's a fucking disaster at this point in history.
Starting point is 01:08:23 He says, the whole party and the people nationwide should fully understand the seriousness of this struggle. Unite to take a clear cut stand to oppose the disturbance and firmly preserve the harder and situational political stability and unity, the constitution, socialist, democracy, and the legal system. Under no circumstance should the establishment of any legal organizations be allowed. It is imperative to firmly stop any acts that can use any excuse to infringe upon the rights and interests of legitimate organizations of students. Those who have deliberately fabricated rumors and framed others should be investigated
Starting point is 01:08:55 to determine their criminal liabilities according to law. Bands should be placed on unlawful parades and demonstrations on such acts as going to factories, rural areas and schools to establish ties. Beating, smashing, looting, and burning should be punished according to law. It is necessary to protect the just rights of students to study in class. The broad masses of students sincerely hope that corruption will be eliminated, and democracy will be promoted. There is no fucking democracy. I love this. We're for the students.
Starting point is 01:09:24 We're just trying to help so many students who are being corrupted by this small group of anarchists. These two are the demands of the party and the government. These demands can only be realized by strengthening the efforts for improvement and rectification. Vigurously pushing forward the reform and making perfect our socialist democracy and our legal system under the party leadership. Under party leadership. Under party leadership. I think those were the most important words of the last chunk there. Bend the knee. Respect our thought.
Starting point is 01:09:55 All comrades in the party and the people throughout the country must soberly recognize the fact that our country will have no peaceful days. If this disturbance is not checked resolutely, this struggle concerns the success or failure of the reform and opening up, the program of the four modernizations and the future of our state and nation. Party organizations of the CPC at all levels, the broad masses of members of the Communist Party and the Communist youth league, all democratic parties and patriotic democratic personages and the people around the country
Starting point is 01:10:25 should make a clear distinction between right and wrong, take positive action and struggle to firmly and quickly and quickly stop the disturbance. He might as well have signed that off with, uh, and Hyle Hitler. Fuck China's Communist Party, right? They are for fucking anything but the people. On April 27th, they're just, man, it's just so much fear of mongerites, so much fucking typical political fear of mongerite there. On April 27th, tens of thousands of students are now staged in another demonstration in
Starting point is 01:10:55 Beijing. They're all riled up about this editorial. More demonstrations quickly spread to other cities. Now at Tiananmen Square, there are not only students, but all kinds of other citizens protesting as well. Jan Wong, a foreign journalist who was in Beijing, told PBS, in Beijing, one in ten of the population was joining in. All of the old people, all the little children, so it was massive. You had doctors and nurses and scientists and army people demonstrating. The Chinese Navy was demonstrating. And I thought this is extraordinary because who's left? It's just the top leaders who aren't out there. From April 29th to May 3rd 1989 leaders are still arguing about how to deal with the protests internally.
Starting point is 01:11:35 Their goal is to stop all the protests and get students to go back to their classes. And just for everyone to shut the fuck up and go home. Zhao Yu-Yong and his supporters want to negotiate still with protesters. He is emphasizing that the government should deal with the protesters' legitimate complaints. Lee Pong and his supporters want to restore social stability before considering any reforms. May 4th, 1989, tens of thousands of students marched into the enemy square for the seventh the eighth anniversary now of the 1919 May 4th movement, which took place in 10th and square. The student promised to return to class on May 5th, but intended to keep pushing for reforms
Starting point is 01:12:09 after doing so. And I'll explain that May 4th movement in just a moment. Jiao Yu-Yung now gave a speech to foreign bankers during which he expressed his support for the student's patriotism. This statement, not well received by his buddies back in the inner core of a communist leadership, because it contradicted the April 26 editorial. So this, you know, greatly angers senior members of the Communist Party. Zhao, you went fucking row, big no, no, big no, no, with a collective communist leadership. And this is before, you know, it was more of a dictatorship that it is currently as thought by a lot of Chinese experts.
Starting point is 01:12:46 The May 4th demonstrations were the largest pro-democracy demonstration China had seen since the beginning of Communist rule. The May 4th movement was an intellectual movement that wanted a stronger China. On May 4th, 1919, college students staged demonstrations to protest the Versailles Treaty, which ceded German territories in China to Japan rather than give them back to China. The demonstrations led to a new phase of national consciousness, the May 4th movement thus symbolized patriotism among young people. And the May 4th period was an era of intellectual debate
Starting point is 01:13:15 concerning the roles of traditional Chinese culture, modern science and Western-style democracy. Okay, cutting back to 1989 now. From May 5th through the 12th, but you can see why May 4th was an important day for these protesters. From May 4th through the 12th, 1989, students returned to classes and according to PBS, the movement was influx and lacks leadership.
Starting point is 01:13:36 And if there had been a leader, you can bet your ass, that guy would have been seriously refhucking educated. More likely he would have been, you know, fucking disappeared forever or executed as a traitor. Over 60 different crimes, uh, were punishable by death in China, by the way, at this time. Despite the risk, some factions plan to demonstrate further and plan to hunger strike. All this is happening. The party is also preparing for Soviet party secretary Mikhail Gorbachev's visit to Beijing big deal. Dung Zhaoping wanted to end the protest peacefully, at least he claimed that publicly, but insisted that the students had to get out of Tiananmen Square before Gorbachev.
Starting point is 01:14:13 You know, fuck with Gorbachev's meeting with us. Do not embarrass me. But Zhao, but Zhao Yu-Yung was unable to convince the students to end their demonstrations before Gorbachev's arrival, which causes him to lose further favor with senior party members. May 13, 1999, 160 students and anticipation of Gorbachev's visits started a hunger strike in Tindamins Square. Their main reason was, quote, the government's failure to respond to requests for dialogue. One of the students, printed manifestos, stated, the nation is in crisis.
Starting point is 01:14:43 Be set by rampant inflation, illegal dealing by profiteering officials, abuses of power, corrupt bureaucrats, the flight of good people to other countries and deterioration of law and order. Compatriots, fellow countrymen who cherish morality, please hear our voices. The students had garnered a lot of support and important intellectuals quote quote, pledge to help them, according to journalist Jan Wong, talking to PBS, who also said there's such a feeling in China about food because of the thousands of years of famines that we've had.
Starting point is 01:15:15 So when the students went on their hunger strike, it really moved people to tears and brave act. Hail Nimrod. May 15th, Mikhail Gor Garbage Offer Rives in Beijing. This is the first Sino-Soviet summit since 1959, right? Long time, 30 years. This is another big deal, huge deal. And the government cancels their plans to welcome him in Tiananmen Square because of the
Starting point is 01:15:40 fucking Pesky Hunger strike. So they're embarrassed. It's big, uh-oh. A lot of expletives being bounced around party headquarters for sure. Gen Wong said, for the Chinese government, this was a big loss of face, very scary. They were aware of what was happening in the Soviet Union. And so were the Chinese people that the communist party of the Soviet Union was more or less imploding. The party leaders were very frightened in China. I bet they were. I'm sure they were very worried about being overthrown,
Starting point is 01:16:06 if they were going to be overthrown, decent chance, they would be imprisoned, reeducated, or executed. May 16, over 3,000 people now are participating in this hunger strike. The party is very embarrassed. This is still going on during Gorbatov's visit, which increases tensions further between them and the students. During an emergency meeting. Uh, Zhao Yu-Yong maintains his stance still that the government should retract the April 26 editorial to end the strike and begin a dialogue with the students. He said the vast majority of student demonstrators are patriotic and sincerely concerned for
Starting point is 01:16:37 our country. We may not approve of all of their methods, but they're demand to promote democracy, to deepen the reforms, and to root out corruption are quite reasonable. Oh, Jiao Yu-Yung, you done just fucked up. Reason has no place in communist China dipshit. Oh boy, you fuck, how dare you preach reason, you communist disgrace. Lee Pung disagrees, saying it's more and more clear that a tiny minority is trying to use the turmoil to reach its political goal, which is repudiation of the Communist Party leadership and the socialist system.
Starting point is 01:17:09 Their goals are to topple the Chinese Communist Party, to completely repudiate the people's democratic dictatorship. Is it a democratic dictatorship? Is that a thing? May 17, 1989. Dung Xiaoping science to disregard Zhao's recommendation to work with the students and proposes martial law saying the aim will be to suppress the termo once and for all and to return things quickly to normal. This is the unshirkable duty of the party and the government. Zhao expresses his problems with this plan, but eventually says, I will submit to party discipline the minority does yield to the majority.
Starting point is 01:17:46 May 18th, uh, Zhao Yu-Yong once again visits some of the protesters who are hospitalized due to the hunger strike. He attempts to convince them to end the hunger strike. He reportedly drafts a letter of resignation, but never sends it. Now Lee Pong holds a televised meeting with two leaders in the Great Hall, but that also leads to no progress. That evening, the party elders and a polypural members meet and approve a declaration of martial law.
Starting point is 01:18:10 Zhao Yu-Yong does not attend this meeting. I respect, right? Zhao. Right. He's for sure my favorite CCP party member. May 1989, the student leaders learn about the government's plan to declare martial law. They end their hunger strike and stage now a massive sit in at the square An estimated 1.2 million supporters come out including police military and industrial workers
Starting point is 01:18:36 1.2 million how nervous of the CCP now Zhao you young again come to the square accompany by a leapong and future premiere When jibal for a final appeal to get the students to compromise young again come to the square, a company by Lee Pong and future premier, uh, when Jabao for a final appeal to get the students to compromise. Uh, Jowl reported details of protesters. We have come too late. This was his last public appearance because he was soon removed from office. Oh, you bet your ass he was.
Starting point is 01:19:00 He showed weakness regarding communist rule. Pretty hard to be an open-minded and well-liked member of the inner circle of an oppressive regime that continually tramples human rights. Lee Pung appeared on TV that evening to declare martial law publicly. He said, and this is the beginning of his public address, Zhao Yu Young is a fucking pussy-ass bitch. Just before I walked in this room, I saw him in the hallway, and I told him to go suck on some nuts. And then he, uh, he asked what nuts? And I said these nuts. And I spit in his bitch face. Homeboy soft, he soft as fuck. And when you're playing
Starting point is 01:19:36 his games anymore, you feel me? We are motherfucking gangsters. We're about to do some gangsters shit up in this bitch. You feel me? You think I'm fucking playing fool? Try me. That's why fuck it Tha what what motherfucker? Step to this. Don't you fucking front on me Yeah, yeah man Lee Pung went he went hard He did actually go hard, but of course not like that. I fucking love that to be true He actually said the briefing by Comrade Lee she, Secretary of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee, a little while ago indicated that the current situation in the capital is quite grim.
