Renowned Chinese sculptor Chen Weiming, a New Zealand citizen and the founder of California Liberty Sculpture Park, is known for his sculptures such as “Goddess of Democracy,” “6·4 Memorial Monument,” “CCP Virus,” “Liberate Hong Kong, the Revolution of Our Times,” and more. Many people say that his works have stripped off the “facade of the Chinese Communist Party.”
Chen Weiming, in an interview with a reporter from Dajiyuan, reminisced, “In the 1980s, as a university student, I believed that China had moved away from the era of the Cultural Revolution and dictatorship, towards a more liberal, relaxed, and open society. We could take college entrance exams, our family was no longer labeled as rightists, and my parents could return to work at schools.”
However, the events of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre significantly impacted Chen Weiming. “Mainland China was merely a so-called ‘open society,’ because under the rule of the CCP, there was no genuine democracy, freedom, or human rights,” he said.
At the time, Chen Weiming had just arrived in New Zealand, where he saw the scenes of the Tiananmen Square massacre on television, including tanks rolling over students, machine gun firing at crowds, and more. He mentioned, “Democratic activist Fang Zheng lost his legs like this…Mainland media certainly wouldn’t broadcast these, but overseas media aired it around the clock.”
He strongly felt that the CCP shooting unarmed students indicated that the society and the party were beyond redemption. From that moment, he immersed himself in the democracy movement. His artistic style underwent a significant change, transitioning from a beautiful, elegant style to a probing of people’s souls, leading to the creation of the sculpture “Goddess of Democracy.”
During the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, the sculpture “6·4 Memorial Monument” was unveiled, featuring the names and epitaph of 206 victims collected by Ding Zilin, also known as the “Tiananmen Mothers,” for remembrance. The actual number of casualties significantly exceeds this figure due to the strict censorship and persecution by the CCP against families of victims who try to publicize names.
What prompted Chen Weiming to fully dedicate himself to the democracy movement? He expressed, “Perhaps it’s an innate sense of duty. If I believe it’s right, I will continue to do it.”
After the Tiananmen Square crackdown, many people engaged in the “anti-communist dictatorship” movement to strive for democracy and freedom. However, they soon shifted their focus as the CCP shifted towards economic liberalization, leading people to abandon the democracy movement in pursuit of wealth.
Chen Weiming mentioned that in democratic countries, when the government fails, people take to the streets to protest, as it’s the instinct and right of citizens. This is something unimaginable in mainland China.
A saying goes, some people get arrested and killed for unionizing, while others turn a blind eye. Similarly, some are persecuted and killed for their religious beliefs, and others remain indifferent. Eventually, when those who cared turned into those who didn’t, no one will be left to voice for them.
Chen Weiming emphasized, “Each of us must speak up, advocating for freedom and democracy, whether it’s for Falun Gong practitioners, religious figures in Tibet, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, or any persecuted group or ethnicity by the CCP. While they may not be my family, they are my compatriots. We should help each other rather than engage in internal strife. Fundamentally, we have only one enemy – the authoritarian CCP.”
Chen Weiming stated, “After the ‘June Fourth’ incident, the U.S. condemned the CCP and helped rescue some democracy activists. However, the U.S. was more interested in building cooperative relationships with the CCP, leading to compromises.”
He continued, “The U.S. allowed China to enter the WTO, join various international organizations, and foster good relations, thinking that making China stronger would improve the political environment internally. However, in the 30 years since 1989, all of America’s efforts were merely wishful thinking.”
Despite the CCP amassing wealth and advancing technologically, it failed to reform its authoritarian rule. Instead, it intensified the persecution of those seeking democracy and freedom using advanced technologies from the West. Even the actions of ordinary citizens are under strict surveillance by the regime.
Internationally, the CCP plays a role in supporting dictatorships, siding with aggressors like Russia in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and siding with terrorist organizations like Hamas in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Chen Weiming stressed, “The CCP’s espionage activities are the most sinister. They once infiltrated a few representatives in the New Zealand parliament to steal military intelligence, which is shared with the U.S., Canada, Australia, and the UK. Eventually, New Zealand woke up and expelled those individuals from the parliament.”
