I know the format is quite strange. But this is what my teacher wanted!
Please give me some advices thanks!
Is it possible to know the truth about the Tiananmen Square Incident (massacre)? Why?
There are so many obstacles and versions about the Tiananmen Square Incident, which not only come from the Chinese government, but also foreign countries, so the truth becomes inaccessible and arguable, and it is less likely that the real truth will come to light until there is a democratic system in China.
Information comes from three main sources, such as RSF's "Tiananmen Square massacre closely censored for 20 years" (2009) provides the methods and evidence about the censorship of Chinese government. Isabel Hilton's "Tiananmen: The flame burns on" (2009) showed how the leaders of the student protests view about the Chinese government and what justice them to censor on ordinary people. "Black Hands of Beijing: Lives of Defiance in China's Democracy Movement" (1993) by G. Black & R. Munro shows how this event is misrepresented by Western countries.
The Tiananmen Square Incident was original a pro-democracy movement in 1989. However, after nearly two months deadlock, it eventually developed into a tragedy which in number of people died.
To a certain extent, the government's immediate reaction was aimed to distort the fact. "The state did give its own version of events immediately after the violence in 1989. Chinese television showed ragged protesters with black arm bands throwing Molotov cocktails and army vehicles set on fire." (Beam C 2009). This shows that the Chinese government wants to make people to believe that there was a rebellion.
They not only wanted to reproduce the truth for Chinese people, they also tried to block the flow of information. "...Some foreign journalists were subjected to an inquiry, their electronic equipment was also examined by the CPLA..." (Forney M 2001). These government's reactions implied that they don't want to disclose the facts.
The government's immediate responses to this event show that their aim is to prevent the truth to come to light which also justified them to have further repression and censorship on ordinary Chinese people.
For example, they confiscate the freedom of rights to those people who want to tell the truth. "...free expression activist Liu Xiaobo, one of the leading figures of the 1989 movement, was recently re-arrested. Several journalists, including Shi Tao, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for sending an email about the Tiananmen Square anniversary in 2004, are still in prison for referring to the massacre." (RSF 2009). This shows that the government wants to prevent the facts spread from the inside.
Moreover, they also use some torture and violence secretly to cope with people who supported the student's protest in1989. "...Professor Sun Wenguang was thrown down a two-meter drop and beaten by five unknown men for 10 minutes. Three of his ribs were broken...the men who beat him were either plain clothes police or paid off by the police." (Brick P.308). These behaviors not only raised the deterrent power, but also raised the difficulty of people to unfold the facts.
Also, the censorship imposed after the Tiananmen Square Incident has never been relaxed. "The news media are forbidden to report anything related to the protests. Websites related to the protest are blocked on the mainland. A search for Tiananmen Square protest information on the Internet in Mainland China largely returns no results, apart from the government-mandated version of the events and the official view, which are mostly found on Websites of People's Daily and other heavily-controlled media" (RSF 2009). These censorships made the information became more and more inaccessible to those Chinese people.
Furthermore, the information blackout has been enforced successfully and effectively. "...Lots of university students in mainland china now have no idea who Zhao Ziyang is..." (Brick P.308) "...most young Chinese are completely unaware of this major event..." (RSF 2009). It implies that the new generation will have less motivation to find out what happened in 1989 and reduces the likelihood of Chinese government to disclose the truth. The Tiananmen Square incident will eventually fade from history.
The reasons for Chinese government to implement such censorship, propaganda, repression and violent is mainly because they fear about the truth will put them in an unfavorable light. "The government will be under pressure to bring those responsible for this crime to justice if they disclose the truth" (Hilton I 2009). This shows that the truth will bring them responsibility and damage the image of the communist regime.
Besides, the censorship and repression is aimed to maintain power. "If we do not change and put limits on such massive violence, how are we able to stop the subsequent lesser violence that takes place on every corner and at any time in the country?" Cui Weiping asked" (Hilton I 2009). This indicates that censorship and repression can help to maintain social stability and the domination of communist government.
Other than the actions taken by Chinese government, the western human rights activists, liberal commentators and even the foreign government have also distorted and spun the story of Tiananmen.
Except the official Chinese information, there is no reliable evidence about the death toll. "...the idea that thousands (even ten or twenty thousands) of "pro-democracy demonstrators" had died in Tiananmen Square was already rooted in popular consciousness throughout the world..." (Sinomania 2002) "...The most conservative estimate comes from the group Tiananmen Mothers, a group of relatives of people killed in the massacre, which has confirmed 186 deaths..." (Beam C 2009). This indicates that the death toll may far exaggerated by the Western press and politicians.
Also, the information comes from the western is not certainly the real truth. "What took place was the slaughter not of students but of ordinary workers and residents - precisely the target that the Chinese government had intended" (Black G pp.234 1993). It shows that most of the victims on June 4, 1989, were workers from the Beijing suburbs, unlike the Western view that emphasised a story involving conflict between students and soldiers.
Apart from the above, the relationship between foreign countries and China is also a crucial point making it hard to know the real truth.
Many Asian countries kept silent throughout the incident. "...the government of India responded to the massacre by ordering the state television to pare down the coverage to the barest minimum..." (Bill 2010). They did so because they don't want to jeopardize the thawing in relations with China. However, these kinds of behavior will make the truths become harder to find.
Not only the Asian countries did it, but also the Western government (USA). "...Grand strategy or careful calculations of national interest...explained the policies either nation pursued toward the other... Thus, the pervasive Chinese assumption that U.S. policy toward Beijing is directly driven by strategic considerations is "grossly inaccurate"..." (ANU CD). This demonstrates that the USA's policies are more emphasised on bilateral interests rather than the human rights in China.
To conclude, with the government fear, strict censorship and unreasonable repression, it is nearly impossible to know the truth under the China's communist rulers. Also, with the misinformation led by Western press and the help of foreign countries, it is difficult to know the real truth.
It is clear that there are so many versions, obstacles and distortion about the Tiananmen Square Incident which also make the truth become questionable and unattainable. Therefore, it is less possible to know the truth at this moment.
It is redundant to say "real truth."
I like the way Ershad fixed that first paragraph, and I also want to help change this phrase:
There are so many obstacles and versions about the...
Take one thing at a time:
There are so many obstacles to overcome in order to determine which version of the story about the Tienanmen Square Incident, which not only come from the Chinese government, but also foreign countries, so the truth becomes inaccessible and arguable. It is less likely that the real truth will come to light until there is a democratic system in China.
use this form: "not only ---> but also..."
They not only wanted to reproduce the truth for Chinese people, but also tried to block the flow of information.
And here is one last correction:
To conclude, with the fear of the go vernment, strict censorship and unreasonable repression, it is nearly impossible to know the truth under the China's communist rulers.
