‘A Symbol of Defiance’: Memory of Tiananmen Square Massacre Kept Alive by Advocates

Five-year-old Hu Yang was too young to be part of the 1989 pro-democracy movement in Tiananmen Square that would later be violently crushed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) using tanks and guns. But that hasn’t stopped him from trying to keep its memory alive.
Last year, just two days before the anniversary of the massacre, Hu stood outside a local government building in his hometown, the historic city of Xi’an, China. He held a placard reading “Don’t forget June 4, put an end to authoritarian rule.”
Hu’s wife was there to photograph the protest. Through a friend based outside of China, Hu then posted the image on Twitter, which is banned in China. Hu was hoping to represent pro-democracy voices from inside the country, which he found painfully lacking as a wave of events began around the world mourning the bloodshed on its anniversary….