What Does the Statue of the "Goddess of Democracy" which Appeared in Tiananmen Square Indicate?
WU YE
Source: Renmin ribao (People's daily) ( Beijing) ( June 1, 1989): 1; FBIS, June 1, p. 28.
Some people erected a statue of the "Goddess of Democracy" without authorization in dignified Tiananmen Square and this evoked various comments among the people. According to the people's common sense, the erection of any monument in Tiananmen Square must first be approved by the government and must be based on a relevant government decree.
In the square the Tiananmen rostrum, the flagpoles, the Monument to the People's Heroes, the memorial hall, the museum, and the Great Hall of the People are all built in good order and the layout is serious and solemn. The square is a site to hold grand ceremonies and major state activities and is an important place for domestic and foreign tourists to visit with reverence. It is the heart of the People's Republic and is the focus of the world's attention.
All citizens have the duty to cherish and protect Tiananmen Square. This is equal to cherishing and protecting our motherland and our nation and to cherishing and protecting our own rights. The square is sacred. No one has the power to add any permanent memorial or to remove anything from the square. Such things must not be allowed to happen in China. Even in foreign countries, including some Western countries, similar things are not permitted.
The feelings of the young students who hope to promote the construction of democracy are understandable. Advancing socialist democratic politics is also the hope of all people throughout the country and the objective of the party and government's efforts. The positive demands raised by the young students play a role in promoting the realization of this objective. However, the erection of a statue of the "Goddess of Democracy" by some people in Tiananmen Square was not a positive action in seeking freedom and democracy; instead, it was a serious distortion of freedom and democracy and showed disrespect for other people's
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Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www.questia.com
Publication information:
Book title: Beijing Spring, 1989:Confrontation and Conflict: the Basic Documents.
Contributors: Michel Oksenberg - Editor, Lawrence R. Sullivan - Editor, Marc Lambert - Editor, Qiao Li - Author, H. R. Lan - Translator, Jerry Dennerline - Translator.
Publisher: M. E. Sharpe.
Place of publication: Armonk, NY.
Publication year: 1990.
Page number: 341.
This material is protected by copyright and, with the exception of fair use, may not be further copied, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means.
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