My life in China, Part 23- CCP

In my last post, I discussed the question of whether China is safe. I explained its crime rate, the perils of the growing number of automobiles, and the risky environmental factors- all measures usually associated with safety. Ultimately, I concluded that, yes, it is a reasonably safe country and, in many respects, safer than the US. But I was sure to make the caveat that this was as long as you didn’t find yourself at odds with its government, and this is a vital point deserving of its own post.

Much of our notion of safety comes from the institutions we establish to protect us from the darker things in life. But, what if the darker things in life are these institutions? As a nation (US), we witnessed a terrifying event on January 6th, a situation that continues to shake the very foundations of our society- protestors storming the capital and holding a proverbial flame to our constitution. This document and what it represents is greater than any political party and undoubtedly more significant than any little man president. It is a sacred agreement between the government and its people.

Luckily, that old parchment is strong, and the fire didn’t take. The event soon became a symbol of our democracy’s integrity, if not a wake-up call that it is incredibly delicate. Many things could have gone worse, and although somewhat violent, it wasn’t the bloodbath that it could have been. That wasn’t the case for China on June 5, 1989.

I was seven years old and watching TV with my mother while eating my morning cereal. Little did I know, I was about to witness one of those historical events that stay with you for the rest of your life. On the screen, tanks were rolling into Tiananmen Square, momentarily halted by a lone man in a white shirt carrying shopping bags. The identity of “Tank Man” remains a mystery to this day, but he would become one of the most iconic images of the century. It would set a dark cloud over the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that has remained some 30+ years later. Thus, my complicated relationship with China began.

I’ve found myself on that fateful square multiple times since, staring up at the towering red walls of the Forbidden City beneath the famous portrait of Chairman Mao. The first time was in March of 2003. China had just begun to talk about SARS openly, and the square was empty. As a lover of history, I couldn’t help draw the comparison to what it must have been like after the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) cleared it of protestors just 14 years earlier. The last time I visited the square was in December of 2017, then with my wife and in-laws (picture above). Experiencing my father-in-law’s pride as he showed us around and boasted about China’s might raised all sorts of conflicting feelings. My wife’s family has both suffered and prospered under the hand of communist rule, so I imagine they feel much of the same disparity, albeit probably much more profoundly (and quietly).

Tiananmen, which means “gate of heavenly peace,” is probably the worst misnomer in history. Very little peace has happened in this square, and although it is often peaceful, it comes at the expense of towering light posts covered in CCTV cameras and an army of uniformed and plain-clothed police officers. It is the 7th largest square globally, which is not even the largest in China. Three others in the top ten list are bigger in total area, including the largest square in Dalian, my wife’s hometown. But Tiananmen holds particular importance in China. It has the unique significance of being where Chairman Mao proclaimed that China had stood up, thereby declaring the birth of the People’s Republic. But, incidentally, it is also where that government came very close to falling. It is a place where horrors took place. Yet, you can’t help but feel a sense of awe at the power and history of the country as you stand upon those grey stones.

China has been a communist country for my entire life. Established the year after my father was born in 1949, it has been communist for most of his life as well. It is the only China the world has known for two whole generations, but it is but a blip in the scheme of Chinese history. The last Chinese dynasty, the Qing, was established in 1644 and lasted until 1911- that’s 267 years. The longest-lived dynasty, the ancient Zhou, lasted for 790 years, and the average length of a Chinese dynasty is about 300. Yet, at just 72, the CCP has had an enormous impact on Chinese culture, far surpassing its tender age. In 1989, it ensured that it wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Looking at the country today, the CCP has done nothing, if not tighten its hold on power.

My connection with the Tiananmen Square Massacre doesn’t end with just witnessing some of it on TV when I was a boy. The city that I lived in for two years, Baoding, is the home of the 38th Mechanized Group of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). It is quite possibly the same unit bearing down on “Tank Man” and the one with the grim distinction of causing the most casualties during the crackdown. Some of my then students remembered the tanks leaving the city heading for Beijing and shared with me in hush whispers what things were like before, during, and after. I certainly felt the censorship over the years. I saw Google, Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Wikipedia, and many other “staples” of the internet vanish. I know people that have had computers, cellphone, books, and film confiscated. I even suspect that they tapped my telephone when I was living in Baoding, evidenced by the strange 3rd cord running from the phone in my room. And, we were watched very closely with an attendant monitoring all our comings and goings.

