The 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown saw heightened security in China as the Chinese government sought to suppress any mention or commemoration of the event. The bloody military intervention, which took place on June 3-4, 1989, resulted in an estimated death toll of hundreds to thousands. The Chinese government has long censored any discussion of the Tiananmen Square protests and crackdown both on the mainland and in Hong Kong.
In Beijing, an estimated 180,000 troops and armed police were deployed to end the pro-democracy protests that had been ongoing for months. The Chinese government has never released an official death toll from the crackdown. In Hong Kong, which was once a beacon of commemorative freedom for Tiananmen victims, overseas communities carried on the torch to keep memories alive.
Rowena He, a prominent scholar of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, traveled between the United States, Britain and Canada to give talks aimed at speaking out for those who cannot. In London, 'May 35th' was performed as a play that told the story of an elderly couple who wished to properly mourn their son who died in 1989. A museum dedicated to the Tiananmen crackdown opened in New York last June and featured exhibits such as a blood-stained shirt and a tent used by student protesters.
In Hong Kong, performance artist Sanmu Chen was detained on the eve of the anniversary for miming drinking in front of a police van and chanting 'Hong Kongers, do not be afraid. Don't forget tomorrow is June 4.' Three former leaders of the group organizing an annual vigil were charged with subversion under Hong Kong's national security law and the group was disbanded.
Despite efforts to suppress memories of Tiananmen in China, Taiwan President William Lai Ching-te promised that historical memory would last forever. Beijing has not ruled out using force to take control of Taiwan and staged war games around the island after Lai's inauguration.