Starting point is 01:20:09 The anarchic state is going from bad to worse. Law and discipline have been undermined. Prior to the beginning of May, the situation had begun to cool down as a result of great efforts. However, the situation has become more turbulent since the beginning of May. More and more students and other people have been involved in demonstrations. Many institutions of higher learning have come to a standstill. Traffic jams have taken place everywhere.
Starting point is 01:20:31 The party and government leading organs have been affected and public security has been rapidly deteriorating. All this has seriously disturbed and undermined the normal order of production, work, study, and everyday life of the people in the whole municipality. Some activities on the agenda for state affairs of the Sino-Soviet Summit, that attracted worldwide attention, had to be canceled, greatly damaging China's international image and prestige.
Starting point is 01:20:56 Oh, the loss of prestige! How dare, advocation of basic human rights stand in the way of precious prestige. The activities of some of the students on a hunger strike at 10th and square have not yet been stopped completely. Their health is seriously deteriorating and some of their lives are still in imminent danger. In fact, a handful of persons are using the hunger strikes as hostages to coerce and force
Starting point is 01:21:21 the party in the government to yield to their political demands. In this regard, they have not won Iota of humanity. Well, how have they been held hostage? Are they holding themselves hostage? That's a weird way to frame a hunger strike. The party and the government have, on one hand, taken every possible measure to treat and rescue the fasting students. On the other hand, they have held several dialogues with representatives of the fasting students and have earnestly promised to continue to listen to their opinions in the future, and the hope that the students would stop their
Starting point is 01:21:51 hunger strike immediately. But the dialogues did not yield results as expected. The square is packed with extremely excited crowds who keep shouting demagogic slogans. Right now, representatives of the hunger striking students say that they can no longer control the situation. If we fail to promptly put an end to such a state of affairs and let it go unchecked, it will very likely lead to serious consequences which none of us want to see. The situation of Beijing is still developing and has already affected many other cities in the country. In many places, a number of demonstrators and protesters is increasing. In some places, there have been incidents
Starting point is 01:22:26 of people breaking into local party and government organs, along with beating, smashing, looting, burning, and other undermining activities that seriously violate the law. Some trains running on major railway lines have even been intercepted, causing communications to stop. Something has happened to our trunk line, the Beijing Guangzhou line. Today, a train
Starting point is 01:22:45 from Fijou was intercepted. The train was unable to move out for several hours. A lot of accusations are pretty suspect. They're not verified by Western sources. So it's just to calm down his leadership, making these declarations and claims, you know, the same leadership to control is the press. The same leadership that has a propaganda division, the same leadership that constantly suppresses factual information. So who the fuck knows if a lot of this is true? And they continue. All these incidents demonstrate that we will have
Starting point is 01:23:14 nationwide major turmoil if no quick action is taken to turn and stabilize the situation. Our nations reforms and opening to the outside world, the cause of the four modernizations and even the fate and future of the people's Republic of China, built by many revolutionary martyrs with their blood are facing a serious threat. Our party and government have pointed out time and time again that the vast numbers of young students are kind-hearted, that subjectively they do not want turmoil, and that they have
Starting point is 01:23:40 fervent patriotic spirit wishing to push forward reform, develop democracy, and overcome corruption. Okay, well, at least now they're addressing some truths. This is also in line with the goals to which the party and government have striven to accomplish. Bullshit. Bullshit. No, that's not true. Should be said that many of the questions and views they raise have already exerted
Starting point is 01:24:02 and will continue to exert positive influence on improving the work of the party in government. However, willfully using various forms of demonstrations, boycotts of class and even hunger strikes to make petitions have damaged social stability and will not be beneficial to solving the problems. Moreover, the situation has developed completely independent of the subjective wishes of the young students. More and more, it is going in a direction that runs counter to their intentions. At present, it has become more and more clear that the very, very few people, I love that they keep emphasizing the very, very few people who attempt to create turmoil, want to achieve. It's like two or three dudes. Out of the conditions
Starting point is 01:24:39 of turmoil, precisely, their political goals, which they could not achieve through normal democratic and legal channels. Now, they love to use this democratic word to negate the CPC leadership and to negate the socialist system. They openly promoted the slogan of negating the opposition to bourgeois liberalization. Their goal is to gain absolute freedom to unscrupulously oppose the four cardinal principles. They spread many rumors attacking, slandering and abusing principle leaders of the party in state. How dare they principal leaders of the party and state.
Starting point is 01:25:05 How dare they be critical of the government? At present, the spearhead has been focused on Comrade Dungjao Ping, who has made tremendous contributions to our cause of reform and to opening to the outside world. Their goal is precisely to organizationally subvert the CPC leadership, overthrow the people's government elected by the people's Congress in accordance with the law and totally negate the people's democratic dictatorship. I love that propaganda term, democratic dictatorship. That pairing of words makes about as much sense as a cuddly executioner or healthy myth. He now says they stir up trouble everywhere, establish secret ties, instigate the creation
Starting point is 01:25:46 of all kinds of illegal organizations and force the party, the people and the government to recognize them. And doing so, they are attempting to lay a foundation and make a breakthrough for the establishment of opposition factions and opposition parties. If they should succeed, the reform and opening to the outside world, democracy and legality and socialist modernization will all come to nothing. And China will suffer a historical retrogression of very promising China with a very bright future will become a hopeless China with no future. Uh-huh.
Starting point is 01:26:15 Fear, fear, fear. If we don't stop them, all your lives are ruined. Now I'm skipping ahead several minutes into speech towards the end. You know, he and other members just keep repeating all the same fucking propaganda shit. We've already gone over. Keep painting protesters as dangerous radicals and it's only a couple. They're really the radicals, the rest of us, you know, being misled by them. You know, these radicals are determined to overthrow the government, send China into economic freefall and anarchy,
Starting point is 01:26:38 and you know, fucking everything you've ever loved is going to be destroyed. All your lives are going to be ruined. Is there anything corrupt politicians love more than selling fear in order to either get into power, keep more power, or keep themselves in power? And all of this might have led to their regime crashing down, but something so much better could have risen in its ashes. So now the CCP wraps up the speech with to restore normal order, to restore normal order to restore public order to stabilize the situation of Beijing municipality. And to restore normal order, there is, I keep saying normal order over
Starting point is 01:27:11 nor there is no choice but to remove a group of the PLA to the vicinity of Beijing, right? The people's liberation liberation army. And then a minute or so later, the arrival of PLA troops in the vicinity of Beijing is definitely not aimed at dealing with students. They have not come here to deal with the students. Their aim is to restore the normal order of production of life, of work, and Beijing municipality. At the same time, they aim to protect a number of important departments and major government organs. Therefore, the station of the PLA troops in the capital is aimed at maintaining public security. They are by no means directly to the students. Everyone will be able to clearly see their activities in the next few days. Everything's okay, same that maintaining public security. They are by no means directly to the students.
Starting point is 01:27:45 Everyone will be able to clearly see their activities in the next few days. Everything's okay everybody. There's one thing the army is not in Beijing for, is to hurt your buddy. Now, other guns are just basic, you know, like the freedom guns, their democracy guns. They're definitely not like, you know,
Starting point is 01:28:02 pupu die, die guns. They're there to just to help the students come to their senses and just let business as usual kind of move along in a very peaceful, loving way. No, we're not going to hurt anybody. That's the last thing that we want to do. You'll see May 20th, 1989, PLA soldiers attempt to occupy Beijing for the first time in 40 years of communist rule, and they are met with resistance, peaceful resistance, but a lot of resistance. Crowds of civilian protesters blocked their convoys. Protesters began talking to the soldiers,
Starting point is 01:28:29 tried to explain why they should leave. Orville Shell, Dean of the Graduate School of Journalism, the University of California, Berkeley, who was there in 1989, later told PBS, you had these touching moments of the people appealing to the army to join them and feeding them and giving them water and saying you know could be your son could be your daughter And you have these sort of dough-eyed puzzled soldiers who are mostly country people who weren't experienced with big city life Just wondering what was going on here and not wanting to hurt anybody and I watched some documentaries and saw These soldiers smiling with protesters gladly accepting their food laughing Smiling along with singing with them actually singing protests. So at one point
Starting point is 01:29:12 This was also fucking sad for a lot of these soldiers, you know, they were being used by party leadership as pawns You know, I'm sure they were well aware if they resisted orders They can be executed for being traders And the soldiers were ordered this time not not to shoot civilians, even if provoked this time. And they were unable to get to a tenement square, like fully into the square, and then also unable to withdraw from the city because of all the roadblocks and such for almost three days, more embarrassment for the party.
Starting point is 01:29:41 May 24th, the soldiers, you know, they're able to leave Beijing now. The government views all of this, of course, as an embarrassment, another challenge to their authority. According to journalists, John Pomprett, the party leaders feared that the whole edifice of communism was going to collapse. They needed to make a stand and a bloody stand to show their population and effect to cow their population back into submission. Exactly. That's what the massacre would be about. Submit. Right, it would not be about protecting anyone
Starting point is 01:30:09 other than party leadership. It would be a powerful reminder of, you do not fuck with this regime. From May 25th to June 1st, demonstrations continue. According to PBS, Beijing operates with no real police presence and with a virtually free press. And I bet that free press part scared leadership more than the no police part.
Starting point is 01:30:29 Protesters of the square were jubilant, according to sources, but the government was fucking furious. Dung Jiao Ping now comes up with a new strategy in the protest. He'll send in armed soldiers from every military district in China according to Oral Shell. And the second time around, they will bring in troops from far away who don't have connections to Beijing, whose kids are not in the square and they decide they will brook no obstacle. During the protests, the press starts reporting freely and truthfully, and according to
Starting point is 01:30:56 PBS Frontline, the virus of freedom quickly spreads. People in more and more cities are protesting. Protests are currently at least 400 cities. Hundreds of thousands of people are in the capital again. The feeling of revolution is in the air. The future communism in China feels a lot more fragile than it did several months earlier than maybe it ever had since those motherfuckers took over. PBS Frontline later reported in their Tankman documentary, the students had started the
Starting point is 01:31:19 protest hoping to cleanse the party of graft and corruption and encourage free speech. They sought reform, not revolution. After all, they were buying large children of the elite, but as the movement spread outwards to the middle classes and then to the workers and peasants, attitudes hardened. This is what was, this is what scared the government the most, right? Now it's not just students, but the rest of the citizens starting to rebel. If the protests remain limited to the students, they would not represent a sizeable enough portion of the population to kick off true revolution. But if the parents of the students, the friends of the students, limited to the students, they would not represent a sizeable enough portion of the population to kick off true revolution.
