37 Years Later, What Tiananmen Means to Them: Reflection, Guarding, Refusing to Forget
The article reports on the reflections and memories of three individuals from different backgrounds 37 years after the Tiananmen Square protests, including witness Liu Ruishao, preserver Lie Minghui, and retrospective interviewee Ah May.
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- 📰 Published: June 4, 2026 at 11:06
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Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Chen Kaiyu, Taipei, 4th) 37 years have passed, what does Tiananmen mean to different people? Some experienced the hail of bullets and still contemplate the impact of that history on China; some carry a heavy entrustment to guard history in a foreign land; some rediscovered Tiananmen years later and refuse to forget. Even as time passes, this history accompanies their lives.
On June 4, 1989, Liu Ruishao personally experienced Tiananmen on Chang'an Avenue in Beijing, and even had a bullet graze his ear. 37 years later, Liu Ruishao told Central News Agency that he still remembers it vividly but doesn't want to dwell in grief. To him, the most important significance of Tiananmen is not his personal encounter, but its impact on China's development.
At the time of Tiananmen, Liu Ruishao was the director of the Hong Kong Wen Wei Po's Beijing office. After Tiananmen, the Chinese Communist Party listed his five major offenses in a 'pacification report,' making him the only Hong Kong journalist named. But he said he takes it lightly and doesn't take his personal encounter too seriously; instead, he is more concerned about how Tiananmen affected China's development.
Liu Ruishao said the 1980s was a golden age in modern Chinese history. At that time, China was gradually emerging from the shadow of the Cultural Revolution; since the reform and opening up in 1979, besides economic reform, political reform was also brewing. At the 13th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in 1987, then General Secretary Zhao Ziyang proposed political system reform, for the first time explicitly writing 'increasing decision-making transparency' and 'protecting the public's right to know' into the official political platform.
Liu Ruishao said that Chinese society at that time was filled with an open atmosphere. However, after Tiananmen, political reform halted, and the previously more relaxed political atmosphere gradually disappeared.
Liu Ruishao said he will not dwell on the grief of Tiananmen, but that does not mean forgetting. To him, the most important thing now is 'existence and preservation'—whether for the history of Tiananmen or for what individuals cherish and consider meaningful.
He said everyone faces Tiananmen differently, and the most important thing is to make a choice according to one's own will, ability, background, and circumstances.
When Tiananmen happened, Lie Minghui was only 12 years old. She told Central News Agency that she only half-understood many things at that time, but the seed was quietly planted in her heart. Since then, Tiananmen has accompanied her growth and gradually became part of her life.
In 1997, Lie Minghui just started university and attended her first Tiananmen candlelight vigil. She was then student council president and insisted on displaying the 'Pillar of Shame' on campus despite opposition from the school. Later, she became a senior volunteer of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance, and in 2009 founded 'Tiananmen Stage' to pass on the history through plays and art.
As years passed, Hong Kong underwent dramatic changes. Lie Minghui said that public space to mourn and discuss Tiananmen no longer exists, and history may be gradually forgotten. 'How to preserve history is a problem we need to think about.'
In October 2021, Lie Minghui left Hong Kong and emigrated to the UK, continuing to perform 'Tiananmen Stage's' play 'May 35' there, and also in an English version. She said to plant the seed in the hearts of the new generation, new ways must be considered. 'I know many Hong Kong children who emigrated to the UK can't speak Cantonese well and use English daily; moreover, telling them history from decades ago from scratch may not be understandable.'
In recent years, 'May 35' has been performed in Japanese and Mandarin in Japan and Taiwan. This year, some Hongkongers in the UK borrowed the script and self-funded a reading session to keep the history alive in different places.
Lie Minghui said that her former comrades from the Hong Kong Alliance were arrested, and being in a free world herself, guarding history has become 'a very heavy entrustment.' She believes history is like a flood that cannot be completely blocked. 'Now we are in a storm; we must keep the seeds safe, not let them spoil, and when the weather improves, the seeds will sprout.'
'To me, Tiananmen and Hong Kong are already inseparable,' Ah May (pseudonym) told Central News Agency.
When Tiananmen happened in 1989, Ah May had already emigrated overseas. In the 1990s, like many Hong Kong people at the time, she believed in '50 years unchanged' and returned to Hong Kong. She said she was still in a state of confusion and saw Tiananmen as a distant piece of history.
Later, Ah May went to work in mainland China and witnessed injustices, prompting her to reexamine her past understanding and rediscover Tiananmen. In 2009, she decided to work in Hong Kong and purposely returned for the June 4 march that year. Since then, she has attended candlelight vigils every year.
Ah May said, 'At first I thought we (Hong Kongers) were speaking for the Tiananmen mothers and the victims; in recent years, Hong Kong has undergone such big changes, the candlelight vigil disappeared, and friends around me were arrested and imprisoned. It turns out all this is so real.'
She said that Tiananmen made her see that there are values in the world that must be cherished, and some people are willing to pay a price for what they believe in. Over the years, she has asked herself: if facing the same situation, how much would she be willing to pay?
Ah May said that now it is a struggle between memory and forgetting. 'My faith tells me there is a difference between truth and lies.' What she can do now is preserve memory. 'I don't want to leave this world with regret. I hope when I meet the Tiananmen mothers and victims, I won't hand in a blank sheet.' (Editor: Zhou Huiying) 1150604.
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(Central News Agency reporter Chen Kaiyu, Taipei, 4th) 37 years have passed, what does Tiananmen mean to different people? Some experienced the hail of bullets and still contemplate the impact of that history on China; some carry a heavy entrustment to guard history in a foreign land; some rediscovered Tiananmen years later and refuse to forget. Even as time passes, this history accompanies their lives.
