37th Anniversary of June 4th Tiananmen Mothers Zhang Xianling: As a Victim's Family Member, Refusing to Forget

(Taipei, June 3, CNA) On the eve of the 37th anniversary of the June 4th incident, 88-year-old Zhang Xianling, a member of the 'Tiananmen Mothers,' read a memorial text, stating that the sacrifice of her relatives is an indelible pain etched in her heart. As a victim's family member, she emphasized the need to speak the truth, not forget, seek justice, and appeal to conscience.

Zhang Xianling has not stopped speaking out about this history for 37 years. Her son, Wang Nan, was a student at Beijing's Yuetan Middle School during the June 4th incident in 1989. On June 4th that year, a bullet entered Wang Nan's left upper forehead and exited from behind his left ear. Wang Nan's ashes are currently stored in the columbarium at Wan'an Cemetery in Beijing's western suburbs.

Zhang Xianling's memorial text video for this year was released on YouTube on May 27th. She read the contents of the memorial text in front of the camera.

Regarding the June 4th incident, Zhang Xianling said that at the time, China had just begun its reform and opening-up, and corruption was beginning to emerge. Those with power and connections were making huge fortunes, while ordinary citizens were deeply concerned about the rising prices of goods and housing, leading to widespread public discontent. Students bravely stood up to represent public opinion and urged the government to take measures through peaceful protests.

Zhang Xianling continued, saying that the students' actions were supported by the general public and various organizations and institutions. Everyone sincerely hoped that the government would take measures to stop the spread of such phenomena. Unexpectedly, the then-ruling authorities not only did not listen to the public's response but also mobilized hundreds of thousands of field armies, armed to the teeth, and used armored vehicles to brutally suppress the peaceful protesters, resulting in a large number of casualties.

She said that in an instant, thousands of families were struck a fatal blow.

Zhang Xianling said that people who were in Beijing at the time would not forget the deafening gunshots, the roar of armored vehicles, and the wailing of ambulances, as well as the angry shouts of the crowd that night.

Zhang Xianling said, 'We will never forget the image of our relatives when they left home.' No one could have imagined that a government claiming to 'serve the people' would order its people to be shot.

She continued, saying that the sacrifice of her relatives is an indelible pain etched in her heart. Tears have dried up, and sorrow is buried deep in her heart. What remains is the eternal remembrance of her relatives and the hatred for the crime of massacring the people. These have strengthened the courage to resist and the determination to seek a fair and just evaluation of the victims of the June 4th massacre and to demand an apology and compensation through legal procedures.

Zhang Xianling stated that as a country that claims to be 'rule of law,' the ruling authorities and the highest organ of state power, the National People's Congress, should courageously face past crimes and adopt a dialogue approach to gradually resolve the unavoidable issue of June 4th.

Zhang Xianling finally said that as a victim's family member, it is necessary to 'speak the truth, refuse to forget, seek justice, and appeal to conscience,' to seek justice for her relatives and comfort the spirits of the victims in heaven.

In recent years, the Chinese government's attitude towards June 4th has become increasingly restrictive. On June 4th last year, the 'Tiananmen Mothers' went to Beijing's Wan'an Cemetery to pay their respects to their deceased relatives as usual, but were prohibited from bringing mobile phones and cameras. This was the first time the Chinese authorities had cut off the 'Tiananmen Mothers' members' external communications on the June 4th memorial day.

This year, members of the 'Tiananmen Mothers' group received a notice from the Beijing Public Security Bureau stating that they are not allowed to go to Beijing's Wan'an Cemetery to pay their respects to their relatives on June 4th this year, nor are they allowed to hold the usual annual memorial ceremonies. (Editor: Lü Jiarong) 1150603

Choose to stand with the facts. Every donation you make is a force for safeguarding press freedom.

Download the CNA 'First-Hand News' app to stay updated with the latest news in real-time.

The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.