Starting point is 01:31:46 What if the parents of the students, the friends of the students, the people of the students go to the buy their fuck and shit at the markets, they join in, well now the commies are fucked. Potentially. June second now, party elders approved the decision to put down
Starting point is 01:31:58 what they call the counter-revolutionary riot at this point and use force if necessary to clear the square. Many hope this will be accomplished without anyone getting hurt, but if need be, they're going to do what they need to do. Demonstrators continue their sitting. These soldiers return to the square June 3rd. On June 3rd, 989, words spread that hundreds of thousands of soldiers were coming to the city.
Starting point is 01:32:19 There's estimates kind of vary all over the place. But you know, 200,000-ish soldiers, residents take to the streets to block them again. They set up barricades with buses, trucks, earth moving equipment, et cetera, to block the tanks and other military vehicles. And this time it will not be enough. Shit is serious. New orders have been given. 1989, all traffic entering Beijing from the west had to cross the Mooshiti bridge.
Starting point is 01:32:40 Senior bureaucrats lived in apartments with an view of this bridge. Crowds trying to hold the barricades of the bridge to rocks that the advancing soldiers. Right? The bureaucrats watching this armored personnel carriers start to ram into the bus barricades of the bridge. Citizens become aggressive when the army tries to break to their barricades. They shout at soldiers. They start to throw some rocks. One person sets a bus on fire. Right? And at this point, the army could have used tear gas, rubber bullets, other anti-right gear. They could have assertively ended the right without have used tear gas, rubber bullets, other anti-ride gear. They could have assertively ended the ride without killing hundreds, if not thousands of
Starting point is 01:33:08 people, but they didn't do that. They used live rounds, lots of them. Soldiers began shooting at the unarmed civilians and students now with fucking AK-47s. Sometime right after 9.30 that night, the first shots are fired. Protests are surprised. They didn't expect to actually be, you know, machine gunned by the fucking soldiers. However, instead of running away, a lot of people kept coming, right, to stop the soldiers, you know, to help with the barricades. Soldiers now are shooting in all directions. Some civilians who were standing on their balconies,
Starting point is 01:33:36 just watching the protests from their fucking homes are shot and killed. Men, women, children, everyone's taking bullets. It's mayhem. And soldiers are using battlefield, battlefield ammunition designed to cause as much injury as possible now. Human rights observer and professor of Chinese history at the University of British Columbia, Timothy Brook said, the first rounds of fire catch everybody by surprise. The people in the streets do not expect this to happen. Wounded civilians are taken by bicycles and pull carts, local hospitals, but the staff aren't prepared to deal with such severe injuries and so many of them.
Starting point is 01:34:09 An unknown number of people are killed at the Mooshy D. Apartments, which had the highest casualties that night. The soldiers were told that the government didn't want any bloodshed, but also ordered to clear the square by 6 a.m. or else, right? And sending with tanks and guns. So bloodshed clearly a real possibility, a likely scenario. By 1 a.m. on June 4th, 1989, an estimated 200,000 PLA soldiers and 100 tanks have reached Tiananmen Square. By 4 a.m. the student leaders, kind of like the outskirts of the
Starting point is 01:34:38 square, by 4 a.m. the student leaders, those who had not already been shot yet, vote to leave or stay. The protests have become a fucking battle. And it wasn't just protesters dying, right? Soldiers are being pulled out of military vehicles, tackled as they march. They're being beaten to death as well. Some of them fucking set on fire, Molotov cocktails or, you know, used various throne projectiles seem to have killed some. Again, John Palmfred and I witnessed it. It was clear to me that the stay votes were much, much stronger, but Fung Tongue, who was a student leader at the time, said the goes have it. Right? We're just seeing the right and on the wall. Fung Tongue later told PBS, from my point of view, the important thing was to avoid more injury and death. So I made the decision to lead
Starting point is 01:35:15 the students out of the square three to five thousand students and citizens left the square now by the southeast corner. Sons continue to be fired. Some students are being beaten to death, some being ran over by tanks and other military vehicles. Around 415 AM, all the lights go out, plunging protesters into darkness. Author and journalist TD Almond tells PBS Frontline, and then I heard these horrible crushing sounds like when tanks run over things, crushing splinter sounds. Right? That's fucking a lot of people, not just debris being run over.
Starting point is 01:35:44 Later that morning, large groups of people start trying to re-enter the square. Many of them are parents of students who spend the night in the square. A lot of them are looking for their children. An officer came out, one point made the announcement, I'm going to count to five and then we're going to fire. Soldiers start shooting again, likely killing some of the other people looking for some of the people previously killed. And citizens are scattered, right? Soldiers continue firing at them as they retreat 40 minutes to an hour later. More people come back, try to get to the square. Soldiers fired them again, more die, more people flee. This just keeps happening.
Starting point is 01:36:14 Happens over half a dozen times. And one point in ambulance comes in towards the following people on the ground and soldiers fire on the ambulance. The square is in complete chaos. Some soldiers are firing at any civilians they see. People are running towards the square, towards soldiers, other people running away from everything. Both groups are taking bullets. More ambulances come in to try and pick up more injured people. More ambulances get shot at. Smoking screams of the wound, the scared, the outrage, the dying, fill the air and an announcement continually warns people towards
Starting point is 01:36:42 the, you know, early morning hours. Under the martial law regulations, no one should be on the street. If you stay on the street, you will be responsible for what happens to you. Soldiers shoot rescue workers trying to get wounded people out of the area. John Giddens from the Guardian in the UK wrote about the shootings on June 3rd and 4th. The first casualty in the square was rushed away. A girl with her face smashed in bloody, carried spread eagle towards the trees. Another followed a youth with a bloody mess around his chest. Another eyewitness said,
Starting point is 01:37:11 we took the wounded on stretchers and went down to Tanniman Square. As we went down the side of the square, we saw soldiers with large plastic bags putting people in these bags. I cannot tell how many people. There were also people surrounded by soldiers being kicked by them. I could hear shouts in the odd gunshot. I thought there were around 200 many people. There were also people surrounded by soldiers being kicked by them. I could hear shouts in the odd gunshot. I thought through around 200 young people. In early July, I heard from public security sources, police, that they had all been executed on
Starting point is 01:37:33 June 9th in a rural district near Beijing. They included students in residents of Beijing. By 5.30 a.m. on June 4th, the PLA had accomplished its mission with a half hour to spare. The protest had been completely shut down. The square was cleared. And many other protests around China were also very likely, very likely violently suppressed by this time. They just didn't have Western journalists to document it. Here's another eyewitness account of this Beijing massacre.
Starting point is 01:38:00 It comes from Zhong Boli, Deputy Director of the Student Hunger Strike. Boli spent two years on the run and eventually moved to the US after these protests. Free from worrying about the CCP executing him now, he spoke with BBC's Chinese service about what he witnessed at the square that night. Right, this shit's intense. He said, while we were making preparations, news came from all sides, saying the troops had started to open fire. I remember many students ran to the square with blood running down their faces. In some places, troops were shooting and in some places there were clashes. John Wall had actually been beaten up when he ran to the square, his face was full of blood.
Starting point is 01:38:36 He grabbed the microphone and spoke into it. Fellow students, they have really open fire now. They are really shooting. They are using their guns and using real bullets. I couldn't believe it. We at the square at the time could not really believe it. There was a speaker's platform under the statue of the goddess of democracy. It was the time when Yen Ja and I had just started to speak that the troops arrived and they were moving into Tiananmen Square. Under the floodlight, I could see
Starting point is 01:39:00 all those dark helmets moving like waves into the square towards us. I felt that the final moment must have come. So I spoke to the students telling them that we should still be havin' the spirit we had adopted all along. We will not fight back even if we are beaten up and we will not talk back even if we are cursed upon. We decided to retreat to the monument of heroes to wait there for instructions from our command center. Finally we reached the monument. Later, Joe Dwo and Hoda removed their white vests and using them as white flags, they walked over to the troops to negotiate. Negotiate. After all, Hoda was a famous singer of some influence. He couldn't be cast as
Starting point is 01:39:36 an anti-revolutionary rebel. When Joe Dweau returned, he told the students, they say over there we'll only give you half an hour to leave to evacuate. If you don't, you will have to bear the consequences. So a very important decision was to be made at that time. What were we going to do with several thousand students here to leave to evacuate or not? Actually, it was quite obvious at the time that it was time that we should leave. So when Feng Tong took over the microphone, he knew that a heavy burden of history was handed to him. Finally, the lights of the square were switched off. When the lights were out, the students out the truce would start shooting. So many students huddled together.
Starting point is 01:40:10 When the lights were out, the microphone was also cut off. Fung Tong then used a loud speaker to speak to the students saying, fellow students, we have two opinions here. One says we should leave now. Another says we should stay put. As I can't see you, please speak aloud to respond. I will first say, we will not leave. If you agree, please say aloud, we agree.
Starting point is 01:40:30 Then I will say, we will leave. If you agree, please say, agree. I'll see which response is louder. Actually, it was not easy to tell, which response from the crowd was loud. That's crazy that so many people still wanted to stay. Fung Tong quickly made a wise decision because they're unarmed. He said, I am standing here. This is the highest place. I could hear the response for us to leave was louder. So the command center have now decided we should leave. After
Starting point is 01:40:54 we decided that we should leave, they left only a very small gap for us to leave just about as wide as this room, but nobody dared to move it first. After all the troops were still in the distance, they had not met us face-to-face yet. We could only see the helmets. Whoever was first to move and leave might be mistaken by the troops in the distance as a move to challenge them. And if the troops were to fire those in the front would be the first to be killed, wouldn't they? But there was nothing else the people the command center could do, so they led the way to leave first. All the people the command center formed a line. They included students who were protecting the Command Center.
Starting point is 01:41:26 These were students from the Beijing Sports College and were called the pickets. All those in the first three rows to come out were later listed as the most wanted criminals by the Communist Party. I think of the 21 student leaders on the government's most wanted list, four or five were there. When we, the first row of people, came out to meet the troops our heart for really jumping and beating hard. The guns of the people's army were pointing at us and they were loaded. They were holding machine guns with one pull of the finger they could fire on us.