On June 4, 1989, Liu Ruishao personally experienced Tiananmen on Chang'an Avenue in Beijing, and even had a bullet graze his ear. 37 years later, Liu Ruishao told Central News Agency that he still remembers it vividly but doesn't want to dwell in grief. To him, the most important significance of Tiananmen is not his personal encounter, but its impact on China's development.
At the time of Tiananmen, Liu Ruishao was the director of the Hong Kong Wen Wei Po's Beijing office. After Tiananmen, the Chinese Communist Party listed his five major offenses in a 'pacification report,' making him the only Hong Kong journalist named. But he said he takes it lightly and doesn't take his personal encounter too seriously; instead, he is more concerned about how Tiananmen affected China's development.
Liu Ruishao said the 1980s was a golden age in modern Chinese history. At that time, China was gradually emerging from the shadow of the Cultural Revolution; since the reform and opening up in 1979, besides economic reform, political reform was also brewing. At the 13th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in 1987, then General Secretary Zhao Ziyang proposed political system reform, for the first time explicitly writing 'increasing decision-making transparency' and 'protecting the public's right to know' into the official political platform.
Liu Ruishao said that Chinese society at that time was filled with an open atmosphere. However, after Tiananmen, political reform halted, and the previously more relaxed political atmosphere gradually disappeared.
Liu Ruishao said he will not dwell on the grief of Tiananmen, but that does not mean forgetting. To him, the most important thing now is 'existence and preservation'—whether for the history of Tiananmen or for what individuals cherish and consider meaningful.
He said everyone faces Tiananmen differently, and the most important thing is to make a choice according to one's own will, ability, background, and circumstances.
When Tiananmen happened, Lie Minghui was only 12 years old. She told Central News Agency that she only half-understood many things at that time, but the seed was quietly planted in her heart. Since then, Tiananmen has accompanied her growth and gradually became part of her life.
In 1997, Lie Minghui just started university and attended her first Tiananmen candlelight vigil. She was then student council president and insisted on displaying the 'Pillar of Shame' on campus despite opposition from the school. Later, she became a senior volunteer of the now-disbanded Hong Kong Alliance, and in 2009 founded 'Tiananmen Stage' to pass on the history through plays and art.
As years passed, Hong Kong underwent dramatic changes. Lie Minghui said that public space to mourn and discuss Tiananmen no longer exists, and history may be gradually forgotten. 'How to preserve history is a problem we need to think about.'
In October 2021, Lie Minghui left Hong Kong and emigrated to the UK, continuing to perform 'Tiananmen Stage's' play 'May 35' there, and also in an English version. She said to plant the seed in the hearts of the new generation, new ways must be considered. 'I know many Hong Kong children who emigrated to the UK can't speak Cantonese well and use English daily; moreover, telling them history from decades ago from scratch may not be understandable.'
In recent years, 'May 35' has been performed in Japanese and Mandarin in Japan and Taiwan. This year, some Hongkongers in the UK borrowed the script and self-funded a reading session to keep the history alive in different places.
Lie Minghui said that her former comrades from the Hong Kong Alliance were arrested, and being in a free world herself, guarding history has become 'a very heavy entrustment.' She believes history is like a flood that cannot be completely blocked. 'Now we are in a storm; we must keep the seeds safe, not let them spoil, and when the weather improves, the seeds will sprout.'
'To me, Tiananmen and Hong Kong are already inseparable,' Ah May (pseudonym) told Central News Agency.
When Tiananmen happened in 1989, Ah May had already emigrated overseas. In the 1990s, like many Hong Kong people at the time, she believed in '50 years unchanged' and returned to Hong Kong. She said she was still in a state of confusion and saw Tiananmen as a distant piece of history.
Later, Ah May went to work in mainland China and witnessed injustices, prompting her to reexamine her past understanding and rediscover Tiananmen. In 2009, she decided to work in Hong Kong and purposely returned for the June 4 march that year. Since then, she has attended candlelight vigils every year.
Ah May said, 'At first I thought we (Hong Kongers) were speaking for the Tiananmen mothers and the victims; in recent years, Hong Kong has undergone such big changes, the candlelight vigil disappeared, and friends around me were arrested and imprisoned. It turns out all this is so real.'
She said that Tiananmen made her see that there are values in the world that must be cherished, and some people are willing to pay a price for what they believe in. Over the years, she has asked herself: if facing the same situation, how much would she be willing to pay?
Ah May said that now it is a struggle between memory and forgetting. 'My faith tells me there is a difference between truth and lies.' What she can do now is preserve memory. 'I don't want to leave this world with regret. I hope when I meet the Tiananmen mothers and victims, I won't hand in a blank sheet.' (Editor: Zhou Huiying) 1150604.
Choose to stand with the facts. Your sponsorship is the power to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency 'One Hand News' APP for the latest news.
The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, broadcast, or transmitted without authorization.
FAQ
What is the main content of this article?
Three individuals share their memories and reflections on the Tiananmen Square protests 37 years later.
How does Liu Ruishao evaluate Tiananmen?
He points out that Tiananmen caused a halt to China's political reform and loss of openness.
How does Lie Minghui transmit history?
She created a play 'May 35' and performs it overseas, including in the UK.
How did Ah May's perception of Tiananmen change?
She initially saw it as distant history but became actively involved after experiences in mainland China.
What social implications does this article suggest?
Efforts to preserve historical memory continue despite restrictions on free speech.