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The Diaries« Sunday | Main | First full day in Beijing » |
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June 7, 2009The Unspoken ChinaPosted by Joe BurkeAfter a long day of touring, we are on our way to Dalian, China—about 150 miles east of North Korea. We spent much of the day visiting the Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City and the scale and level of craftsmanship for both complexes was unbelievable. In my last blog I wrote about how the history of the East and West has been divorced for so long, and this became even more apparent as we toured these two sites. For instance, we heard the story of a Chinese empress who started out as a 5th class concubine and eventually worked her way into the top power position in China. In my mind, it was more impressive than stories such as the struggle between Queen Elizabeth and Mary Queen of Scots, which most Westerners are familiar with.
Our final stop was to Tienanmen Square. Evidently, we were nearing the 20th anniversary of the Tienanmen Square massacre. Our group passed through an airport-style security checkpoint where even the bottled water was being sniffed by guards but for some reason, our American tour group was allowed to pass though without any scrutiny. Once in the square I immediately noticed a strong military presence including guards stationed about every 50 square yards and squads of about 20 or so soldiers marching around the square. Between them and the security checkpoint, I already felt a bit uneasy. Whats all this for? The Olympics are over, right? As we toured the square our guide rattled off many interesting facts about the square’s history and importance as the center of Beijing in addition to how Chairman Mao was a skilled tactician and probably could have been a poet if he really wanted to. And that was it. Really? Are we not going to address the white elephant in the room? What about the massacre? The demonstrations. The man standing in front of the tank. I don’t even care if you put a pro-government spin on it—at least acknowledge that something significant happened here!
As it became apparent that there would be no mention of what we all knew damn well happened there, I felt a very strong need to pose the question to our tour guide. After all, the incident is not taught in their textbooks and most Chinese citizens, including our guide, were fearful of talking openly about it. As a result, many Chinese my age and younger have no idea of the poignant and tragic event that happened in the square I was standing in. As a tourist, I have a certain amount of leeway in what I can say in China, and asking that question would certainly not land me in jail or even risk deportation. In some ways, I felt that not asking about the massacre in that square while being in a position to do so only made me part of the problem. In the end, I decided not to ask. It wasn’t just a question of my own ideals. Forcing my tour guide to confront the issue in an open place could have been potentially harmful to her if she decided to answer the way I had hoped and I didn’t want to put her in a position she had no choice in. But as I left the square, I kept to myself as I began feeling profoundly upset. I am someone who is willing to speak my peace regardless of the consequences and for the first time in my life, I didn’t feel at liberty to say what was on my mind—especially against something I knew was wrong and suppressive.
Later, our teacher questioned the tour guide on the reasoning behind the high levels of security and she became visibly uncomfortable as she struggled for the “right” answer. She finally gave a non-answer that any career politician could be proud of. In some ways, I lost respect for her but I also understood she had little choice. In the end, I knew I made the right in protecting her by not confronting her on the subject when I learned that at any given time, nearly 2,000 plain-clothes police officers patrol within the square, and I have a feeling they are tasked with monitoring the citizens as much or more than foreigners. Maybe nothing would have happened, or maybe she could have lost her job, but it wasn't fair to put her in that position-- which angered me even further. The experience still unsettles me. I have never completely bought into blind or fervent patriotism for my country, but I have to say that until I felt that my freedom to express myself freely was taken from me, the concept of freedom was just an abstract concept. I think now I have a small taste of what it is like to live without some of that freedom.
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Map of ChinaAugust 24, 2009August 24, 2009Renewing friendshipsAugust 12, 2009No Goodbye'sJuly 26, 2009#1!July 25, 2009Meeting/Party! And yes, Kelly sings!July 23, 2009Celeb StatusJuly 9, 2009Final thoughts...July 8, 2009Chinese Driver's License 101July 7, 2009Flight homeJuly 7, 2009Golf lessons in ChinaJuly 6, 2009Happy Birthday America!July 1, 2009MIAJune 23, 2009The Last Day...June 23rdJune 23, 2009Last days in ChinaJune 22, 2009Nearing the End...June 22ndJune 22, 2009Goodbye DinnersJune 22, 2009DichotomiesJune 21, 2009Culinary Hijinks and other Tom FooleryJune 21, 2009Thursday-SundayJune 20, 2009Dalian...June 20thJune 20, 2009Funniest thing I've found on one of the student blogsJune 19, 2009Differences between China and the USAJune 19, 2009Observations on prices in ChinaJune 19, 2009Pressure is BuildingJune 18, 2009Tuesday & WednesdaySyndicate this site (XML) |
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