Starting point is 01:41:52 Hoda went over to say, would it be okay for you people to raise your guns a bit higher and point it to sky? It was quite a painful experience, but we came out of the square and they didn't fire on us. I think that was because they also had to consider the opinions of the people of the nation and of the whole world. If they were rationed up to the side to finish a lot of us on the spot, they could, but it would not do them any good at all. So it was still quite peaceful when we left 10am in square. But then suddenly there was trouble. It was already dawn a speeding tank came upon us like a gust of wind trying to cut to the lines of people. It was not just trying to run over people. It was also throwing out tear gas. I remember we were all choking and couldn't open our eyes. We just heard the loud rumblings of the tanks.
Starting point is 01:42:32 About a dozen meters behind me, people were crying in hysteria. I think more than 12 or 20 odd people were in a mess of blood and flesh. 20 odd people were in a mess. Sorry. And it was later said that 11 people were killed there. The number of deaths in the Tiananmen Square massacre is unknown. The Chinese Red Cross initially reported, excuse me, reported, I don't know why I said purported, 2600 protestors deaths, but they retracted that number whole bunch after being pressured to do so by the government. The official numbers from the government are 241 deaths including soldiers and
Starting point is 01:43:05 7,000 wounded. Real number, assuming strongly, is well over 2600 and guessing that a lot of people disappeared in the following weeks were participating. Some student leaders later claimed up to 3,400 people were killed. I'll share some later numbers that came out after this was all over here in a while. The government called the military intervention of victory. The editorial said that the army would punish lawless people who planned rights in the stirred social order, the peaking radio English language service, stated that thousands of civilians were killed. This government radio called the shootings a gross violation of human rights and a barbarous
Starting point is 01:43:40 suppression of the people. CCP authorities would at one point claim that no one was actually killed in the square. Right? Oh my gosh, I've seen video clips that journalists were able to sneak out from the massacre. Definitely people were killed in the square. A lot of dead people in the footage, a lot of gunshots. By the morning of June 5th, 1989,
Starting point is 01:43:58 the army had firmly was firmly controlling the city now. And any other city where there may have been riots, I'm sure they were also controlling. Seems like the protests were finally over. And for all intents and purposes, they were. But one person was still going to demonstrate a final act of defiance. And that person was of course fighting man fight fight fight fight fight fight fight fight Dean commies with his main late sword. Stop being back guys with his defense shield attack roll Fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight. Fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight. Which, orc, tank, comic, fight, fight, kill, kill, kill,
Starting point is 01:44:50 and watch out for his companion, pitful, butchangles, butchangles, world window-tax abilities with his big leg, gangling gun, 2D10, put the fuck a thousand motherfuckers all the CCP or or have been defeated Time to level up 10 levels up, a million levels up Fighting men and both jangles have gained one trillion experience points
Starting point is 01:45:15 And saved China forever And both jangles even made top CCP members lick his furry bottle His bottle lick is furry bottle Fight, fight,thole lick his furry butthole fight fight lick lick fight fight win win butthole swords shields more democracy freedom fuck those comedy motherfuckers God that was exciting fucking up bro noise That was exciting fucking up, bro. Nice. Fighting man, Apple jangles.
Starting point is 01:45:44 Unstoppable duo against commies. But seriously, what happened? Around midday, a group of tanks was traveling along Changan Avenue towards the square an unarmed young man with two shopping bags in his hands. Suddenly walks out into the middle of the street, steps out in front of them. They had to be so shocked.
Starting point is 01:46:02 The first tank attempted to move around him, but he kept moving to position himself in front of them. They had to be so shocked. The first tank attempted to move around him, but he kept moving to position himself in front of the tank. The tank attempted to get around him several times, but he just kept moving in front of it until the driver eventually stopped and turned off the motor. Then this unknown young man climbed on top of the tank, talked to the driver, and then jumped back down. Maybe he had lost a friend, or family, you know, a member of the night before to gunfire. Maybe several. wanted answers perhaps he just wanted to fucking scream about the injustice of this all Just when as you watch you think he's about to be killed He is instead grabbed by a few people on the side of the road who run over to him
Starting point is 01:46:36 Pull him away to the other side of the street and then he disappears into the crowd Maybe forever to this day most people think that his identity has never been uncovered and that no one knows what happened to him. He simply became known as Tankman. Bruce Hirshenson from the Pepperdine University told PBS Frontline about Tankman saying he wanted to change China, but what he did was help to change the Soviet Union. I went to a number of countries in Eastern Europe before the Berlin Wall came down and I was complimenting their courage. And they said, if that kid in China stood in front of those tanks, we can do what we're doing. What this young man did was, in effect, change the world. Hail fucking Nimrod. Well, Django just stood up on his
Starting point is 01:47:21 two hind legs and applauded, Tankman's courage. Not the outcome Tankman hoped for, I'm sure, but a very important outcome nonetheless. I'm sure he, you know, would have preferred that change to start happening in China. Charlie Cole, the photographer who witnessed Tankman's actions, believes that the people who moved Tankman away were playing clothes, public bureau of security officers, because they were monitoring the outer areas of the square. To him, it seemed like they had snatch teams of people down below. He thinks the tank band was executed and I hope he's wrong. But I mean, I'm guessing Charlie might know a little bit more about the situation I do.
Starting point is 01:47:54 He told PBS Frontline, we saw a lot of public executions put on Chinese TV shortly after that. My God. And it was four people that had done far less than embarrassed the government in such a way. Tens of thousands of people were arrested after the massacre, and unknown number of them were executed. And yeah, many publicly. If China did execute Tankman, they didn't say it was him that we know of.
Starting point is 01:48:16 Some people believe that it was helpful citizens though, who helped get him off the road and the Tankman managed to escape arrest or execution and just never come forward. I hope they are right, hail Tankman. And possibly this many years later, you know, rest in peace. Now, three weeks after the massacre in English Sunday newspaper, did name Tankman, claiming that he was one way, a 19 year old son of a Beijing factory worker. And the Sunday Express reported that way,
Starting point is 01:48:38 was arrested for political hooliganism. But a lot of other outlets seem to doubt the claims of the express. China has refused to confirm tankman's identity or whereabouts. They claim that they've never been able to find him. And I'm sure that they would say that if they did find him and secretly killed him. Journalist Alfred Lee said that friends of Wong claim that they saw him with his head shaved and prayed it around on state TV later. Our British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher congratulated Alfred Lee on his discovery. Alfred Lee told PBS,
Starting point is 01:49:08 I published the name one way, after speaking to three excellent contacts that I hadn't be seeing. These contacts were very close to what was happening in Tiananmen Square at the time. I knew that once his name had come into the public domain, the Chinese authorities wouldn't be able
Starting point is 01:49:20 to do anything to him. I don't know if that's true. They couldn't execute him. It would have brought outrage from the world. Yeah, but did they really care? But again, Chinese journalists and many Western journalists very skeptical about this story. Five days later, the London Evening Standard cited American intelligence reports,
Starting point is 01:49:37 supposedly confirming that Wong Wei was dead. The article was attributed to Beijing correspondent John Passmore, but then Passmore told Frontline that he does not remember that article and he didn't write it because he didn't have american intelligence sources he said he didn't know long way or what happened to him when interviewer asked him if it was normal for reports to be attributed to journalists who didn't write them
Starting point is 01:49:58 passmore answered oh absolutely it looks so much better if you've got a man out in Beijing and he's written this report but the report may have come from anywhere. Sometimes it's done out there, sometimes it's done in the office. In 1990, Zhang Zunmin, future president of China, was asked by Barbara Walters what happened to tank man. And he answered, I think this young man may be not killed by the tank.
Starting point is 01:50:20 Walters said, no, but did you arrest him? We heard he was arrested and executed and Zeman said, well, I can't confirm whether this young man you mentioned was arrested, oops, excuse me arrested or not Walter said you do not know what happened to him and zoom in said, but I think never never killed and Then Walter started to say something else. He's like bitch shut the fuck up. You know who I am? You fucking question me. No, he just never said this was the last official statement on the subject. And I don't think we learned anything from it. June 9, 1989, uh, Dung Jao Ping appears for the first time since the declaration of martial law. He praises military officers and blames the chaos on counter revolutionaries who wanted to overthrow communism. After the protests, the authorities
Starting point is 01:51:03 started to search for people involved in the demonstrations. Thousands are detained, tortured, imprisoned. Who knows how many executed after being charged with various counter-revolutionary crimes? The Chinese authorities have never given official number to how many people were detained, tried, or executed since, you know, around June, 1989. The relatives of the people who were shot were not allowed to seek any form of justice and are not able to openly mourn family members even. I did read some stories that for years in communist China, if your relative was executed by the state,
Starting point is 01:51:33 you also had to pay for the fucking bullets used to kill them. And that's dark. June 13th, 19th, 19th, the Beijing police issued a most wanted notice for 21 student leaders Some of them had already fled to Handful of them fled to fled to the west via Hong Kong Most were still in the country and supposedly 14 were arrested number one in the list 21 or 20 year old Wong Dawn who would be sentenced to four years in prison where he was seriously Reeducated and he hasn't protested shit since that that I'm aware He was seriously reeducated and he hasn't protested shit since that that I'm aware of. Another six, about 1600 people were arrested according to National Geographic.
Starting point is 01:52:10 However, history.com reports up to 10,000 people were arrested. Just over six years ago, October 15, 2016, China released the last protestor in prison that we know of from the Tiananmen Square protests. Then 51-year-old Mao Doshwen, who had served 27 years in prison, Mao was accused of arson after he threw a basket at a burning tank, according to Simon denier from the Washington Post. Doshwen's suffered from hepatitis B and was very mentally ill from all of his reeducation by the time he was released. He had been tortured for God knows how long because he consistently refused to admit guilt.
Starting point is 01:52:47 Leaders around the world condemned China after the Tiananmen Square massacre. President Bush denounced the soldiers actions in the square. He suspended military sales right, placed an embargo on weapon sales and high level exchanges, stopped with Chinese officials. Zhao Yu-Yong, the one CCP official who seemed to have really tried to help avoid bloodshed, he would die January 17th, 2005, and he lived the last 15 years of his life since the protest under house arrest, punished for advocating reason and empathy and dialogue. He eventually came to hold a number of beliefs that were much more radical than any positions
Starting point is 01:53:22 he had ever expressed while in power. He came to believe that China should adopt a free press, freedom of, freedom of assembly, an independent judiciary and a multi-party parliamentary democracy. And hail Zhao Yuyang, rest in peace. Bo Jango salutes you. Zhao tried. He actually tried to do the right thing and paid for it. His memoir was published post-humusly or post-humusly, ha, the economy
Starting point is 01:53:46 itself, on that one. In 2009, titled Prisoner of the States, the Secret Journal of Jiao Yu-Yung. This 306-page book was crafted over four years from tapes recorded in secret by Jiao while under house arrest and then smuggled out to Hong Kong by some of his friends. In the book, Jiao praises the Western system of parliamentary democracy and says it is the only way China can solve its problems of corruption and a growing gap between the rich and the poor. It wasn't until 2019 that Zhao's ashes would be interred with his wife after his cremation ceremony.