Regarding the Wuhan Coronavirus (COVID-19), Chen Weiming remarked, “The virus originating in Wuhan caused enormous harm worldwide, orchestrated by the Chinese government to spread globally. Furthermore, the CCP scapegoated U.S. soldiers, falsely accusing them of bringing the virus to Wuhan. My new sculpture, ‘CCP Virus,’ was inspired by these events. I spent over half a year creating a large coronavirus molecule intertwined with the head of CCP leader Xi Jinping, symbolizing their unity.”
He added, “This artwork enraged the CCP to the extent that they monitored my movements by installing GPS trackers in my car. During my absence from the Liberty Sculpture Park, the sculpture was maliciously set ablaze on July 23, 2021. These aren’t speculations but confirmed facts by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice, revealing that five individuals were incited by the CCP to commit this act.” Further details about “CCP Virus 2nd Generation” can be found at the Liberty Sculpture Park website.
The CCP has a significant number of spies in the U.S., highlighted by incidents such as Chinese balloons flying into U.S. airspace and spyware like TikTok posing severe threats to American security. Chen Weiming noted, “Americans and politicians finally woke up, realizing that aiding the CCP is a disaster in the making, hence the remedial actions like restricting chip exports, legislating against apps like TikTok, and crackdowns on CCP spies. However, in his opinion, this is just the beginning and much more remains to be done.”
Chen Weiming argued, “China’s brainwashing propaganda plays unchecked in New York’s Times Square, yet free media outlets like Dajiyuan, New Tang Dynasty, Radio Free Asia, and Voice of America cannot operate freely in China. Platforms like Twitter and Facebook are banned in China, showcasing a clear inequality.”
Amid the implementation of the National Security Law and Article 23 Basic Law in Hong Kong, Chen Weiming criticized the CCP’s exporting of tyranny, further escalating the situation.
Chen Weiming remarked, “My sculpture ‘Liberate Hong Kong, the Revolution of Our Times’ again infuriated the CCP. Both my assistant and I were labeled as opposing the National Security Law. The CCP can target and arrest anyone, even if they are not in Hong Kong or mainland China. If a person visits countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, which are apprehensive of the CCP, they face a threat. Democracy activist Wang Bingzhang was kidnapped in Vietnam and sent to a Chinese prison.”
He mentioned cases where former senior officials like Hu Jintao were arbitrarily detained during meetings and where the former Premier Li Keqiang died mysteriously after swimming. Li Keqiang merely spoke a few truths, such as “600 million people earn 1,000 yuan monthly” and “Man proposes, God disposes,” resulting in his demise. Additionally, renowned human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng was first arrested, tortured, and later “disappeared”, with no information available for nearly seven years. Chen Weiming concluded, “The CCP is essentially a group of bandits and gangsters, lacking any concept of rule of law; it governs like an organized crime syndicate.”
The CCP propagates the narrative that the Chinese people are unsuitable for democracy and freedom, as granting these would lead to chaos. Yet, on the other side of the strait, Taiwan stands as an example of a democratic, free, and independent nation.
Chen Weiming underlined, “When the Kuomintang retreated to Taiwan, they brought along their military and the Three Principles of the People, establishing the foundation for the laws and a protective armed force that safeguarded Taiwan, paving the way for democracy and freedom.”
He continued, “Taiwan even surpasses the U.S. in elections and freedom. It serves as a prime example for the Chinese people, demonstrating that they are capable of democracy.”
In his closing remarks, Chen Weiming asserted, “The CCP may seem powerful, but it goes against humanity. In recent years, it enforced draconian measures, leading to a steep economic decline, unpaid government workers, and layoffs in foreign trade. People understand that times are not as peaceful anymore. All our efforts are making a difference and leading to the CCP’s downfall. The mighty Soviet Union fell abruptly, and the Chinese people will also witness that day. An inhumane political system like the CCP will eventually be despised by the people.”
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