China Silences Tiananmen Anniversary, Taiwan Honors Victims \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ As China marked the 36th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, strict censorship and security silenced public memory. Hong Kong, once a hub for remembrance, is now largely subdued under tightened control. In contrast, Taiwan held public vigils and called for democratic solidarity.
Quick Looks
- June 4, 2025, marks 36 years since the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
- China maintains an official silence and bans public discussion of the crackdown.
- Security was heightened in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, with no public gatherings allowed.
- In Hong Kong, police detained people attempting low-key commemorations.
- Taiwan held public vigils and honored victims of the crackdown.
- The Chinese Communist Party frames the protests as “political turmoil.”
- Foreign embassies posted tributes, but many were swiftly censored.
- Candlelight vigils, once large in Hong Kong, are now illegal.
- Taiwan’s president emphasized the island’s democratic path in contrast to Beijing.
- Activists and academics stress the importance of memory as resistance.
Deep Look
The 36th anniversary of the June 4, 1989, Tiananmen Square massacre passed quietly in China this year, just as the ruling Communist Party intended. No official commemoration, no public mourning, and no open discussion of the student-led pro-democracy protests that once shook the heart of Beijing. Security was tight, censorship was absolute, and collective memory remained under siege.
Beijing’s “Managed Forgetting”
On Wednesday, access around Beijing’s Tiananmen Square—the symbolic epicenter of the protests—was heavily restricted. Uniformed and plainclothes officers patrolled the area, checking IDs and discouraging lingering. No memorials, no protests, and no signs were allowed. The military crackdown that began the night of June 3 and culminated in bloodshed on June 4, 1989, remains one of the most censored events in Chinese history.
Under the command of then-paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, the People’s Liberation Army used tanks and live ammunition to crush weeks of peaceful student protests calling for democratic reforms. Protesters and bystanders attempted to block the military’s advance. The Chinese government has never released an official death toll, but estimates range from hundreds to several thousand—among them civilians, students, and soldiers.
The Communist Party continues to refer to the event as a “political turmoil,” and public discussion remains forbidden. School textbooks skip it. Internet search engines yield no relevant results. Online memorial posts are scrubbed within minutes. For many in China, especially younger generations, the tragedy is either unknown or deliberately obscured.
A Curtain Drawn Over Hong Kong
In past years, Hong Kong was the only place on Chinese soil where the massacre was commemorated openly—until Beijing’s political grip tightened after the 2019 pro-democracy protests. Once, tens of thousands of people gathered annually in Victoria Park for candlelight vigils. Now, the park is the site of food festivals, concerts, and “patriotic” carnivals—state-approved distractions replacing public grief.
Police were deployed across the city on Wednesday, proactively detaining individuals for small acts of protest or mourning. Among those removed were a woman wearing a school uniform holding flowers, a man who bowed his head in silent prayer, and another whose T-shirt read: “Vindication for June 4. It’s getting closer and closer.” A woman who lit a mosquito lamp was questioned but released.
Authorities arrested 10 people suspected of disrupting public peace, with three still detained as of Wednesday night. A woman was also arrested for failing to produce ID, and another man was held for obstructing police.
Hong Kong’s pro-democracy landscape has been largely dismantled since 2020’s national security law. Most vigil organizers have been arrested, and several remain behind bars. Public discourse has been all but silenced. “You know, Hong Kongers have become silent lambs after 2019,” said King Ng, a longtime activist who visited Victoria Park anyway.
Digital and Diplomatic Resistance
Despite domestic suppression, international actors continue to commemorate June 4—though even these efforts face censorship. The British and German embassies in Beijing posted remembrance videos on the Chinese platform Weibo, which were quickly taken down. The Canadian and German missions displayed solitary candle images on large external screens, while the British consulate projected “VIIV” (Roman numerals for June 4) onto its wall.
The U.S. consulate lit rows of electric candles in its windows and published a message from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio: “The CCP actively tries to censor the facts, but the world will never forget.”
The Tiananmen Mothers, a group of relatives of those killed in the crackdown, published an online appeal calling for an independent investigation, a full list of victims, and state compensation. The letter was signed by 108 members. Despite decades of advocacy, their demands have never been acknowledged by the Chinese government.
Taiwan Stands as a Beacon of Remembrance
While the mainland remains silent, Taiwan, a self-governed democracy claimed by China, held one of the largest public commemorations of June 4. In Taipei’s Freedom Square, hundreds gathered Wednesday night for a candlelight vigil. At the center stood a replica of the “Pillar of Shame,” a sculpture once displayed at the University of Hong Kong before it was removed under pressure from Beijing.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te used the occasion to highlight the ideological gap between Taiwan’s democratic system and China’s authoritarianism. “Authoritarian governments often choose to remain silent and forget history, while democratic societies preserve the truth,” Lai wrote on Facebook.
Taiwan, which democratized in the 1990s after its own authoritarian past, increasingly positions itself as a front-line defender of human rights in East Asia. Its leaders frequently call for international support in resisting Beijing’s pressure.
Professor Wu Lang-huang, who was present in Tiananmen Square during the 1989 crackdown, now lives in Taiwan and remains committed to preserving history. “It’s not just about remembering what happened then,” he said, “but also for the lessons it tells us about modern Hong Kong and Taiwan.”
A vigil organizer who identified herself only as Mimi explained why young people continue to care about an event that occurred decades before their birth: “It’s about memory, which is itself a form of resistance.”
The Political Legacy of June 4
The events of Tiananmen Square marked a turning point in modern Chinese history. While the Communist Party maintained political control through violence and censorship, it simultaneously embraced economic reforms that lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty. Chinese officials have long pointed to the country’s rapid development as vindication for their decisions.
On Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian reiterated Beijing’s position: “The Chinese government has already reached a clear conclusion about the political turmoil of the late 1980s.” He added that China would continue on its path of “socialism with Chinese characteristics.”
But for critics, economic growth cannot erase the moral cost of silencing a generation’s aspirations. The memory of Tiananmen remains a litmus test for freedom of expression in China—and a measure of how far the state will go to control the narrative.
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