Renowned civil entrepreneur and democracy advocate Wan Runnan, founder of the well-known private company Sī Tōng, passed away yesterday (October 13) in Paris, France, at the age of 79. Wan was a prominent figure in the democracy movement who had been exiled overseas since the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989.
According to reports cited by Radio France Internationale, Wan’s family confirmed his passing on the morning of October 13 at a hospital in Paris. Wan had been battling heart disease, and despite being informed by doctors ten years ago that his time was limited, he persisted in his writing and continued to fight against his illness. He once told a friend, “The day I stop posting, that’s the day I’m in trouble.”
Since September 18, Wan’s social media accounts had ceased to update. Public records show that Wan Runnan, born on October 29, 1946, in Yixing, Jiangsu Province, graduated from Tsinghua University in 1970. After the end of the Cultural Revolution, Wan worked as an engineer at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 1984, Wan and a group of technology professionals borrowed 20,000 RMB to establish Sī Tōng, focusing on the production and sale of electronic products. Their iconic product, the “Sī Tōng typewriter,” became the most popular Chinese typewriter in China from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s.
During the student movement in 1989, Wan Runnan met with student leaders from Peking University, Tsinghua University, and other universities, facilitating the submission of a petition signed by 57 members of the National People’s Congress requesting an emergency meeting of its standing committee. Following the events of Tiananmen Square, Wan went into exile in France and served as the Secretary-General and Chairman of the “Democratic China Front.”
The Sī Tōng company founded by Wan Runnan had previously donated to the construction of Beijing’s Sī Tōng Bridge. On the morning of October 13, 2022, a rare protest occurred on this bridge just before the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Protester Peng Lifa hung a banner on the bridge opposing censorship policies, advocating for civil rights, and calling for the removal of CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping. Videos and images of the incident quickly spread across the internet, creating an international stir.
Coincidentally, October 13 marked the third anniversary of the Beijing Sī Tōng Bridge incident, the location where Wan Runnan’s sudden passing occurred.
In an interview with Radio Free Asia, Wan Runnan highlighted that the name “Sī Tōng Bridge” carries significant historical weight related to the 1989 student movement and subsequent protests. He mentioned that the Chinese authorities aggressively attempted to erase this history due to their fear of large gatherings at the bridge. Wan emphasized the importance of remembering the bridge and the brave individuals like Peng Zaizhou who stood up there.
Wan Runnan’s dedication to democracy and activism leaves a lasting impact, reminding people not to forget the significance of historical events and the courage shown by those who stood for their beliefs.