Student posters and leaflets during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
Encyclopedia
During the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
, many big-character poster
s, banners and leaflets appeared. These posters and leaflets became an important source throughout the course of the student movement. They provided valuable information and insight into the goals, slogans and instructions that were to guide students about what they were expected to do during the protests. A central place where posters and leaflets were printed and posted was at “the Triangle;” located at Peking University
. The Triangle, also known as a democracy wall was “a wall of bulletin boards erected around a triangle of land in the centre of the campus”. The Triangle became a democratic space where students, teachers and Chinese citizens went in order to voice their opinions and feelings towards the movement, to know the progress and course of the movement, and to provide information on events and incidents (Student Hunger Strikes and “Xinhua Gate Incident”—Zhongnanhai
). The Triangle was considered “a marketplace for information and was regarded as a symbolic space for free expression.”
informing people about ideas and tactics that were emerging during the course of the movement. The Monument to the People's Heroes became “the center stage as cries for democracy were pasted and broadcast from it during the movement.” Posters appeared on the monument describing events that others may not have had the chance to witness such as the student petition submitted on April 22 which government officials declined to receive, and the Xinhua Gate Incident involving alleged police brutality towards students. Ideas also appeared in handbills and student papers that were passed out in and around the Square.
Ideas and slogans during the movement began as posters on campuses, and were later converted to leaflets and handbills. Big and small character posters became the main way to report news and express viewpoints on campuses. The ideas they expressed spread by word of mouth, or by individuals who had hand copied the contents. To express news and ideas quickly, efficiently, and accurately the “propaganda teams of student organizations created handbills explaining movement activities, and they went to the streets” to hand out leaflets to the public. Nonofficial papers such as the News Herald and the Hunger Strikers' News Bulletin and News Flashes were printed and distributed to inform of “pro-democracy activities and to include student grievances.” Posters and leaflets appeared around universities throughout China, but they were mainly concentrated in Beijing. Big-character posters became a way for individuals to express their views and to collectively share ideas and opinions regarding the government and movement.
Items to note regarding the boycott of classes:
1. Boycott classes, not studies.
2. During the class boycott please do not return home or march without authorization. Respect normal school rules and daily schedules.
3. Further announcements of student activities during the class boycott will be made.
~People's University (Renmin University of China
) Student Union big-character poster
Slogans:
Support the Communist Party and socialism! Support reform!
Long live democracy!
Oppose corruption in government; oppose special privileges!
Patriotism is not a crime!
Long live the people!
. Since the media was under state control students depended on big-character posters, student-controlled broadcasting stations, and word of mouth for information. Word of mouth information became a way for rumors about government divisions and brutality to spread, leading to the misinterpretation of information, and wrong ideas being spread. Government documents explain that after the Xinhua Gate incident "Posters reading boycott and Protest the violence of police beatings of students appeared in the Triangle area on campus and that the students were presenting “distorted reports of these events.”
and Deng Xiaoping
began to appear at the Triangle. Party leaders were represented as fascist pigs, or they had their face on Empress Dowager Cixi
’s body. Along with student posters on campuses across China there were nonstudent posters from teachers, workers
, and peasants expressing their support for students, and providing words of advice. After 1989 onwards such democratic posters and leaflets began to disappear from the Triangle and TOEFL
exam posters, Shanghai
dance posters, movie posters, and job advertisements have taken their place.
The Triangle has now become an “internet bulletin board that is carefully monitored by authorities.”
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese , were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China beginning on 15 April 1989...
, many big-character poster
Big-character poster
Big-character posters are handwritten, wall-mounted posters using large-sized Chinese characters, used as a means of protest, propaganda, and popular communication. They have been used in China since imperial times, but became more common when literacy rates rose after the 1911 revolution...
s, banners and leaflets appeared. These posters and leaflets became an important source throughout the course of the student movement. They provided valuable information and insight into the goals, slogans and instructions that were to guide students about what they were expected to do during the protests. A central place where posters and leaflets were printed and posted was at “the Triangle;” located at Peking University
Peking University
Peking University , colloquially known in Chinese as Beida , is a major research university located in Beijing, China, and a member of the C9 League. It is the first established modern national university of China. It was founded as Imperial University of Peking in 1898 as a replacement of the...
. The Triangle, also known as a democracy wall was “a wall of bulletin boards erected around a triangle of land in the centre of the campus”. The Triangle became a democratic space where students, teachers and Chinese citizens went in order to voice their opinions and feelings towards the movement, to know the progress and course of the movement, and to provide information on events and incidents (Student Hunger Strikes and “Xinhua Gate Incident”—Zhongnanhai
Zhongnanhai
Zhongnanhai is an area in central Beijing, China adjacent to the Forbidden City which serves as the central headquarters for the Communist Party of China and the State Council of the People's Republic of China. The term Zhongnanhai is closely linked with the central government and senior Communist...
). The Triangle was considered “a marketplace for information and was regarded as a symbolic space for free expression.”
