The right time to lower the flag
There was on Monday, precisely one week and three minutes after the deadly Sichuan earthquake, a mass outburst of spontaneous feeling in Tian’anmen Square.
As an announcement signalled the end of three minutes silence, the crowd surrounded the flag and began shouting their devotions to the people of Sichuan and the Motherland.
Two things are of great significance here. First, the gathering was unauthorised but tolerated; second, the flag wasn’t lowered for either an emperor or a dictator.
The last time people gathered in huge numbers on the Square to speak with one voice – a voice of hope – it all ended very differently. That was arguably the defining moment in China’s modern history, and yet it remains an incident forbidden as the subject of debate or review. The supreme irony is that the compassionate and immediate response to this disaster has shown the Chinese government to be the caring, responsible leaders that the demonstrators were demanding 19 years ago.
Given that the Chinese leaders are currently riding the crest of an immense wave of popularity, why not take this moment to enhance their reputation still further? To achieve this they need only authorise the lowering of the flag in 14 days time. No announcements. No fanfare. No propaganda. Just a simple act of humility and remembrance that is long overdue. Everyone would immediately grasp the significance and it would be met with unprecedented and universal praise.
But there are reasons greater than earning domestic and international plaudits for a half-mast gesture on June 4. Yesterday’s flag lowering for the common man was fully justified, but ultimately a response to great suffering wrought by Mother Nature; an unavoidable tragedy. When tragedy struck Nineteen years ago, it was a premeditated strike against the common man.
Prior to the massacre of innocents, Beijing in ’89 had, in common with this past week, also been a time when the People’s Liberation Army had found a place in the hearts of the populace when they refused to turn their guns on the teachers, students, farmers and others who had gathered under the same banner. The local PLA units, sympathetic to the plight of the protesters, were cheered as they left the Square. Ultimately, mass murder would be committed, under direct orders from Zhongnanhai, by PLA units from outside provinces.
The loss of face had been too much for the hardliners like Li Peng and Deng Xiaoping to bear, and in common with all history’s craziest acts of despotism, they chose to send in a disaster of their own making. Desperate to cling to power and eager to punish, a mechanical earthquake was ordered onto the Square and the surrounding streets to crush, maim, and destroy. The only things in common with a natural disaster were the indiscriminate nature of the killings and the large number of innocent victims.
On Monday the leaders bowed their heads in remembrance at Zhongnanhai. It would be appropriate, although unrealistic, for them to bow their heads in shame in two weeks time. However, allowing the flag in Tian’anmen Square to be lowered in memory of those that died needlessly on June 4 ‘89 would be a welcome, responsible, and safe step for the government to take.
Of course, accountability and openness are pre-requisite, so I won’t be holding my breath waiting for it to happen. But I will remember, in company with millions of others, the event that China continues to wipe from the pages of history. Mark your calendars; 14 days to go.
Update: (May 24, 2008) 11 days to go.
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:17 am
“??has shown the Chinese government to be the caring, responsible leaders that the demonstrators were demanding 19 years ago”
Of course the government is changing their attitude because the people is changing and the situation is changing too.
Stuart, you alway tell us not to be so hostile to Janpanese because of the history. Then, why do you always mention 89’s affair which is becoming history too?
May 22nd, 2008 at 7:43 am
im always pro-western,cuz i believe in HUMAN RIGHTS,LIBERAL DEMOCRACIES,hate nationalism and dictators
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:53 am
Alex – I don’t think being pro-western will win you many friends in China right now. Besides, as many here will tell you, western democracies are not necessarily champions of human rights.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:22 am
“Then, why do you always mention 89’s affair which is becoming history too?”
Everything past can be regarded as history. But there is acknowledged history and there is denied history. Japanese war crimes are a matter of public record and open to discussion. Tian’anmen ‘89 is hidden behind a wall of enforced CCP silence.
Further, the Japanese people are not those that committed atrocities 70 years ago, whereas many of those that walked the corridors of power in China 19 years ago are still there today. And the party responsible for an act of cold-blooded brutality against its own people are still (very firmly) in control.
