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Shen Tong, a Chinese dissident and a young pro-democracy movement leader in Tiananmen Square in 1989, fled China six days after the June 4, 1989, government crackdown. For the last ten years he has lived in the United States. Using a pseudonym, Shen has since written numerous articles and analysis on Liberalism and political issues for Chinese journals and magazines. This past February, he received an E-mail from his publisher in China, informing him that a Chinese journal will soon publish his latest article "Multi-Culturalism and Political Philosophy" under his real name. The publisher is taking a chance because publication of a dissident's work may provoke punishment from the government. Shen, 30, now lives in Boston. In a recent interview, Shen said he is looking forward to seeing his article appear under his real name. But he also noted that this is a high-risk venture for his publisher, as it is almost unheard of for an article with a political dissident's byline to pass government censorship. Ten years after the 1989 Pro-Democracy Protest in Tiananmen Square, the Chinese people appear again to be testing the limits of public discourse. In April, for example, 10,000 followers of a religious cult gathered peacefully in China's leadership compound in Zhongnanhai, Beijing, demanding negotiation with the government. Shen would not disclose the name of his publisher; neither has he revealed the name of the journal. But it apparently is a new academic review quarterly that has grown popular among the intelligentsia after its birth last year. In his forthcoming article, "Multi-Culturalism and Political Philosophy," Shen compares the falls of communism and fascism. He points out that it took a world war to end fascism but communism crumbled overnight. However, Shen argues, "Without the defeat of a major war, a peaceful post-communist transition often means that the communist cultural attitudes remain more or less intact." The article was first expected to come out last month. But in China, the right timing is crucial. If the political climate is benign, there is a greater chance for sensitive topics to pass censorship. So publishers wait for the right time to publish materials that the authorities may consider too far from the prescribed line. Following submission to the authorities, publishers often have to wait months or even a year to hear whether or not the proposed articles have received official clearance. Given the present political atmosphere in Beijing triggered by the recent anti-NATO and anti-American sentiment, Shen expects a long wait before he will hear from his publisher. This past January, the Communist Party's powerful Department of Propaganda closed down an influential book publisher in Beijing and an adventurous newspaper in Guangzhou for their publication of sensitive topics. But in the meantime, a new book written by a Chinese dissident and poet, Bei Dao, can be seen in many bookstores in China. "What is happening in China right now is confusing and complicated," said Shen. On one hand, the government seems to be intolerant of any publication that is too liberal. However, journals and magazines that address sensitive topics continue to emerge and survive. It is already clear that no matter how tough the law is, publishers will somehow find a way to publish materials that press against the boundaries of what is permissible. As the Chinese people are ready to push the envelope even further, the Chinese leaders seem to realize that an iron fist doesn't always work. Their change of attitude was most obvious in handling of the religious cult protest in April--the biggest since the democracy movement in Tiananmen Square. A delegation of the protesters eventually were invited by Prime Minister Zhu Rongji to meet with him in his compound. "I guess the Chinese leaders now realize the importance of dialogue," said Shen Tong. "There would never have been a June 4 bloodshed if the Chinese leaders were willing to talk to us right from the start." Although conditions in China have improved in recent years, Shen remains pessimistic about the prospects for China's democracy. "We all thought that the Cultural Revolution was the worst that could ever have happened to the Chinese people...it couldn't be worse.... Then came the Tiananmen Square shootout. We all thought that the 1980s were the best years we ever had and things could only change for the better. But things do not necessarily change from good to the better. It could change from good to very bad." Although his expectation for a democratic China is remote, Shen has not given up doing what he thinks is worthy for China. He is now the director of the Fund for China Democracy, backed by donors from the Mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the United States. The Fund seeks to improve conditions in China through the promotion of democratic thoughts and ideas. The group runs a major bookstore of liberal publications in Beijing, and is involved in the making of television programs that address social issues inside China. The most successful program the group ever produced was a 1996 talk show which resembled CNN's Crossfire. It was viewed by 40 million people nationwide each Saturday and Sunday morning. The show became the most-watched TV program in China in 1996. Then the station became suspicious when the show started to discuss issues that seemed critical of the government. For example, in the last episode in June 1996, the program discussed the problems of parenting. On the surface, it was just another family issue. But it could also be taken as a problem of a larger family--that is the country as a whole--the Chinese leaders being the parents and the people being the children. In July 1996 the station declined to renew the group's contract. Believing that little can be done soon to improve China's democratic conditions, Shen said he must carry on what he has been doing for the past ten years. "Why I haven't given it up? It's like asking me 'Why live?" he said. Shen was among the first to flee China after the government sent troops and tanks to Tiananmen Square on June 4 1989 to stamp out the protesters. At least 800 people were killed. In his book Almost a Revolution (1990), Shen described how he retrieved his passport from the US embassy in Beijing just minutes before the embassy shut down. He fled to the US soon after the bloodshed and went to Brandeis University in Waltham, MA, to pursue his bachelor's degree. He later went on with his studies at Harvard University and will obtain a Ph.D. from Boston University this year. Sen Lee, a former Hong Kong-based journalist, is a research associate at the Center for War, Peace, and the News Media. She is a Ph.D. Candidate in International Relations at Boston University. Return to Global Beat Home Page Nuclear Watch | Balkan Conflicts | East Asian Security | EU Integration & Enlargement | Middle East | NATO Expansion | Nuclear Weapons and Proliferation | South Asian Security | U.S. Defense Policy | Publications | Events | Experts Directory | Links Directory |
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