Starting point is 01:54:17 Party officials initially refused permission for his ashes to be buried. Normally, funerals for state leaders and officials are extravagant affairs. However, there were no speeches and editorials after Zhao's death. He was categorized as a toppled former leader and his death anniversaries were smothered in deliberate silence and tightened security. They didn't want him to become a symbol for a revolution. In December of 2017, news outlets across the world reported on an updated death count taken from declassified documents in the UK National Archives. These is numbers I was referring to earlier. Alan Donald, a British ambassador sent telegrams to the foreign office on June 5th.
Starting point is 01:54:53 Donald said his source was someone who was passing on information given him by a close friend who is currently a member of the state council. He said that his source was reliable and careful to separate fact from speculation and rumor. He said that his source was reliable and careful to separate fact from speculation and rumor. The documents were held in the UK National Archives then declassified October 2017. And as mentioned previously, early on June 4th, the Red Cross Society of China estimated that 2700 people died. Then the mayor of Beijing, Chen Shi Tong said that only around 200 people died. You did their mouth wrong. You say 2700? No, let's try 200. Including 36 university students, and that roughly 3000 civilians were injured, but
Starting point is 01:55:31 citing declassified files of 2017 leak estimated that 10,454 people were killed, and around 40,000 more injured. Wow. And again, their sources were internal files from the Chinese government headquarters, past to Americans via sources in the martial law troops. I mean, I didn't say that earlier. That source part. But over 10,000 protesters butchered right that one night, just in Beijing, another 40,000
Starting point is 01:55:53 injured. My God. Alan Donald, that British ambassador also said his source said that the commander of the army that massacred protesters was young Genwa nephew of President young shank when and Donald Rhodes the 27 army was kept without news for 10 days and told they were to take part in an exercise a TV film would be made of the exercise which pleased them. The document said that the clearance operation for June 3rd had four stages with another troop from Shenyang military region, but the demonstrators managed to stop the first three
Starting point is 01:56:24 attacks 27 army APCs armored personnel carriers opened fire on the crowd, boats civilian and soldiers before running them in the APCs because there was soldiers protesting as well. Just not necessarily armed. The document also said that SMR soldiers separated the students from residents. Students understood they were given one hour to leave the square, but after five minutes, APC's attacked. Students linked arms, and then were mowed down by the shooters. APC's then ran over bodies, time and time again to make, this is kind of some weird translation of, to make pie. Okay, and remains collected by bulldozer, remains incinerated, and then hosed down drains.
Starting point is 01:57:03 YEEH. 27 Army Ordered to spare. And these, again, this is translated to classified documents. 27 Army Ordered to spare no one, shot wounded SMR soldiers, four wounded girl students, beg for the lives, but were bayonetted. Three-year-old girl was injured,
Starting point is 01:57:16 but her mother was then shot as she went to her aid as were six others who tried. A thousand survivors were told they could escape via a young yeelu, but were then mowed down by specially prepared MG positions Army ambulances who attempted to give aid were shot up as well as sino-Japanese a sino-Japanese hospital ambulance with medical crew dead wounded driver attempted to ram attackeders But was blown to pieces with an anti-tank And a further attack APCs caught up with SMR,
Starting point is 01:57:45 straggler trucks rammed and overturned them and ran over troops during attack, 27 army officer shot dead by own troops apparently because he faltered troops explaining that they would be shot if they hadn't shot officer. Fuck, the honor report that the soldiers were using an expanding bullet that was prohibited for use in war by international law. So 27 army were using dumb, bullet that was prohibited for use in war by international law.
Starting point is 01:58:05 27 army were using dumb dumb bullets, 27 army snipers shot many civilians on balconies, street sweepers, etc. for target practice. Beijing hospitals had been also ordered to accept only security force casualties. Man, shooting citizens for target practice and even more cruel ordering local hospitals do not treat wounded protesters. Donald gave further information from the source claiming that they had some members of the state council claiming that some members of the state council consider that civil war was imminent.
Starting point is 01:58:36 Another document claimed that the Chinese military of defense invited military attaches to shine to China for a July 28 session and explain what happened on June 4th, but US and French attaches were not invited in Japan declined. So only Canada and Britain attended the briefing. Lee Ji-Yoon, political chief of the 38th Army, said that the army didn't shoot anyone and that stray bullets killed 200 people. He said, if more than 200 can be killed in a single aircraft crash, how can anybody claim that the PLA massacred the people? He said, if more than 200 can be killed in a single aircraft crash, how can anybody claim that the PLA massacred the people?
Starting point is 01:59:07 In any case, most of the dead were rioters trying to overthrow the government. What? Not sure how the aircraft analogy here is supposed to relate to the massacre. No, man, we didn't mask or anyone. People just die. Sometimes in a plane crash. Sometimes because of a couple of stray bullets, you know, that's life. He also claimed that the fires were caused by illegal unions burning documents down
Starting point is 01:59:28 on the square that young soldiers were just burning trash on the square. Nobody was killed or wounded on Tiananmen. Nobody in China can come out and testify that people were killed on Tiananmen. Okay. Document also reported that Lee mocked Tankman saying, look at this man's so-called bravery. All right. Time magazine would report that on June 2nd, 2019, almost 30 years after the Tiananmen Square massacre, that Chinese China's defense minister, Wei Fengha, called the Tiananmen
Starting point is 01:59:53 Square protests political turmoil that the central government needed to quell, which was the correct policy. Because of the government's actions, China has enjoyed stability. And if you visit China, you can understand this part of our history. I love that. Just come over here. I know it's confusing. When you hear it from afar, just come over here. Let us explain it to you in person. We will make sure that you fucking get it. We have the best re-education clockwork orange style of teaching. Time writes that the Chinese government still keeps a tight grip when it comes to information about the protests.
Starting point is 02:00:28 People who use social media in China have to create accounts using their real names. So if you talk shit, they're going to know is you and someone will show up at your house and you will fucking regret it. The government also uses censorship tools, other ones to erase certain politically sensitive search terms or redirect users to different topics, even online video recognition software, detects images related to Tiananmen Square, or to the history of the incident, and scrubs it. Time writes 30 years after the murders in Tiananmen Square, China presents a contradictory legacy. Its leadership has provided opportunities for a better life to a larger number of people than any government in history.
Starting point is 02:01:05 And China remains a police state where citizens can't publicly acknowledge that this mass murder ever took place. That combo is so fucking weird. How much is it worth to have a better chance at middle class conferences? It worth your freedom? Is it worth your soul? Lee Pung died of an unspecified illness July 22, 2019. Uh, before he died, he earned himself the nickname, the butcher of Beijing, amongst many,
Starting point is 02:01:30 these diary entries were published in 2010, where he attempted to downplay his role and claimed he was following Dung's orders with the massacre. But the Communist Party documents, aka the Tiniman papers, suggest he actually led the Tiniman crackdown. Lee tried to argue that his actions were backed by the elders and that Dung gave his firm and full support to put down the political disturbance using forceful measures. And that will take us out of this timeline. Good job, soldier.
Starting point is 02:01:58 You've made it back. Barely. So now let's talk a bit about what followed the massacre in China. Afterwards it was a brief period of hope that some real change would occur. Chinese novelist Ma Jian, who is there in 1989, recalled, there was a euphoric sense that after decades of tyranny, the Chinese people had found the courage to take full control of their lives and attempt to change the fate of their nation Every person in that crowd was later a victim of the massacre whether they lost their life on June 4 or survived Their ideals shattered and their soul scarred by fear
Starting point is 02:02:38 After the massacre uh dung jiao ping focused on building up China's economy Dean of the graduate school of journalism with the University of California, Berkeley, orville Shell, we've heard from him before, said, this was Dung Xiaoping's great moment of genius. After the massacre, he and effects said, we will not stop economic reform. We will in effect halt political reform. What he basically said that people was, folks, you're in a room. There are two doors. One door says politics. One door says politics.
Starting point is 02:03:05 One door says economics. You open the economic door, you're on your own. You can go the full distance, do basically, basically whatever you want. Get wealthy, help your family, have a bright future, move forward into a glorious future. If you open the political door, you're going to run right into one obstruction after another and you're going to run into the state. And that's what China has today, a fair amount of economic freedom the ability to build great wealth But even with great wealth in China, you still have very little political freedom the state owns the land beneath your home and business You can you can't openly criticize the state without retribution Well, you know great risk of retribution and you can still be sent off to a you know
Starting point is 02:03:44 Reeducation camp without a trial, which happens often. Dung's economic reforms were meant to buy the communist party a new lease on life. It would help the people, but at the same time, they could not push for political reform or challenge the party in any way. And this policy has worked economically. China's economy has grown rapidly. Time magazine wrote to survive the upheaval of leadership rewrote their social contract. The post-Miles effort of reform and opening up whereby China established its own brand of market, economy, socialism was ultimately accelerated, but at the expense of political reforms.
Starting point is 02:04:16 By some measures, the tradeoff was extremely successful. At the time, the Chinaman rallies, China's GDP per capita compared unfavorably to Gambias. 2030 if not before many indicators predict China's economy will eclipse the US PBS frontline reported in their 2006 tankman documentary never in the course of human history has a larger number of people gained more wealth in such a short time Since 1989 China has seen the emergence of a new middle class estimated at over 200 million people has seen the emergence of a new middle class estimated at over 200 million people. This particular social contract, right? Economic reform has changed for forgetting about Chinaman Square and maintaining the power of the party has mainly though benefited the upper and middle classes. When state owned industries were overtaken by Western companies, 30 million people work in the lower class, lost their jobs, according to Nicholas Bequillin,
Starting point is 02:05:02 from human rights watch, this led to the development of two China's. So we have today China A and China B. China A is the big cities with businessmen and foreign governments, you know, people from foreign governments, they face urban problems that many developed countries face like urbanization, traffic, crime, education, and health, but they're doing very well financially. China B is the majority of the country and they live outside the cities, out in the country and deal with a lot of poverty.
Starting point is 02:05:25 Not nearly as much extreme poverty as they used to overall, but they still deal with a lot and deal with a, you know, lack of economic opportunities because of all the all the opportunities in the cities. They suffer from a lack of education, lack of clean drinking water in many cases, lack of basic economic resources, infrastructure, etc. And many factory workers who contributed to China's great and economic success are currently suffering, working long hours for extremely low pay and filthy and dangerous conditions. Young women make up a large number of these workers are, they're wanted for their energy and speed. Many people travel from rural provinces to the cities for factory jobs and then send home money to their families before these factories just kind of fucking break down their bodies. A lot of them live in crowded dorms and work a long hours.
