On the eve of the 35th anniversary of the June Fourth incident, the June Fourth Culture Communication Association organized several American professionals to produce and release a new song titled “35th Memorial of 64”. The publisher stated that this commemorative elegy for “June Fourth” is dedicated to those who sacrificed their youth and lives in Tiananmen Square and throughout China in the pursuit of freedom, the fight against corruption, and resistance against tyranny.
The lyrics are as follows:
Once we walked hand in hand on those streets
Once we sat with millions of friends in that square
Once life was buzzing and we raised our voices high
Hoisted a myriad of banners
We want freedom
(The sound of gunfire…)
Once hearts filled with passion flowed through the years
Once black hair turned to white at the temples
Once hopes hoped cannot be forgotten
Once dreams dreamed still pursued
In the blink of an eye, 35 years have passed
The wounds of 35 years linger in our hearts
We believe that the veils of smoke and clouds will soon part after 35
The perseverance of 35, faith remains unchanged
Lies written in ink will never be erased
The spring and autumn soaked in blood
The producer of the commemorative song “35th Memorial of 64”, Jiang Pinchao, is the editor of the “June Fourth Poetry Collection,” the CEO of a real estate company in the United States, and a director of the June Fourth Culture Communication Association.
Jiang Pinchao stated that after so many years, there has not been a song truly belonging to “June Fourth,” a song that resonates. There has always been a hope for a song like this. This song fills the long-existing void of a dedicated song for the great patriotic democratic movement.
He said, “The wound of history” is a song supporting the mainland’s 1989 democratic movement by Taiwan. Even that song against the Communist Party’s war with Vietnam was sung, but I was never on the same side as the Communist Party. It felt awkward to sing their military songs while they oppressed me. Every time I sang those songs, I couldn’t help but wonder why there wasn’t a song of our own.”
“Everyone is very busy, gathering these people is not easy, it was truly a coincidence that these people came together.” Jiang Pinchao coordinated the lyrics, music composition, video production, dedicating half a year of focused time.
He mentioned that every year on the “June Fourth” memorial, they hold candlelight vigils and solemn commemorations, largely to appeal to conscience. This matter is a matter of right and wrong, surpassing the baseline of human decency. This tragedy is why these friends participated in producing the song because it is a matter of conscience.
1989, Jiang Pinchao was a student at Huazhong Normal University, serving as the head of the student propaganda department. During “June Fourth”, he was arrested for organizing student movements in the Hubei area and spent four years in prison.
Looking back, Jiang said that when Hu Yaobang passed away in April, Deng Xiaoping was “behind the curtain,” there were disputes about Hu’s memorial service. Many people, especially from high schools in Beijing, started memorial activities for Hu Yaobang, which slowly evolved into a democratic movement. The people’s demands were for democracy, freedom, against corrupt officials, against corruption, for press freedom, freedom of speech, and economic liberalization.
“Regarding the reality of China at that time, people made some wishes, and those demands genuinely came from the people’s hearts, so it was very moving. Many citizens participated.” By the end of May, students dialogued with Li Peng at the Great Hall of the People, but the government did not agree to the students’ demands.
He mentioned that universities in Wuhan had close connections with students in Tiananmen Square, news was relayed back and forth, sparking waves of movements. The students were already on hunger strikes, the government’s lack of response incited the students. One day, students stopped Jiang at the propaganda department, demanding him to write banners, slogans, and join them in the parade, accusing him of being a “government lackey” and “traitor to the students.”
Initially, Jiang was not enthusiastic, although he supported the students, he came from a rural area, nearing graduation, about to secure a good job in two months. His girlfriend did not support his involvement in the student movement.
“My blood is the same as theirs! But the circumstances are different, but when they provoked me, how could I stand it? My heart was already burning, so alright! I’ll fight with you!” Jiang wrote banners such as “Equal Dialogue,” “Oppose Privilege, Oppose Corruption,” “Press Freedom,” and joined the students outside the school.
He recalled that in Wuchang, where the Hubei Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government were located at Shui Guo Lake, surrounded by students, the whole square and street were filled. They actively contacted students and the public joined spontaneously. They hoped the provincial government would come out for dialogue, and the scenes were intense.
The Yangtze River Bridge in Wuhan was crowded, and the bridge was shaking. The official’s blocking of the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge for over two hours was deemed crucial evidence against them.
“No matter what, students have their legitimate demands, but if the government does not handle the situation seriously, delaying the time for students to calm down, handle the situation properly, so that later you feel it’s out of control, then deploy the military, this is the government’s responsibility.”
“By responding to the students’ reasonable demands with a method of eliminating lives, in a democratic society, this is crossing a line. Those scenes were heart-wrenching, imprinted in the minds of those who experienced it at that time.”
Jiang believes that “June Fourth” can largely be divided into two parts: massacre and settling scores afterwards.
He recalled that news of the massacre on June 4th spread by noon that day, arrests began locally that day, and the crackdown was mostly synchronized, differing only by a few hours. Some students from Wuhan University who went to Beijing never returned; their names are not on the list of casualties collected to this day.
Jiang spoke of the scene in Hanyang Prison. He said, “The political prisoners of June Fourth suffered mistreatment, were brutally beaten, their skin torn, covered in injuries, dragged into filthy, narrow, and foul-smelling isolation rooms.”
For this, Jiang once wrote a poem called “Foolish Things,” “Every part of me is bathed in blood from heart to body. Handcuffs, electric shocks, my body’s strength overloaded like a steel blade ideology. Meimei, they’ve tortured me to the point of exhaustion…”
He spent the autumn and winter seasons incarcerated. During this time, his university girlfriend, Gao Yumei, was denied visitation. He was covered in wounds, unable to lie down, only able to lay on a cement and wooden bed. He worried about his girlfriend, his heartbreak evident in the poem. Even now, recalling those days remains bitter, feeling sorry for his girlfriend.
He lamented the difficult living conditions of those incarcerated, not only inside the prison.
Jiang said that now, some friends of “June Fourth” in the US, while having their own jobs, still choose to commemorate “June Fourth” because they feel they should participate in these human endeavors, in the construction of human values, something severely lacking in China’s environment.
“Just like the last sentence behind this song (’35th Memorial of 64′) calls out, ‘Do not forget ‘June Fourth’, because ‘June Fourth’ was an awakening for the Chinese people. We hope China does not suffer greater disasters, so we must call for conscience, learn from the lessons of the ‘June Fourth’ incident, and prevent China from heading towards a greater catastrophe.”
“Now the whole of China has regressed to over 108 years ago. Xi Jinping has initiated a feudal restoration, regressing to the era of Yuan Shikai. Yuan Shikai’s era was named Hongxian, symbolizing the promotion of the constitution. But Xi Jinping has regressed; he has established lifetime rule, isn’t lifetime rule the same as an emperor’s rule? Therefore, this political system’s regression is essentially a huge setback for humanity.”
He mentioned that under Xi Jinping’s iron-fisted rule, people’s living conditions worsened, enduring human rights abuses, mental torment. Previously, people held out hope, but now they see the essence; this regime does not care about public opinion. More and more friends feel too disheartened with the Communist Party’s system, demanding an end to tyranny.