How Tiananmen Square Changed the World—And Why Americans Should Be Paying Attention
Flowers of Freedom- Cantonese Hymn of the Tiananmen Square Protests
There is no end to the history that has been rewritten, hidden, lied about, and covered up by those in power. From Tiananmen Square to the war on drugs right here at home.
So much they don’t want us to know.
And for different reasons.
Here are just a few-
- How evil their deeds have been, why would we ever trust them? They need us to trust them
- How did they accumulate all their wealth? It wasn’t from hard work like they want us to believe
- And my favorite, how possible it is to overthrow those in government, to undermine the ones with all the money. That all the money in the World can’t buy integrity. Narrative matters to our cause like sunshine matters to a rainbow. Just one steady stream of sun/inspiring stories about people uniting will inevitably lead to a rainbow/more egalitarian World.
What happened at Tiananmen Square in 1989 wasn’t just a tragedy for China—it was a turning point for every nation grappling with dissent, surveillance, and the power of people united.
Right here at home, the United States has its own legacy of suppressing protests—from the FBI’s war on the Civil Rights Movement to the militarized response to Black Lives Matter.
Both governments have worked hard to control the narrative: erasing, rewriting, or rebranding history to keep citizens compliant. What Tiananmen shows us is that public memory is dangerous to those in power.
Let’s start with one of the most valuable tools we have- a history lesson.
Watch this BBC video for full dates, details and incredible pictures of these courageous, powerful protestors.
Tiananmen Square: What happened in the protests of 1989? – BBC News
April, 1989– Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China
People can only be pushed so far. The endless cycle of poverty, lack of education, zero opportunities, no job development led to a historic demonstration that still rings through time EXCEPT in the place it happened.
What started as a student protest in April 1989 escalated into over a million civilians holding their ground in Tiananmen Square into early June. They organized hunger strikes, daily vigils and marches all in the name of Democracy, Free Speech, Free Press ETC.
May 20th, 1989
The government enacted martial law, and 250,000 soldiers marched into the square. This only sparked more rage from protestors, not backing down for a moment. That level of fearlessness terrified the soldiers AND the government. They were facing people so committed to their cause of equality, fairness, basic human rights that they were willing to risk it all. Which they ultimately did on
June 4th, 1989 1:00 AM
soldiers fired rounds into the crowds, killing protestors whether they were rallying, or sleeping. Most tried to escape, but there were some who fought back, climbing tanks, using the materials at their hands, and their fierce illogical hope for standing up in the name of humanity.
It’s estimated that hundreds to thousands of people were killed and over 10,000 were arrested that night. A violent attempt to control people left its stain on history.
June 5th, 1989
One man decided to leave his mark as well. We don’t know his name, but we know his stance- Tank Man walked right up to the line of 50 TON tanks, with his grocery bags, stopping their attack. This video is here-
Today-
To this day, the public does not know what happened to Tank Man.
Vigils in memory of people killed that night are banned around China, even speaking about it in public is forbidden. My Mom traveled to China a few years ago, visited Tiananmen Square and had locals approaching her, asking what happened here.
It’s all terribly familiar across time and countries- evil, inhumane political ‘leaders’ committing crimes against humanity and then covering it up. Erasing it through history, rewriting the truth to serve their own agendas.
Tomorrow-
I will continue researching, learning, and digging for the real stories, but here’s the thing- once we learn the truth, what will we do with it?
Check out my post about choosing to be hopeful in SPITE of logic-
https://sarahsspirals.com/they-want-a-hopeless-you-lets-ruin-their-plan/