The June 4 Memorial Museum, an institution dedicated to the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, has opened in Midtown Manhattan. The museum held an opening reception on June 2, just before the 34th anniversary of the massacre. Although a similar museum once operated in Hong Kong, it was forcibly closed by city officials in 2021, making New York’s exhibition space the only such museum currently.
A number of people who helped found the museum were directly involved in the 1989 protests, including Wang Dan, who was at one time number one on Beijing authorities’ list of most wanted students, and Zhou Fensou, a former Tiananmen student. leader who was once fifth on the same list.
Chinese authorities have long made it difficult to commemorate the massacre, and even in Hong Kong – previously the only place in China where residents paid great public tributes to those who lost their lives – the crackdown has increased and public commemorations have increased. increase. largely become private. This situation was exacerbated by the death of the National Security Act 2020who saw the removal of public statues related to the massacre as well as the removal of related books and documentaries from the shelves of public libraries.
“There is nothing more Hong Kong can do against China’s democracy and freedom. His hands are tied,” Wang told the South China Morning Post. He added that Hong Kong’s role and power in the fight to advance democracy in mainland China has diminished in the face of new laws. He also said the location of the June 4 Memorial Museum in New York puts it in a place that has more Chinese residents than any other US city and is a popular destination for mainland tourists. In the SCMP interview, he added that the museum “hopes to work with high schools in New York so that students can visit the museum when they learn about China and have a better understanding of the country’s history.”
Housed on the fourth floor of an office building at 894 Sixth Avenue in Herald Square, the 2,000 square foot exhibition space features a collection of relics from the event, such as bloodstained clothing, letters written to the imprisoned protesters (including one written to Wang by Liu Xiabo, who would go on to win the Nobel Peace Prize), leaflets, newspaper clippings and more.
“It is a privilege to be the protector of such a sacred memory, the sacred fire of freedom,” said Zhou Fensou. The New York Times; a number of objects in the exhibition had belonged to friends of his. David Yu, executive director of the group that organized the exhibition, said The temperature“We are much more than a museum, more than any museum, because it is a symbol of challenge.”
Organizers hope to eventually turn the exhibit into a full-scale museum; they have so far raised around $500,000 for the effort, with an ultimate goal of $2 million.
