The Visual Artists Guild held a “Tiananmen Incident” 37th Anniversary Commemorative Event and Annual Awards Ceremony in Los Angeles last Saturday, May 30th, to honor and pay tribute to those who have upheld their conscience and continued to speak out as defenders of justice despite political pressure from the Chinese Communist Party.
The Mayor of the City of San Gabriel, Eric L. Chan, served as the award presenter, with over 150 representatives from multicultural and civil society groups in Los Angeles attending the event.
This year’s honorees include: Gloria Fung, former chair of the Canada-Hong Kong Link, activist Guan Heng who risked filming inside the CCP’s detention camps for Uyghurs, and Chinese lawyer and former leader of the 1989 pro-democracy movement, Liu Jun, along with his daughter Liu Meixian, who won the gold medal in figure skating at the 2026 Olympics.
Following the luncheon, the Leon Hendrix Band performed several songs, including their latest composition “Save Democracy,” to kick off the awards ceremony.
Charlie Lam from the Los Angeles Hong Kong Forum introduced the achievements of Gloria Fung. During the 1989 pro-democracy movement, Gloria Fung witnessed the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing, where unarmed civilians were crushed by tanks and people were killed by banned post-World War II dam bullets.
Gloria Fung, who traveled from Canada to the awards event, stated that after witnessing the massacre, she privately vowed to dedicate her life to exposing the evil nature of the CCP and do everything possible to hasten the collapse of this evil political entity. Following the handover of Hong Kong in 1997, she coordinated global support for the Hong Kong democracy movement, especially during the 2014 Umbrella Movement and the 2019 Anti-Extradition Movement, supporting Hong Kongers’ fight for freedom, rule of law, and human rights, and advocating for Canada to increase efforts against foreign interference and transnational repression.
Fung emphasized that advancing freedom of speech and human rights requires a long and winding road, but by establishing a broad alliance that transcends social classes, racial backgrounds, and party lines, the greatest strength can be exerted. She called on global allies to work together to expedite the downfall of the CCP.
Liu Jun accepted the award on behalf of his daughter Liu Meixian. Before the June Fourth massacre, he was in Guangzhou and was shocked to hear the lies fabricated by the CCP for repression. With the help of Hong Kong people, he managed to escape from China. After his daughter rose to prominence in figure skating, the CCP attempted to buy their loyalty, and when refused, sent spies to monitor and disrupt their training and lives.
“I have never given up on our dreams – for China to have basic human rights, freedom of speech, democracy, and rule of law,” Liu Jun said. “This award belongs to each one present, to all those who have not forgotten Tiananmen Square, and especially to all those imprisoned for exercising their right to freedom of speech.”
Guan Heng delegated a representative to receive the award and expressed gratitude through a recorded video. He humbly referred to himself as an ordinary person and never expected to receive such an honor. “This award holds great significance for me,” Guan Heng said. “I also want to express my gratitude to all those who have supported, encouraged, and stood with me on this journey.”
Before presenting the awards, Liu Yaya, the head of the Visual Artists Guild, led the guests in lighting up their mobile phone flashlights for a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the Tiananmen massacre.
Liu Yaya believes that the human spirit’s yearning for truth and freedom will never be easily extinguished. She stated that after the horror of witnessing June Fourth night, people refused to forget and have carried this memory with action, courage, and determination. “The desire for freedom cannot be suppressed, the truth cannot be buried, and the struggle for human dignity will be passed down from generation to generation.”
Eric L. Chan remarked that growing up in the land of freedom and democracy like the United States, people can freely express themselves here without fear. “I understand that there are still many places in the world where such freedom does not exist and people cannot say what they want or criticize the government.” He expressed his honor to attend such an event.
The ceremony concluded with a performance by Cao Wenbo, an electric guitarist who used to perform in bars in China, singing his song “The Square of June Fourth.”
Guests who attended the event included the Joint Office of the Chinese Democratic Party, the Southern California Tibetan Association, the Vietnamese Human Rights Network, the Los Angeles Hong Kong Forum, and the Amnesty International China Affairs Commissioner, among other groups and individuals. ◇