The Tiananmen Square Massacre or “incident” as China knows it, was a significant failure, not just for those who dreamed of democracy, but it was also a massive loss of face for the CCP. Thus, few in China talk about it. The government has censored it from existence, and the mere mention of it can land you in prison. Still, it is not entirely unknown or forgotten, and its impact is certainly felt. Democracy is almost a swear word (as much as communism is here), censorship is rampant, and no one can criticize any aspect of the Chinese Communist Party without severe ramifications. When bad things happen, even something outside of any government’s control, the blame must fall anywhere but the CCP. Need an example of this? The Chinese state media has blamed the COVID pandemic on several other countries including the US, even though a growing amount of evidence places it squarely from China (and perhaps even the CCP military).

Just about everyone outside China has heard of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Still, many don’t entirely realize the horrors of that fateful day or its impacts on Chinese history. Fearing for its very existence, the CCP declared martial law and cracked down on the protestors that gathered in the square who were calling for democratic reform. During the previous decade, China had “opened up” under Deng Xiaoping, and the economy was booming as a result. Much of the world optimistically welcomed China into the fold, and all wished to benefit from their rise. Everyone believed the next step in China’s ascent would be to cast aside the failed communist experiment, much like the path Russia was traveling. It was not to be.

Much is unknown from those days, for the CCP immediately began suppressing information (and continues to do so), but we do know it was bad enough to call it a massacre. Just a few hours after the crackdown, the CCP was already pushing out its skewed narrative to bolster its image. According to their official figures, 300 died, including 23 students. They also grossly exaggerated the number of wounded soldiers and “innocent” civilian victims of the clashes and began labeling the protestors as criminals. We all know they weren’t criminals. Instead, they were the typical everyday people of China- workers, business people, students, and even government officials. But the worst offense against decency was these “official” death toll numbers. If you know anything about the CCP, you’ll quickly realize that if they were reporting the death of 300, the actual toll was probably ten times higher. Don’t believe me? Think COVID. The most credible information we have is from eye-witness accounts from various independent sources, namely diplomats, charitable organizations, the scant western media present, and the few citizens brave enough to speak out. All told, it seems the death toll was probably more around one thousand but ranges from several hundred to several thousand. Many of these victims were shot in the back or run over by the treads of those very tanks captured in such clarity by those fateful images of “tank man”.

Other than the terrible loss of life, why is this event so important to remember? The CCP has always styled itself as the party of the people. From its humble beginnings fighting the Japanese alongside the Nationalists during World War II to the People’s Republic of China’s founding in October of 1949, it was supposed to be the mouthpiece of the masses. Nothing brought this lie into better clarity than the Tiananmen Square Massacre.

Since 1949, it is estimated that the CCP is responsible for around 500 million deaths. Whether it be from disastrous wars, the failed agricultural collectivization of the Great Leap Forward, the persecution of the “landlords” and “intellectuals” of the Cultural Revolution, or the forced abortions of the one-child policy, it is just an unimaginable amount of human life lost. As much as 80 million died under Chairman Mao’s failed policies alone, more than Stalin and Hitler combined and a statistic that makes him the most blood-thirsty ruler in human history.

You can feel the weight of the CCP everywhere in China. They involve themselves in every aspect of life, controlling the economy, the law, the military, the population, and history. Sure, they’ve brought forth incredible success, but it comes at a terrible cost. Yes, the CCP pulled up a broken and defeated nation of farmers at the end of World War II, a conflict that decimated the nation’s economy and its people (China lost between 15-20 million people) and brought them to the heights of a superpower within two generations. But, at the same time, it destroyed a culture, massacred millions, and snuffed out freedom. It’s hard to know whether the sacrifices were worth it for little more than double-digit GDP growth.

China is a complicated country- a place that I fear, hate, respect, and love all at once, and I don’t think I’m alone. I wish it were easy to separate the government from the people, to make statements like the Chinese are good, but the government is terrible, but it’s not always that easy. It is a complicated mess of emotions that I’ve experienced for almost 20 years, and I am sure it will get worse before it’s better.

So again, is China safe? I don’t know. It depends. If you cover your eyes and ears and keep your mouth shut (or your youth keeps you from noticing these things), then yes, it’s a safe and absolutely lovely country. One that I highly recommend visiting. The people are great, the food fantastic, the landscape is varied and beautiful, and the history unparalleled. But, if you get claustrophobic with your eyes or ears covered and yearn to shout out. Or, you are the curious type and should happen to peek behind that red curtain. Watch out. It hides many nasties and is red for a reason.

Cheers!