No longer located at the Chinese University of Hong Kong
Two days before Christmas Day this year, Clifford Coonan (a now Berlin-based journalist who spent 15 years as a news correspondent in Beijing) Tweeted the following: "As they tear down the Pillar of Shame, it's worth remembering the holiday period is a busy time for the Chinese government, as it knows the Western media is on holiday -- Liu Xiaobo was sentenced on Christmas Day, Hu Jia arrested on Christmas Day and Wu Gan jailed on the holiday". And it's a good measure of how much Hong Kong has become "just another Chinese city" that more horror has taken place in recent days following the removal/dismantling/destruction of the Pillar of Shame from the University of Hong Kong's main campus on December 23rd.
More specifically, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Lingnan University saw fit to remove the memorials to the Tiananmen Square Massacre from their campuses early on Christmas Eve. Gone now from the former is its replica of the Goddess of Democracy that was erected in Tianamen Square in the summer of 1989; while the latter's authorities have both removed its Tiananmen Square wall relief by the same China-born New Zealand artist Chen Weiming who created the replica Goddess of Democracy, and painted over a depiction of the Goddess of Democracy that had been on a wall of the university's student union office.
At the present time, there remains only two public memorials to June 4th which remains. One of them is located at the University of Hong Kong's Swire Bridge and consists of a slogan painted on the ground in Chinese which reads as follows in English: "Souls of martyrs shall forever linger despite the brutal massacre; Spark of democracy shall forever glow for the demise of evils". The second is a replica Goddess of Democracy that's at the City University of Hong Kong whose days are clearly numbered as the City University student union reports that it has indeed been asked by the university administration to remove its Tiananmen Goddess of Democracy statue.
Indeed, probably the only reason why it still hasn't been removed as yet is their being able to plead that both yesterday (Christmas Day) and today (Boxing Day) are public holidays in Hong Kong (unlike in, say, Mainland China). So we can expect to see its removal by Tuesday, if not tomorrow -- which is a public holiday on account of this Boxing Day falling on a Sunday.
Already, the protest at what was done as well as mourning of what's been lost has begun. At Lingnan University, two courageous and defiant young Mainland Chinese women pasted notices bearing the Chinese character for "shame" on the wall where the Tianamen Square Massacre relief had previously stood. And at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, students demonstrated how they felt -- as well as their creativity -- by doing such as sketching an illustration of the Goddess of Democracy statue near where it was originally placed, lighting candles to form the words "democracy" in the area, playing singer Anita Mui’s cover of Bloodstained Glory, a June 4th candle vigil anthem song, at the site and creating a likeness of the Goddeess of Democracy with still more candles.
In the grand scheme of things, their acts may seem small. But trust me when I say that they have been seen and matter for many people. Speaking of small, some might think too that the removal of a statue or two may not seem like much. But, again, trust me when I state that it means a great deal to many people. Actually, don't just take my word for it and, instead, consider the following points Tweeted this past Christmas Eve by Niao Collective:
And that, indeed, is the question, and rub. :(
2 comments:
What is the difference between boxing day and Christmas?
Coffee is on and stay safe
Hi peppylady --
Boxing Day falls on the day after Christmas and, traditionally (in the UK) was when the alms boxes in churches were opened and their contents donated to the poor. Very different from Christmas Day though both are (British) Christian holidays. :)
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