Starting point is 02:06:06 But overall, the economy is up. Up to a point that historically leads to more political freedom. In most cases, time reported that several years ago China leapfrog, what is called the political transition zone. I did not know about this. This is levels of income that generally show when uh, authoritarian states begin to transition to democracy. Democratic transition becomes historically much more likely above $1,000 per capita and uh, more likely than that, above $4,000 per capita. And the IMF, the International Monetary Fund reported that in 2018, China reached almost $10,000
Starting point is 02:06:42 per capita. China's economic success, since it is, you know, the success that's had so far, though, has not led to democracy, which intimidates Western countries per time magazine beyond simply assuring democracy, Beijing increasingly poses an authoritarian foil to Western liberalism, acting as a load star for developing nations that similarly seek to divorce economic reforms from political concessions. Chinese president, Xi Jinping, excuse me, Xi Jinping announced in 2017, a new option for other countries and nations who want to speed up their development while preserving their independence.
Starting point is 02:07:19 However, according to Andrew Nathan, political science professor at Columbia, China might still yet become what Chinaman Square protesters were hoping for. He says that, yeah, the Chinese government is strong, but the people's loyalty is based on growing wealth. And due to economic troubles, pollution and corruption, there are some doubts or anxieties about Xi Jinping's ability to continue fulfilling the prosperity for loyalty bargain that they have. Nathan, till time attitudes are changing.
Starting point is 02:07:45 It's a close race between the human desire for freedom and the state's capacity for control. So hopefully the human desire for freedom wins out in the coming years. But currently China still has a long way to go. China is so powerful that many other countries are very reluctant to speak out against its human rights violations. For example, in the province of Xinjiang, the world's largest incarceration of an ethnic minority population is currently occurring. One to two million ethnic we gore and Muslim people are being detained in concentration
Starting point is 02:08:13 camps called re-education again centers. Right? What do they do in there? Well, according to information leaked from the communist youth league in Shin Jong in March of 2017, that branch, the training has only one purpose, to learn laws and regulations, to eradicate from the mind, thoughts about religious extremism
Starting point is 02:08:30 and violent terrorism, and to cure ideological diseases. Ha! Any thought against supporting the state is an ideological disease. If the education is not going well, we will continue to provide free education until the students achieve satisfactory results and graduate smoothly. They make it sound so nice. If the brainwashing doesn't work at first,
Starting point is 02:08:52 free of charge, we will continue to torture the fuck out of these people until they get it. A simulator die. Freedom. Yes, still has so far to go in China to catch up with what we have in the West. to a level like that that the protesters were hoping for. Public discussion of the Chinaman Square Maskers, still not allowed in China. Many people have been imprisoned for a commemoration of the massacre or questioning the government's official conclusions about the massacre. In December of 2021, a famous statue at the University of Hong Kong, Mark and the Chinaman
Starting point is 02:09:22 Square Masker was removed. One of the last memorials in Hong Kong, regarding the incident, poor Hong Kong, reclaimed by communist China, China 1997 from British rule. The Chinese government regularly puts intellectuals, writers and activists under house arrest before the anniversary of the Chinatown Square massacre. Just make sure they don't say shit. The protest slash massacre also censored from textbooks. As I said, the Chinese
Starting point is 02:09:45 internet, the Chinese government continually rejects public calls for political liberalization, has increased suppression of dissents since 1929 to so they say maintains stability. The government has justified their actions as necessary for continued economic prosperity. According to PBS Frontline, the image of tankman was televised in China on China television, but just once in 1989 rebranded as an example of the army's restraint and tolerance. An English translation of the footage stated, anyone with common sense can see that if our tanks
Starting point is 02:10:15 were determined to move on, this lone scoundrel, this scoundrel, this scallywag could never have stopped them. The scene flies in the face of Western propaganda. It proves that our soldiers exercise the highest degree of restraint. Outside of China, if you search Chinaman Square, you'll see thousands of photos of tank man standing in front of that line of tanks. But when people in China make the same search, they only get a few pages of results and none of the images are of tank man, just random picks of dudes and tanks. June of 2022, human rights watch announced Chinese authorities have over the past
Starting point is 02:10:48 years stepped up the harassment and persecution of activists for commemorating the June 4th, 1989 massacre. According to human rights watch over the past year, 26 pro democracy activists have been arrested for inciting others to participate in vigils. Some received suspended sentences or prison sentences of four to 14 months. January of 22, Chinese human rights lawyer, Chao Yangtong was sentenced to 15 months in prison for participating and inciting people to participate in a 2021 vigil. Chao was already serving a 12 month sentence for participating in a 2020 vigil. Chao was vice
Starting point is 02:11:23 chairman, chairwoman, excuse me, for excuse me for the Hong Kong Alliance in support of patriotic democratic movement of China. In the week before the anniversary, the authorities restricted the movement and communications of different activist groups and individuals. Other activists were imprisoned for charges
Starting point is 02:11:37 such as picking corals and provoking trouble. What a fucking charge, what a shit government? What were you charged with? Provoking trouble. What kind of trouble?oking trouble. What a fucking charge, what a shit government, what were you charged with? Provoking trouble, what kind of trouble, just trouble, we don't allow trouble. We don't like Coralyn, and we definitely don't like trouble. The real estate charges as holding a single man protest and commemoration of the massacre.
Starting point is 02:11:58 You can't even hold a solo protest. March 22, the US Department of Justice revealed that five agents of the Chinese government had stalked and harassed US-based critics, including a former student leader in Tiananmen Square, now 58-year-old Shang-Yin, who made it to the US as a political refugee in 1992, joined the army, fought in Iraq, with US forces achieved the rank of major, Hale Shang-Yin, dude even recently ran for the House of Representatives in New York, didn't win, but he ran in China still fucking with him about telling the truth about 10 minutes square.
Starting point is 02:12:30 Their government is fucking insane. I hope you liked this week's episode. I really did. It was a challenge for me. A lot of different words. But thanks for the challenge, Space Luzers, our Patreon Inner Circle here in the Suck Verse, who guide us to two different topics a month. It was a good challenge.
Starting point is 02:12:47 This episode reminded me of how valuable our right to a peaceful demonstration is to protest is in this country. We should all support that right. Even when the people are protesting protesting shit, we do not agree with. Right. It makes me think about the Westboro Baptist Church. I'm disgusted when they protest veteran funerals and mock them. I'm also disgusted when I see old men with no skin in the game protesting young women and girls going to abortion clinics.
Starting point is 02:13:11 But I am so glad that they're able to do that. And they should always be able to do that. Such a great reminder of how free we are. It doesn't make any sense to only support protests when they're protesting and causing you agree with. This episode also reminds me why it is important to get worked up about politics from time to time get involved Pick a side when you got to Think a lot of people get themselves to worked up over media pundits and fear mongerers
Starting point is 02:13:37 You know selling us false alarms getting this worked up over a bunch of bullshit bunch of nothing But sometimes when our freedoms and human rights are truly threatened we should get worked up over a bunch of bullshit, a bunch of nothing, but sometimes when our freedoms and human rights are truly threatened, we should get worked up. For example, should we, you know, shit on all police when some bad cops killing innocent citizen over fucking nothing. Now that's not rational, that's throwing the baby out of the bathwater, but it is rational to be enraged over what some assholes, you know, did when they did abuse their power. It is rational to bring awareness, you know, to the rights of a fellow citizen being trampled when they're murdered by an agent of the state. Thank God we can protest when shit like that happens. You know, we can protest, uh, you know, over,
Starting point is 02:14:16 uh, you know, not having to take a shot to keep our jobs. We should be able to protest that as well. We should be able to protest. What was the fuck we want to protest? And when we witness a protest, we don't agree with, we should rejoice. Be glad that the next time around, maybe we'll be the one able to make our voice heard. And not have to worry about the military, send it in fucking tanks to run us over and literally gunning this down on the street.
Starting point is 02:14:36 America has problems, every nation has problems. America, of course, has problems. The big, big ass melting pot has a massive, unruly economy, a lot of different opinions trying to be catered to by just one government. There's always going to be a bit of a mess in that regard, but holy fuck, we have it a lot better than China has. Imagine going to jail for doing something like holding a visual, for the memory of Martin Luther King or for the victims of US internment camps for Japanese citizens. Imagine not being allowed
Starting point is 02:15:03 to post a pic of your grandpa on Instagram who was sent to one of those camps during World War II. You know, or imagine if George Floyd was your uncle and you would go to jail for talking about how he died publicly or for posting something online about it. That is China. That is daily life there. For almost a billion and a half people right now.
Starting point is 02:15:22 Man, fuck their communist bullshit government. Give me freedom. Even if it means less state economic support, still give me freedom. So important to me to be able to say what I want to say, right? I make a living saying shit that would get me imprisoned and reeducated in China on a weekly basis. And you should want me to be able to say whatever the fuck I want to say to, especially when you don't agree with it, when you find it heinous. If the state starts to censor me. It's only matter of time before they start to censor your ass as well.
Starting point is 02:15:48 Shit like this is what will always scare me about big government, man. Stick to the basics, Uncle Sam, basic infrastructure, basic safety law, strong military to keep our freedoms protected, basic education. And after that, for the most part, you can basically go fuck yourself and keep any censorship or any NSA tentacles out of my shit. One last stop before today's takeaways. For the past three years a yearly candlelight vigil honoring the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre has been banned in Hong Kong.
