China Since Tiananmen is the first book to look comprehensively at the intellectual and political trends in the decade since the Tiananmen Incident (1989) to assess the ways in which China has changed. Fewsmith looks on the one hand at the intellectual critique of the enlightenment tradition, which had previously held a sacrosanct position in the thinking of liberal intellectuals since the May Fourth Movement of 1919, to explain the rise of neo-conservatism and nationalism over the past decade. On the other hand, he examines the maneuverings of elite political actors to understand the constraints they operate under and how the conduct of elite politics has changed since Tiananmen. Together, these two approaches give a more comprehensive and realistic assessment of the forces that drive China today. These trends are of great importance for anyone trying to understand Sino-US relations.
It has been thirteen years since soldiers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) raced into the center of Beijing, ordered to recover "at any cost" the city's most important landmark, Tiananmen Square, from student demonstrators. The U.S. and other Western countries recoiled in disgust after the horrific incident, and the relationship between the U.S. and China went from amity and strategic cooperation to hostility, distrust, and misunderstanding. Time has healed many of the wounds from those terrible days of June 1989, and bilateral strains have been eased in light of the countries' joint opposition to international terrorism. Yet China and U.S. remain locked in opposition, as strategic thinkers and military planners on both sides plot future conflict scenarios with the other side as principal enemy. Polls indicate that most Americans consider China an "unfriendly" country, and anti-American sentiment is growing in China. According to Robert Suettinger, the calamity in Tiananmen Square marked a critical turning point in U.S.-China affairs. In Beyond Tiananmen, Suettinger traces the turbulent bilateral relationship since that time, with a particular focus on the internal political factors that shaped it. Through a series of candid anecdotes and observations, Suettinger sheds light on the complex and confused decision-making process that affected relations between the U.S. and China between 1989 and the end of the Clinton presidency in 2000. By illuminating the way domestic political ideas, beliefs, and prejudices affect foreign policymaking, Suettinger reveals policy decisions as outcomes of complex processes, rather than the results of grand strategic trends. He also refutes the view that strategic confrontation between the superpowers is inevitable. Suettinger sees considerable opportunity for cooperation and improvement in what is likely to be the single most important bilateral relationship of the twenty-first century. He cautions, however
Provides a detailed analysis of the Chinese Communist Party's discourse in the post-Tiananmen period which emphasises stability, and which has been used by the Party to legitimate its authority.
As the world watched the crumbling away of communist regimes in Eastern Europe, the pro-democracy movement in China was dealt a severe blow in June of 1989. Also referred to as the June 4th Incident, the Tiananmen Square protest included students, intellectuals, and workers demanding democratic reforms and social change. To break up the escalating protest armed soldiers stormed the square killing close to two hundred demonstrators and injuring thousands more. Culture and Politics in China explores the events, trends, and tendencies that led to the student demonstrations. This volume objectively presents a wide range of information permitting readers a comprehensive understanding of the circumstances that culminated on the events of June 4, 1989. Documents include eyewitness accounts by student leaders Chai Ling and Wu'er Kaixi, the speeches of Deng Xiaoping and Yang Shangkun justifying the use of force, analysis of the events by the Marxist theorist Su Shaozhi, the writings of young intellectuals Yan Jiaqi, Liu Xiaobo, and others. Selections include essays on the May Fourth Movement of 1919 and the television documentary, the "Yellow River Elegy" which question the Chinese cultural tradition. Leading political scientists contribute to this volume. Lee presents an analysis of the role of Deng Xiaoping in the events at Tiananmen Square, and his views on the Chinese Communist party-state and the pro-democracy movement King Tsao, who was at the square, views the demonstrations as a form of civil disobedience and dissent against the party-state. He gives an eyewitness account and a contextual analysis of some of the events and underlying themes. Steven Mark, a journalist, presents an analysis of the various roles of both the Chinese and Western press, beginning with their role in shaping public opinion before the demonstrations and continuing as the media scrambled to cover China's biggest news story since the communist takeover in 1949. Those who are interested in present and future developments in the world's most populous nation will find this volume indispensable.
A “memorable series of portraits of the working class people who defended Tiananmen Square” (The New York Review of Books) during the protests from the award-winning poet, dissident, and “one of the most original and remarkable Chinese writers of our time” (Philip Gourevitch). Much has been written about the Tiananmen Square protests, but very little exists in the words of those who were actually there. For over seven years, Liao Yiwu—a master of contemporary Chinese literature, imprisoned and persecuted as a counter-revolutionary until he fled the country in 2011—secretly interviewed survivors of the devastating 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. Tortured, imprisoned, and forced into silence and the margins of Chinese society for thirty years, their harrowing and unforgettable stories are now finally revealed in this “indispensable historical document” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).