If, as you say, the government is changing its attitude this is the perfect time to express that change with the deepest act of humility and regret for those murdered on the orders of their predecessors.
Such is their overwhelming popularity right now, they really can’t lose. An apology would be asking too much of the face-conscious CCP, but a quiet, unannounced lowering of the flag would bring to the Chinese leaders universal admiration. And they wouldn’t have to say a word. No loss of face; no deviation from the party line; just one simple act of symbolic beauty.
May 23rd, 2008 at 9:34 am
thnx 4 the responsed mate
well,actually,ive soo many friends, they have the common opinions and critical thinkings wif me lol.i know sum madness people, such as students in universities, theyr fond of western commerical stuffs but have no interested in western political operations or western cultures, for instance,Reasoning, justice, democrat election, Multi-party system, freedom speeches, independent thinking, citizen society, NGO,etc. whys that? cuz the ccp’s Propaganda machines ,cencorship,they control citizens minds,as we know,only Nazi or communists did that!
stu,im a chiristian,so I believe in peaceful and Humane but also i believe in democracy and freedom, i heard bout some chinese said china dont need liberal democracies like western ,thats absurd,turn the sights to Taiwan(R.O.C.),they r also chinese,even they open up been 21 years from 1987,they did better,so democracy is the Universal values,doesnt it?
And recently,insane students demonstrated and the angry full of media,especially the state runs media,as my opinion,its not the first,soo i think its nonsence,dont terrified,they are Mobs,just as the Boxers(yihetuan),and so called Cultural Revolution. And we all know what chinese authority did in Sudan, weapon 4 benifits and 200,000 died per year, as Myanmer military clique ’s best Ally,which ignored the people’s bad situations,why chinese know nothing bout that?The reason is most of them have no RIGHTS 2 read CNN,BBC, or VOA news or cable tv,ccp blocked.what a pity.above all,i appreciate u guys from western r focus on chinese human rights,and without western’s supports,china gonna be dark and closed.the history proved.we neeed open up .at last i think freedom and democracy are all we need not just for chinese but also 4 the world.ps pray 4 people died in Sichuan quake, however,I read news from BBC Chinese site by Proxy,which said the students building which not collapsed are all HONG KONG built, it just means that the corruption is soo serious in PRC,at least the local authority never ever regarded the students lives.
May 24th, 2008 at 12:33 am
Alex,
People do need democracy and speech freedom in China, but that will be a long process to go. Our culture and history background are totally from Westerns’, so do our people’s ideas. You can say they need to learn more about this world but you can’t deny them. It is better to help them than criticize or deny them.
There are indeed many problems in China, especially corruption. People know clearly about that and want to have these problems solved insteading of just being criticized.
Anyway, there is a long way we have to go.
May 24th, 2008 at 2:32 am
Alex – the BBC can be accessed without a proxy for the time being.
As for the schools that collapsed in seconds , the government need to be transparent in acknowledging that thousands of children and students died as a direct result of corrupt practices.
May 24th, 2008 at 4:27 am
Stu,the authority blocks the BBC CHINESE SITE,www.bbc.co.uk/chinese/,lol.and dya think who will be the Rulling party?conservative and his leader David Cameron could take over from Labor Party?
Mon,thnx 4 yr comment,and i have 2 say,the chinese pro-ccp ’s writer LuXun,he criticised the chinese,and u know the element figure A Q which he created,huh?yep,he could do it,why cant i?People shud say the truth words,i dont wanna be a coward,and ignore the chinese Bad qualities.Just so u know,i ve read a lot of books and reports when i was 15 yrs old,and i know the truth history of my own country,not full of glory and holy stories as the national textbooks,dya know that?Further,the freedom&democracy is people shud fightin for,not waitin 4.At last,i recommand a man 2 u,Hushih,u ve 2 know who he is,but not sure what he did or what he claimed,hes a kool man,take a shot,read sum books of him,okay?lol,anyway,have a nice day.