Starting point is 02:16:16 One of the only places where such visuals were allowed in a recent memory in China. But despite the ban thousands of people have still gathered in 2020, 2021 and 2022 to honor the victims. Despite several activists being arrested every year, more visuals will likely be held in 2023 and beyond. A lot of brave people over there still trying, still trying to keep the memory of Tinman Square alive in China. How fucking noble. Still risking arrest and torturous re-education for just openly wanting what many of us listening to this podcast take for granted every single day the right to disagree the right to Demand reform how lucky are those of us who live in countries where we have these rights Ojangles just gave me a thumbs up and nodded he gets it I get it
Starting point is 02:16:57 Feeling very thankful to live where I live after hearing a story like today's I lucked out in the meat sack birth lotto Now let's hit those takeaways. Time suck, tough, right takeaway. I'm to rehash four things we already learned to learn one more, uh, something new. Number one, the Chinaman Square protest started with students mourning the death of Chinese politician Hu Yao-Bong, who died on April 15, 1989, the students used whose legacy to call for reforms and thousands of students gathered at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Soon there were tens of thousands and then hundreds of thousands of protesters including
Starting point is 02:17:33 ordinary Beijing citizens. The government feared that the protesters wanted to overthrow the party and there was much internal debate over how to end the protests. Number two, party general secretary Zhao Yu-Yong supported the student protesters, calling them patriotic, urging his fellow politicians to listen to their demands. However, party premier Li Pung wanted to end the protest as quickly as possible, did not want to engage in dialogue with the students. Then when a state newspaper published an editorial criticizing the students and threatening punishment, calling them traders more protests broke out outside Beijing and intensifying the party debate between those like Li Pung who wanted to squash the rebellion by any means necessary and those
Starting point is 02:18:12 like Zhao Yuyong who wanted to talk and negotiate. In the end, Li Pung knows who thought like him sadly had their way. China might look very differently today in the best of ways if they'd lost that argument. Number three, no one knows exactly how many people died or injured during the 10th and square massacre. The Chinese government still reports 241 dead around 7,000 injured. Initially, the Red Cross Society, China reported 2700 deaths, but retracted that number after receiving government pressure to do so.
Starting point is 02:18:40 Then in 2017, documents were unsealed from the UK National Archives that put the number of dead above 10,000 with another roughly 40,000 injured. These documents further detailed the brutality committed by the Chinese army against his own civilians. Number four on June 5, 1989 a man stood in front of a line of tanks in a final act of defiance the day after the massacre, right? Fighting man! Fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, fight, man. Fight, fight, fight, fight. Fighty man and vote, dangle.
Starting point is 02:19:07 Fuck it, shit up. No, it's Tank Man. A real fighty man, real life fighty man in a way. The tank's attempted to go around it, but risking death, he refused to get out of their way. Eventually the man climbed on top of a tank, spoke to the driver and was in a whisked away by an unknown group of people. To this day, no one knows who he is or what happened to him. He's known as Tank Man and he has served as an important symbol for protesters and and was then whisked away by an unknown group of people. To this day, no one knows who he is or what happened to him.
Starting point is 02:19:25 He's known as Tankman. He has served as an important symbol for protesters and revolutionaries around the world, such as people who helped bring down the Soviet Union. And number five, new info. The rest of the world learned about the gentleman's square of massacre because of some smuggled photos and videos. Let me explore this a bit more.
Starting point is 02:19:40 Some Western journalists were staying at a hotel in Beijing with a view of Chungong Avenue, which runs into the square. Reporters and photographers stood on their balconies. Four of the times laid down and hit on those balconies to avoid gunfire and to record the action of the massacre. And some witness tankman the next day. Journalist Jan Wong told PBS Frontline how she reacted when she saw him run out in front of the tank.
Starting point is 02:20:02 She said, I started to cry because I had seen so much shooting and so many people dying. I was sure this man would get crushed. Charles Cole, photojournalist for Newsweek said during this time, I'm thinking this guy's going to be killed any moment now. And if he is, I, it's, I just can't miss this. This is something that he's giving his life for. It is my responsibility to record it as accurately as possible. Charles captured one of the world's most famous images, the young man bravely standing right
Starting point is 02:20:27 in front of a tank. Charles then saw some public security bureau agents, the police, right? Public security bureau here, watching him from another rooftop. He went inside, took the film out of his camera, put in a plastic film can, and then hid that inside the toilets holding tank. He said that about 50 minutes later, some other public security bureau agents came to his hotel room, took one roll of film of shots from the previous nights, right, where they were just going to confiscate and destroy them. In his words, they were pretty satisfied. They cleaned up the situation. After the PSB took Cole's roll of film, he was forced
Starting point is 02:20:58 to sign a confession that he was photographing during martial law and he had his passport confiscated day and a half later, after he gets things squared around and can return home, he goes back to the hotel and sees that no one has, thank God, flushed the toilet. And the film is still there, floating there in the water. Cole then had the film developed at the AP office in Beijing. Sickly had it sent to Newsweek and won the 1990 world press photo of the year. Jeff Widener, a photographer located in Hamburg, Germany, also captured an iconic tankman photo.
Starting point is 02:21:28 He was an AP photographer at the time, and he was actually annoyed that someone stepped into a shot of the approaching tanks. Turned out to be Tankman. Widener said that he had been abaging for the past week, was injured during the massacre, saying I was hit in the head by a protesters rock early the morning of June 4th. I was also suffering from the flu, so I was quite ill and injured when I was Photo when I photographed tankman from the sixth floor balcony of the Beijing hotel. American American exchange student Kirk Martson helped widener sneak into the hotel where he had the best view of the
Starting point is 02:21:56 Square. The government was trying to control how news got out and a few days before the crack down of the square, China tried to stop all American news outlets from broadcasting in Beijing. Why they said that there was a big risk of being arrested and having your film confiscated? So Kirk March and put why yours film it is underwear and smuggled it out of the hotel, right? And then eventually the pictures are, you know, seen worldwide and Jeff's photo is nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. He said, though I knew the picture was highly acclaimed, it wasn't until years later when
Starting point is 02:22:21 I saw an AOL post where my image was named one of the top 10 most memorable photos of all time. That was the first time that I realized I'd accomplished something extraordinary. Man, so much respect to the journalist and others who risked arrests. Who knows what else, you know, to get the truth out. Hope that someday soon, China's Communist rule will come to an end in these pictures. And the story can be shared with the people who deserve to see the picks and hear about all this the most. The people who actually live in China.
Starting point is 02:22:52 The Tiananmen Square massacre and protests have been sucked. Praiseable jangles. He gave me a lot of moral support this suck. Thank you to Bad Magic Productions, the team here for help and make time suck. Thanks once again to Queen of Bad Magic Lindsey Cummins. Thanks to the suck Ranger, Tyler C for producing directing today and to the art warlock Logan Keith for helping with production. Thanks also to Biddelixer for upkeep on the time suck app, the art warlock again for creating the merch at BadMagicMerts.com and helping run our socials with the suck Ranger and a team managed by our social media strategist, Ryan Handelmanman. Thanks producer Olivia Lee for the initial research this week and thank you Olivia for finding a
Starting point is 02:23:29 great pronunciation guide for Chinese words name specifically. Also thanks to the all-c and eyes moderating the code to the curious private Facebook page the mod squad making sure discord keeps running smooth but a lot of the discord people lately, and they are fucking awesome, and everyone over on the time sucks subreddit and the bad magic subreddit. So many fantastic sacks doing a lot for this community. Just heard about more sacks building great relationships, great friendships, and some recent meet and greets. Next week on time suck, we go deep in the history of true crime to a case of two young men from Chicago, Nathan Leopold, and Richard Loeb. Leopold and Loeb, who thought they'd come up with a perfect crime in the spring of 1924,
Starting point is 02:24:13 something that would never be attributed to them, something that would confuse the fuck out of investigators and the world at large, something that would be written about in the papers for years to come. And it would be written about, yeah, these teenage boys, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, would shortly be discovered as the murderers of 14 year old Bobby Franks. To many of this crime was just so senseless. Richard and Nathan had, and yes, I do love that we
Starting point is 02:24:34 got a fucking dick in here at the end. Richard and Nathan had everything going for them. They'd both graduated college as young teens, 14 and 15, and we're getting advanced degrees. They were smart, came from wealthy, well-connected families. Even if they'd never gotten any professional success, they were sure to live a life of luxury and ease, but that would not happen.
Starting point is 02:24:53 They would go to prison. And after Nathan Leopold became convinced that through a misreading of philosopher, Frederick Nietzsche, or Nietzsche, both pronunciation to acceptable, he and Loeb were Nietzsche's superman. He thought a class of superior people who could do whatever they wanted didn't have to follow society's rules. Wraped up in their delusion, pushed on by each other, much like murderous
Starting point is 02:25:13 couple Fred and Rose West, they soon formulated a complicated plan that would end in the murder of Loeb's 14-year-old second cousin. A murder they thought was the perfect crime. And they might have gotten away with it if Nathan Leopold hadn't dropped a pair of very special eyeglasses near the site where they dumped Bobby's body. How did they come up with this plan? Is there any such thing as the perfect crime? And what insane theory did the 1920s media come up with to explain this senseless murder all of that next week on TimeSuck?
Starting point is 02:25:40 And right now let's head on to a very entertaining edition of some time-sucker updates. Rupdate? Get your time, sucker updates! A bunch of silly lighthearted updates this week that I just found very entertaining. Starting with a Space Leader Zack, Rebecca Malsh, who got got! Rebecca Wright's well-done, you got me. There had been a little space leader for the past several years I never thought that I would fall prey to Cummins law but I guess you cannot right-fade. I was listening to the
Starting point is 02:26:13 latest episode on Patrick Kerny while driving to work and I finished the episode right as I pulled up the office because of past victim but I always make sure to hit pause or stop on the app and then clear the app for my phone before opening my car door to make sure the app doesn't start rendering playing again. As I was leaving for lunch today I got into my car while on the app and then clear the app for my phone before opening my car door to make sure the app doesn't start randomly playing again. As I was leaving for lunch today I got into my car while on the phone and my Bluetooth picked up no big deal right? Wrong. As I approached the drive-through to order, I quickly hung up and as they said, welcome
Starting point is 02:26:37 to SmoothieKing, what can I get you? Time suck resume playing at top volume. With you saying, do you think you ate out the dog's butt hole? Follow closely by, yeah, he tossed his fucking salad. I'm frantically trying to pause the app and turn down the volume at the same time as the girl goes, what was that? But you just kept blasting through the speakers,
Starting point is 02:26:57 now saying that's right, he tossed his furry salad. I finally was able to pause the app, praying that the girl's not here, awarded what just happened. Meekly ordered my smoothie and pulled forward. I don't want it as trouble as smooth. Based on the look on her face, when I pulled up, she definitely hurt.