An eyewitness account of Tiananmen Spring, available once again to commemorate the ten year anniversary of these historic events of China's recent past
Inconvenient Memories is a rare and truthful memoir of a young woman's coming of age amid the Tiananmen Protests of 1989. In 1989, Anna Wang was one of a lucky few who worked for a Japanese company, Canon. She traveled each day between her grandmother's dilapidated commune-style apartment and an extravagant office just steps from Tiananmen Square. Her daily commute on Beijing's impossibly crowded buses brought into view the full spectrum of China's economic and social inequalities during the economic transition. When Tiananmen Protests broke out, her Japanese boss was concerned whether the protests would obstruct Canon's assembly plant in China, and she was sent to Tiananmen Square on a daily basis to take photos for her boss to analyze for evidence of turning tides. From the perspective as a member of the emerging middle class, she observed firsthand that Tiananmen Protests stemmed from Chinese people's longing for political freedom and their fear for the nascent market economy, an observation that readers have never come across from the various accounts of the historical events so far.
China After Deng Xiaoping This book gives bold and thought-provoking answers to the question "What will happen after Deng Xiaoping’s death?" by analysing major political and economic trends in China since the June 4, 1989 crackdown. The intriguing career of patriarch Deng after the Tiananmen Square massacre — and his place in history — is assessed with the help of previously unpublished internal documents and hundreds of interviews with key players. The lively story-telling and incisive judgements are buttressed by generous quotations from the speeches and writings of the politicians who will shape China’s future. China After Deng Xiaoping looks at developments in six crucial areas from 1989 to late 1994, and forecasts their progress into the next decade: a) Deng Xiaoping’s contributions and legacy; b) economic reform, the quasi-capitalist road, and the rules of the game in the socialist market economy; c) the residual influence of the Maoists; d) the expanding role of the People’s Liberation Army; e) political reform and the future of the Chinese Communist Party; f) the post-Deng Xiaoping leadership, tension between Beijing and the regions, and the rise of private entrepreneurs. China After Deng Xiaoping examines the crisis-ridden country that Deng will leave behind. After the June 4 tragedy, Deng made valiant efforts to "mend heaven" by resuscitating economic reform. By early 1995, China seemed on the threshold of integration with the global economic order. However, the political system remains feudal and corrupt. Economic liberalisation has reached a bottleneck. The socio-economic costs of reform are becoming prohibitive unless commensurate steps are taken to modernise the political structure. Will Deng’s anointed successors — led by President Jiang Zemin, Premier Li Peng and Vice-Premier Zhu Rongji — shepherd the country towards a novel phase of reform? Will China take the leap into the international market place? Will the Shanghai Faction led by Jiang and Zhu continue to ride high? What role will the army play? Or has the balance of power been tipped in favor of new forces such as the regional "warlords", the private entrepreneurs and an intelligentsia that has been re-awakened by the information revolution? China After Deng Xiaoping gives clues to the outcome of the slugfest within the Communist party that will break out after the paramount leader’s demise. The book also looks at how the urge to "get rich first" has transformed the mentality of cadres as well as ordinary people. Infinite possibilities — most of them non-Marxist and non-socialist — are beckoning for those who want to embrace the opportunities of the Asia-Pacific century. A new chapter for the world’s longest-continuous civilisation opens as its last patriarch gives up the ghost.
'I recall being woken by the sound of tanks moving down the Avenue of Eternal Peace. It was 5 o'clock on the morning of 4 June. Tanks, APCs and troop trucks were sweeping down the avenue. Citizens ran for cover. Helicopters hovered above. Foreign media claimed that Chinese troops had fired into the crowds with several hundred casualties.' More than three decades later, the Tiananmen Square incident refuses to be forgotten. The events that occurred in the summer of 1989 would not only set the course for China's politics but would also re-define its relationship with the world. China's message was clear: it remained committed to market-oriented reform, but it would not tolerate any challenge to the supremacy of the Chinese Communist Party. In return for economic prosperity, the Chinese have surrendered some rights to the state. A democratic future seems far away. Vijay Gokhale, then a young diplomat serving in Beijing, was a witness to the drama that unfolded in Tiananmen Square. This unique account brings an Indian perspective on an event in China's history that the Chinese government has been eager to have the world forget.
Eyewitness account of the Tiananmen massacre where the world watched in horror as government troops opened fire on thousands of democracy campaigners in Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
