Last Sunday afternoon on June 2nd, seven to eight hundred people gathered at the Free Sculpture Park in Southern California to participate in the 35th-anniversary commemoration activities of the June 4th incident and the unveiling ceremony of the monument for victims of communism. In the Mojave Desert, a memorial sculpture made up of the Communist Party emblem, the sickle, and hammer, and stacks of white bones resonated with the attendees, evoking shock, sorrow, and deep reflection.
The attendees of the event spanned three generations, including those who experienced the student movement of 1989, young people born after the incident, and survivors of the Communist regime – such as a wheelchair-bound nonagenarian. Many people traveled from afar, including San Francisco, New York, Canada, and other places. The speakers recounted tragic experiences that moved the audience deeply.
On the pedestal made of nearly 1,500 skull models, there lay a giant red sickle and hammer symbolizing the mountains of bodies slain by the Communist authoritarian regime; at one corner of the base, a sculpture depicted a person lying prone in barbed wire, one hand on the ground, the other clutching the wire in a desperate attempt to escape.
According to the designer – Chen Weiming, founder of the Free Sculpture Park and sculptor, the prototype for this figure is 96-year-old Feng Guojiang, a survivor who escaped from Communist China to the United States and was present at the event that day.
Feng Guojiang recalled in his speech his experience as a Chinese Indonesian returning to China with a fervent desire to contribute to the nation’s development, only to become a victim of the Communist regime’s political movements due to his honest and uncompromising nature, enduring over twenty years of unjust imprisonment and torture.
“On March 4, 1959, I was sent to the 585 Farm labor camp. Only three of us survived, and I was one of them,” Feng Guojiang said. After the re-education, he couldn’t reintegrate into society and had to remain in the labor camp for life. In his pursuit of freedom, he attempted to escape by crawling through electrified fences but was unfortunately caught, sentenced to death, and was only spared death due to his Chinese-Indonesian status.
With a heavy heart, the elderly man, with a voice weathered by hardships, shouted along with the attendees: “Down with the Communists!”
“Today, we present this monument in honor. We will remember those who perished under tyranny, especially those who died during the June 4th period,” said Chen Weiming. He mentioned that in all countries where Communist parties have taken power, including China, the former Soviet Union, Eastern European countries, Cambodia, North Korea, countless people have perished, with nearly 80 million abnormal deaths in peacetime in mainland China alone since the Communist regime’s establishment in 1949.
Chen Weiming expressed that building a monument for victims of communism had always been his wish. After completing the “Iron Chain Woman” sculpture last year, he dedicated himself fully to the creation of the monument. Along with assistants and volunteers, they worked tirelessly day and night for over a year, finally completing it on June 2nd, the 35th anniversary of the June 4th event.
Chen Weiming showed his recently injured leg, with burn marks from welding still unhealed. The volunteers, despite exhaustion and red eyes, worked tirelessly, with a rotation of over thirty volunteers at peak times.
Chen Weiming expressed his gratitude, “Without the involvement of volunteers, including those who came to help with welding, it’s hard to imagine that I could have completed this alone. Although I had the ideas and creativity, welding required professional skills, and they helped fulfill my wish.”
Wei Jingsheng, the chairman of the Chinese Democratic Movement Overseas Coalition, expressed his gratitude in his speech to friends who came from far distances despite the scorching heat. He mentioned how the students at Tiananmen Square were suppressed and many were injured or killed, but it had significant global repercussions, leading to the collapse of the Soviet Union, rapid democratization in Eastern European countries, and the dissolution of the Communist bloc.
Student leader of the June 4th movement, Wang Dan, said during his speech, “Looking back at that history, the distressing scenes are vividly remembered. This (June 4th) is a day that weighs heavy on us, but one that we must never forget.”
Wang Dan emphasized that the June 4th incident is not just a tragedy for China but a shared pain for all humanity. Remembering history can prevent tragedies from reoccurring, and upholding justice can bring true peace and prosperity. “Today, we are here not only to commemorate but also to express our unwavering support for democracy, freedom, and human rights.” He continued, “We must continue to call for the truth to be revealed and demand that the victims receive the respect and fair treatment they deserve.”
Former senior Hong Kong media personality Cheng Xiang expressed his gratitude to Chen Weiming for making a significant contribution to the Chinese nation.
“Why do we commemorate the disasters of communism? Because we now see that communism, under the promotion of the CCP, is infiltrating globally, especially in Hong Kong,” Cheng Xiang said. Since 2019, he has witnessed the CCP’s destruction of Hong Kong and its global penetration.
“We have a bigger responsibility to tell the whole world: if the totalitarian rule of the CCP does not fall, what is happening to Hong Kong today might happen in Taiwan tomorrow; and perhaps the day after tomorrow, various countries in the West will face these disasters,” he said. “Today, remembering the calamity communism brought to China is not only for the Chinese people but also for people around the world who cherish peace and freedom.”
Host Sheng Xue, in an interview, emphasized that establishing a monument for victims of communism holds significant meaning and was also a personal wish of hers. It not only prompts people to reflect on Chinese history but also raises awareness of the disasters caused by communism in human history.
Sheng Xue stressed that communism is one of the three major tumors in the course of human social development; while fascism has largely been abandoned, terrorism can be judged straightforwardly, it is communism that embodies factors of fascism and terrorism. She warned, “In today’s world, some even mistakenly view communism as a way out for humanity, which is extremely dangerous.”
Sheng Xue urged attendees to take action, educating more people about the toxicity, terror, and disasters of communism, saying, “We must unite to end the CCP’s tyranny as soon as possible.”