Starting point is 02:27:14 I shamefully took my smoothie, drove away. I don't think I'll be able to show my face that that smoothie came for quite some time. If you can, please give a shout out to my husband, Brent. He is an amazing partner and a wonderful dad. We both listened to Time Suck and getting his shout out would mean a lot to him. Thanks for all you do and keep on sucking. Just maybe not an hairy dog but holes. I don't think both
Starting point is 02:27:32 jangles would like that. Rebecca. Well, thank you for the laughs, Rebecca. I think you should go back that smoothie king ASAP. And this time I think you should be dressed up in some kind of puppy play outfit and listen to hardcore dog centric sex talk. Really double down on being super into furry buttholes. And also hi Brad. Thanks for being an amazing partner, wonderful dad, yay amazing partners and fathers. Hail Nimrod and Hail Luciferina Rebecca, you silly furry little butthole like are you. Okay, sometimes the suck hurts you in life. Other times though it helps. Like with fast movie, meat sack Matthew, the rights. What's up, suck master? I want to tell you about how getting Cummins lawd kept me from going
Starting point is 02:28:11 to jail. That might be a little bit of an overreaction, but hey, it sounds cool, okay? Here's the story. I live in Scottsdale, Arizona and was heading up to Vegas for a weekend with some friends. Sounds fun. They got their Friday morning. I was supposed to leave work at 12, meet them there around five, end up working later than I wanted, didn't get on the road until about 230. When I got a call from them, telling me to quote, hurry my bitch, yes up. So I started going maybe just a little faster than I should have. Well, about two hours into the drive, I'm still speeding down the interstate.
Starting point is 02:28:38 And I see the one thing that makes everyone's buttocklepucker flashing lights behind me. I pull over and when the officer comes to the window, he sees the body slumped over in the passenger seat and I just say, what is big deal? We're rostrel, bitch. Maybe do a bit of stabbing that I come inside pants. JK, I like the JK sometimes too. Now, he comes to the window and as I was trying to pull up the insurance on my phone, the Amanda Knox episode I was listing two, starts to play and you're teaching your amazing
Starting point is 02:29:02 language class, which made the officer laugh. He got all the information, walked back to me with just a warning letter, and then said, do better than that, Nimrod would not approve. I was going well over the speed limit, so shout out to officer bad ass, you beautiful meat sack, for letting me off with just a warning. Thanks for all you do, Suckmaster, and the whole bad magic team. Life has been kicking me right in the balls. It feels like recently, and listening time suck and your comedy never fails to get my mind off the bad shit going on, your loyal listener Matthew, oh, thanks, Matthew. It is such a reminder. I'm very excited actually, even though I'm doing this new hour of standup on the road
Starting point is 02:29:32 to write the next hour. And I find that I find this current hour, you know, because a lot of laughs, but I want to make the next, I don't know, sometimes with a standup, I lose perspective on how it is just so healthy and needed in life, just to be able to laugh at someone's That's a humor so it definitely motivates me to keep doing it. I'm glad you didn't get a ticket Hope you had a blast in Vegas, right? Showbiz that town can obviously get pretty crazy and a good way or a bad way Hope Lucifer didn't get you into too much trouble there and now for another Cummins law victim
Starting point is 02:30:00 Let's hear from funny front butt dump Whitney who writes Let's just skip the niceties and get into a cock sucker. I found your podcast recommended in the last podcast on the left reddit thread. That's cool. I started binge listening from the beginning because OCD. I will never understand me to act to bounce around and listen backwards. Yuck. Anywho. I am now the lizard variety and have far too much merch that makes that makes people squirm. Thanks, our warlock. You've gotten me so many fucking times with the lies that come out of your moshmouth. I am now with a lizard variety and have far too much merch that makes people squirm thanks our warlock. You've gotten me so many fucking times with the lies that come out of your Moshmouth you asshole.
Starting point is 02:30:30 I hope someone is making a list of your goddamn tricks and lies with episode numbers so listeners can check how we score on the stupid and gobble scale. First, front butt dump. I will never not think of that about vaginal births. Vaginal births happens to be a large part of my life. I am a labor and delivery nurse, you bastard. A second most embarrassing should ever, like many before me, Cummins Law got me and got me good.
Starting point is 02:30:52 As I mentioned, labor and delivery nurse. I work nights. Thanks for keeping me awake for super long shifts. So I'm sitting next to the most chatty bitch on the unit. So now, Jay, I put in my Bluetooth headphones to send the, I love all these hyphens. Shut the fuck up, you dumb cunt signal. To her, it works about a half a time. So my patient calls out and I pull the headphones out and set them on the desk and go into
Starting point is 02:31:18 her room. She's uncomfortable, needs help repositioning, so she's got an epidural, can't move herself. My dumb ass has stuck my phone in my pocket and as I move in her, somehow my phone starts playing loud. Like loud enough to wake up her snoring husband. Want to know what came out of your fucking mouth? Missouri is the cradle of civilization according to LDS doctrine.
Starting point is 02:31:37 And I gotta say this feels like the claim of a man who lived prior to the 20th century when the fields of archeology and anthropology were much less developed. Teaching that human life begin a mystery goes against all current scientific evidence regarding the origins of humankind, like all of it. Oh, my heck! Flip an awkward and so on with that shit. And to like and get to my phone, did I mention I live in Utah? Or there are a lot of Mormon folk?
Starting point is 02:32:00 Yes. That was the longest 20 or so seconds of my life. I couldn't get to my phone quick because my entire arm was under her numb and dead weight fucking legs. It was so uncomfortable. Flipping awkward, if you will. The rest of my shift, they hardly talked to me and I'm surprised. I haven't heard about it from higher ups. Maybe they're awkward, but not titled, Tatlers? Either way, fuck you. JK, I'm so glad you and the bad magic crew are making the world more funny, living your dreams, you humans and penny pooper in gingerbell.
Starting point is 02:32:27 Penny and deity are dope as fuck. Thanks for filling my external auditory meadis with your funny, nearly lingual sounds so I don't punch my snoring husband when I can't sleep at night. Fuck you if you think this email is too long. He'll lose to Fina for she provides me with job security, Whitney. PS, your David, children's and Putin, Judeo have each made me actually pee my pants. Fucking mom blatter.
Starting point is 02:32:50 But for real, can we get a replica of Shirley's lunch box? Well, first off, Whitney, thank you for teaching me a new word. I had never heard of me, Aitis, I had to look it up. It's an opening, especially in a bone or bony structure as in the opening of the ear or nose. Okay, cool. Also,
Starting point is 02:33:07 I think Logan did look into lunch boxes for a while, but I'm just not sure what happened to that. I think we had a hard time sourcing that. I'm able to try again. Best of luck continuing to flush out all those little front butt dumps. Maybe those human turds always come out breathing healthy, the 10 fingers and 10 toes. And then one more. This one fucking killed me. It's just such a random occurrence for this to happen. Sounds a random tech glitch. Gave excuse me sucker, super sucker. David Ham quite an interesting little fever dream.
Starting point is 02:33:36 So he writes, Hi, Dan, the dungeon master of the suck, Whipple Wizard and Slayer of Shame Cocktrackens. Your constant bullshit facts and all the commons, lock and facings out there have me on high alert. It's never good taken in by your fantasies. I pride myself on believing you'll never get me more than the one or two times I'm willing to admit.
Starting point is 02:33:51 However, this wasn't intentional on your part, just a cosmic joke played on me through my podcast app when it randomly started the next episode in the middle of the Helen Keller episode. Since I never look ahead to see what the next episode topic is, I was suspended in this fantasy for too long. I've been listening to the Helen Keller episode while going about my day, walking the dog in the woods, and eventually having myself a shower and continuing to listen. I was just at the point where you mentioned her romance with Peter Fagan. I had been so intrigued by the Helen Keller story so far because of all the things I didn't
Starting point is 02:34:22 and never would have known, including her romantic life, which my small reptile brain never even considered that Lucifina may have taught Keller a few hand gestures. I was listening intently to learn more. You continue to say, he will communicate with Keller by spelling into her hand, and then immediately next you said, and writing, he thinks this is the same episode. You've been walking now for several hours on the rough mountain path. Your war, your father is riding ahead, fully armored, keeping a lookout. Your mother is driving the wagon, which is tethered to two oxen.
Starting point is 02:34:52 The wagon holds all your worldly possessions, except for the sword, gifted by your father, which you always carry on your person. So at this point, I am just standing there, stock still in the shower, absolutely enamored with how this Peter guy is spelling all of his in her hand. And you just keep on going with vivid scenery details and my brain is cramping trying to imagine how this even worked and how long it would take and who remembered the exact
Starting point is 02:35:14 words and what the fuck is going on to Helen Keller just get introduced to D&D. You follow up afterwards by saying that this ends a shiver of anticipation down your spine. You might be a Dungeons & Dragons player. I was shook by the notion that Peter Fagan had romantically wooed Helen Keller with his dungeon master prowess, took me a solid minute to understand what happened when you continued to only talk about D&D and no longer mention Helen Keller. I thought you'd find that amusing. Oh, I did.
Starting point is 02:35:40 Thanks for all that you do, but please stop selling merch to my wife. We have a three year old to put through college one day and I don't want to catch him wearing my chick-a-teelo shirt and drinking out of my just don't mug on my couch when he's 25 Flipping through tarot cards and reading scary stories Overall three out of five stars wouldn't change a thing David Hamd David holy shit, man That message you make me laugh so hard. I mean just the the odds that your podcast player would skip to the next episode is such a perfect time This to send such a confusing to pain such a confusing just you know scenario Yeah, that would have been ridiculous I would have been also listening to be like what the fuck is happening?
Starting point is 02:36:14 I love the thought of Helen Keller playing team D. I love some dude wooing her with D&D talk even more And Peter must have rolled a perfect charisma score Thanks for all the messages everybody D&D talk even more. And Peter must have rolled a perfect charisma score. Thanks for all the messages, everybody. Please keep sending in these messages, update shoutouts, come along on sent some more to Bojangles at timesugpodcast.com. And that concludes this week's Times Sucker Updates.
Starting point is 02:36:36 Thanks, Times Suckers. I need a net. We all did. Thanks for listening to another Bad Magic Productions podcast. Please do not squash any peaceful protests this week with bullets and tanks. Just talk to them. Open up a dialogue. And keep on sucking. I'm magic productions. So glad I don't have to do this podcast in a comedy station like China.
Starting point is 02:37:14 I wouldn't be able to. There would be no suck dungeon. It would be called like the state studio for audio information and constructive storytelling. There would be no time suck. I think I think it would be called like learning time. Then episodes would be like, hello, I am Dan Cummins and welcome to learning time recorded in the state studio for audio information and constructive storytelling. Today we will be talking about the western lie of the Chinaman square protests that never happened. No one protests in a perfect democratic dictatorship of a utopia.
Starting point is 02:37:45 Because life here for me and everyone else is perfect. I am happy, perfectly happy, recording these audio facts for you today. Also, Bojangles is dead. That capitalist lapdog has been put down by stronger and superior communist might. Hale the CCP, Long Live China, Long Live, Hot, Hard CCP Father Datties, Simply dripping in sexy soy sauce. you

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