On the afternoon of June 4th, an event commemorating the 37th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre and protesting against the killings was held in front of San Francisco City Hall, organized by various groups including the China Democratic Education Foundation, the San Francisco branch of the China Democratic Party, Humanitarian China, the Northern California Hong Kong Club, the American Hong Kong Association, the San Francisco Overseas Chinese Association, the Starlight Office, and the China Democracy and Human Rights Alliance.
The event attracted dozens of participants from China, Hong Kong, and the Bay Area from all walks of life. Through speeches, laying of flowers, and public statements, attendees mourned the victims of the June 4th massacre in 1989 and called for continued attention to human rights and democracy in China.
One of the most touching moments of the day was the encounter between the daughter of Nancy Pelosi and Fang Zheng.
As people were preparing to take a group photo, a passing woman stopped to observe. After being introduced to him on the spot, she learned that Fang Zheng, who was sitting in a wheelchair, was one of the victims of the Tiananmen massacre in 1989, losing both legs while trying to rescue students from tank oppression.
The woman immediately approached Fang Zheng, shook his hand, and took a photo with him. She revealed herself as Christine Pelosi, the daughter of former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, and described Fang Zheng as her hero.
The moment of the two holding hands tightly drew warm applause and cheers from the crowd. Christine said she would share the photo with her mother in Washington. Fang Zheng responded with a smile, “Your mother knows me.”
This intergenerational encounter also prompted many participants to reflect on the longstanding connection between Pelosi and the Chinese democracy movement.
In September 1991, then a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, along with two other congressmen, visited Beijing and laid flowers at the Monument to the People’s Heroes in Tiananmen Square to mourn the victims of June 4th, displaying a banner saying, “Dedicated to the martyrs who sacrificed for the cause of Chinese democracy.” Although the event was quickly disrupted by the Chinese authorities, it became an important symbol of international support for the Chinese democracy movement.
In a subsequent interview with the media, Fang Zheng stated that thirty-seven years ago today, the world was shocked by the massacre at Tiananmen Square. As a survivor and direct victim of that tragic event, he believes that the memory of June 4th has never truly faded away.
He pointed out that even today, families of the June 4th victims in Beijing are still unable to mourn their lost loved ones freely, discussions about June 4th are still strictly censored within China, and anyone attempting to seek the truth or publicly commemorate the event may face suppression and persecution.
Fang Zheng mentioned that Hong Kong used to be an important gathering place in the Chinese community for commemorating June 4th. The annual candlelight vigil at Victoria Park for thirty years was a significant symbol of shared historical memory among Chinese worldwide. However, in recent years, following the implementation of the National Security Law in Hong Kong, related commemorative activities have been forcibly halted, and many democracy activists have been imprisoned, leaving him deeply saddened.
“It has been thirty-seven years since the crackdown on June 4th, but the Chinese Communist Party still continues the logic of repression from that time. This is something that saddens me,” Fang Zheng said.
However, he also expressed hope at the sight of many young faces at the event, believing that the truth about June 4th cannot be completely erased, regardless of the Chinese government’s attempts to manipulate history and distort facts.
“Today, as we stand here raising our voices, it proves that falsehoods cannot triumph over the truth,” he said. “Seeing more and more young people choose to reject forgetting and actively seek the truth is the most comforting thing.”
He urged the Chinese people to actively seek the truth and break through information barriers. “The Chinese Communist Party fears the truth. Once people understand the truth, they will rethink the legitimacy of this regime.”
Fang Zheng emphasized that promoting social change is a gradual process, and as long as each individual is willing to take a step forward, there is a possibility for history to change. “Tyranny may seem powerful, but as more and more people are willing to seek the truth and speak out, it will eventually be eliminated by history,” he said.