Importance of Posters and Leaflets
As the movement progressed many poems and short essays were also pasted at the base of the Monument to the People's HeroesMonument to the People's Heroes
The Monument to the People's Heroes is a ten-story obelisk that was erected as a national monument of the People's Republic of China.The Monument was built in memory of the martyrs who laid down their lives for the revolutionary struggles of the Chinese people during the 19th and 20th centuries...
informing people about ideas and tactics that were emerging during the course of the movement. The Monument to the People's Heroes became “the center stage as cries for democracy were pasted and broadcast from it during the movement.” Posters appeared on the monument describing events that others may not have had the chance to witness such as the student petition submitted on April 22 which government officials declined to receive, and the Xinhua Gate Incident involving alleged police brutality towards students. Ideas also appeared in handbills and student papers that were passed out in and around the Square.
Ideas and slogans during the movement began as posters on campuses, and were later converted to leaflets and handbills. Big and small character posters became the main way to report news and express viewpoints on campuses. The ideas they expressed spread by word of mouth, or by individuals who had hand copied the contents. To express news and ideas quickly, efficiently, and accurately the “propaganda teams of student organizations created handbills explaining movement activities, and they went to the streets” to hand out leaflets to the public. Nonofficial papers such as the News Herald and the Hunger Strikers' News Bulletin and News Flashes were printed and distributed to inform of “pro-democracy activities and to include student grievances.” Posters and leaflets appeared around universities throughout China, but they were mainly concentrated in Beijing. Big-character posters became a way for individuals to express their views and to collectively share ideas and opinions regarding the government and movement.
Posters and Slogans
Class boycott posters and slogans such as the ones below appeared on leaflets and information boards across university campuses throughout China.Items to note regarding the boycott of classes:
1. Boycott classes, not studies.
2. During the class boycott please do not return home or march without authorization. Respect normal school rules and daily schedules.
3. Further announcements of student activities during the class boycott will be made.
~People's University (Renmin University of China
Renmin University of China
Renmin University of China; RUC, also known as People's University of China , colloquially Renda , is a major research university in Haidian District, Beijing, China. Its campus neighbors those of Peking University and Tsinghua University....
) Student Union big-character poster
Slogans:
Support the Communist Party and socialism! Support reform!
Long live democracy!
Oppose corruption in government; oppose special privileges!
Patriotism is not a crime!
Long live the people!
Influence of Posters and Leaflets
When student activists wanted to organize a demonstration all they needed to do was, "put several posters at the Triangle, write down the time and location of the gathering, the purposes of the demonstration, and the slogans to be used" and on the day of the demonstration, students would be mobilized and ready to go. Students regularly gathered at the Triangle to begin their marches to Tiananmen SquareTiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square is a large city square in the center of Beijing, China, named after the Tiananmen Gate located to its North, separating it from the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square is the third largest city square in the world...
. Since the media was under state control students depended on big-character posters, student-controlled broadcasting stations, and word of mouth for information. Word of mouth information became a way for rumors about government divisions and brutality to spread, leading to the misinterpretation of information, and wrong ideas being spread. Government documents explain that after the Xinhua Gate incident "Posters reading boycott and Protest the violence of police beatings of students appeared in the Triangle area on campus and that the students were presenting “distorted reports of these events.”
Non-Student Posters and After the Tiananmen Square Protests
Posters and leaflets centered on themes of “free press, free association, democracy/reforms, more freedoms and [ending] official corruption.” However, during the lead up to and after June 4th, cartoons ridiculing government and Party officials emerged. Posters of Party leaders such as Li PengLi Peng
Li Peng served as the fourth Premier of the People's Republic of China, between 1987 and 1998, and the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislative body, from 1998 to 2003. For much of the 1990s Li was ranked second in the Communist Party of China ...
and Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese politician, statesman, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng was a reformer who led China towards a market economy...
began to appear at the Triangle. Party leaders were represented as fascist pigs, or they had their face on Empress Dowager Cixi
Empress Dowager Cixi
Empress Dowager Cixi1 , of the Manchu Yehenara clan, was a powerful and charismatic figure who became the de facto ruler of the Manchu Qing Dynasty in China for 47 years from 1861 to her death in 1908....
’s body. Along with student posters on campuses across China there were nonstudent posters from teachers, workers
Beijing Workers' Autonomous Federation
The Beijing Workers’ Autonomous Federation or Beijing Workers’ Autonomous Union was the main organization of workers calling for political change during the Tiananmen Square protests of April, May, and June 1989...
, and peasants expressing their support for students, and providing words of advice. After 1989 onwards such democratic posters and leaflets began to disappear from the Triangle and TOEFL
TOEFL
The Test of English as a Foreign Language, or TOEFL , evaluates the ability of an individual to use and understand English in an academic setting....
exam posters, Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
dance posters, movie posters, and job advertisements have taken their place.
The Triangle has now become an “internet bulletin board that is carefully monitored by authorities.”