I Wanted To Analyse And Understand How

In 1989, I Was On Tiananmen Square With The Students, Living In Their Makeshift Tents And Joining Their Jubilant Singing Of The Internationale. In The Two Decades Since, Each Time That I Have Gone Back, Visions From Those Days Seem To Return With Increasing Persistence.

The Beijing Olympics Represent China's Grand Entrance Onto The World Stage And Confirmation Of Its New Superpower Status.

The Chinese People Have Been Forced To Forget The Tiananmen Massacre. There Has Been No Public Debate About The Event, No Official Apology. The Media Aren't Allowed To Mention It. Still Today People Are Being Persecuted And Imprisoned For Disseminating Information About It.

To Become Self-aware, People Must Be Allowed To Hear A Plurality Of Opinions And Then Make Up Their Own Minds. They Must Be Allowed To Say, Write And Publish Whatever They Want. Freedom Of Expression Is The Most Basic, But Fundamental, Right. Without It, Human Beings Are Reduced To Automatons.

The Literal Meaning Of The Chinese Characters For Revolution Is Elimination Of Life