Unlike Fang Lizhi, Liu played an important and active role in the Tiananmen demonstrations, cutting short a fellowship at Columbia University to be in Beijing. Liu acted as an advisor to students protesters and staged a hunger strike of his own in early June alongside musician Hou Dejian, journalist Gao Xin, and researcher Zhou Duo…. Read more »
The May Fourth Movement, wusi yundong (五四运动), brought Chen Duxiu to the height of his influence. Chinese intellectuals around the country were sparked to anger by Liang Qichao’s telegram from Paris announcing the secret agreement between the Chinese government and Japan to turn over Germany’s territorial concessions to the Japanese. Already planning to protest the anniversary of… Read more »
Having removed all remaining liberal voices in the party, Deng moved to crush the protests in the square. Beginning on May 20, troops shut down the square and began to arrest students. On the night of June 3rd, a second wave of troops worked their way from the outskirts to the center of the city,… Read more »