Wang Dan
Encyclopedia
Wang Dan a leader of the Chinese democracy movement
, was one of the most visible of the student leaders in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
. Wang holds a Ph.D. in history from Harvard University
. From August 2009 to February 2010, Wang taught cross-strait history at Taiwan's National Chengchi University
, as a visiting scholar. Besides conducting research on related topics, Wang is still active in
promoting democracy
and freedom for China. He travels the world to garner support from overseas Chinese communities as well as from the general public at large.
department of history, organizing "Democracy Salons" at his school. When he participated in the student movement that led to the 1989 protest, he joined the movement's organizing body as the representative from Peking University. As a result, after the Tiananmen Square protests, he immediately became the "most wanted" on the list of 21 fugitives issued. Wang went into hiding but was arrested on July 2 the same year, and sentenced to four years imprisonment in 1991. After being released on parole in 1993, he continued to write publicly (to publications outside of mainland China) and was re-arrested in 1995 for conspiring to overthrow the Communist Party of China
and was sentenced in 1996 to 11 years. However he was released early and exiled to the United States of America (see below).
Wang resumed his university studies, starting school at Harvard University
in 1998 and completing his master's in East Asian history in 2001 and a Ph.D.
in 2008. He also performed research on the development of democracy in Taiwan at Oxford University in 2009. He is currently the chairman of the Chinese Constitutional Reform Association
.
Wang was interviewed and appeared in the documentary
The Beijing Crackdown and the movie Moving the Mountain
, about the Tiananmen Square protests. He also featured prominently in Shen Tong
's book Almost a Revolution
.
He was banned from setting foot on mainland China
with his passport expiring in 2003. He attempted to visit Hong Kong in 2004, but was rejected. At that time he was invited by the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China to talk about politics ahead of the 15th anniversary of the June 4 crackdown.
crackdown on the protests, Wang Dan was placed on a list of the 21 “most wanted” student leaders of the protests. Imprisoned on July 2, 1989, Wang spent nearly two years in custody before his trial in 1991. Wang was charged with spreading counterrevolutionary propaganda and incitement. He was sentenced to 4 years in prison; a relatively mild sentence compared to other political prisoners in China at this time. This short sentence was thought to be caused by two things; the government was unsure of what to do with so many students, and felt pressure due to their high profile nature. While incarcerated, Wang spent two years at Qincheng Prison
, known for its high number of political prisoners and harsh living conditions. Despite the usual cramped conditions, because of his high profile case, Wang was given his own cell.
Wang was released in 1993, just months before the end of his sentence. Wang Dan himself has noted this was most likely related to China
’s first bid for the Olympic Games
since he and 19 other political prisoners were released only a month before the International Olympic Committee
was to visit. Almost immediately after his release in 1993 Wang began to promote democracy in China and contacted exiled political activists in the United States
. He was arrested for a second time in May 1995; two months after an interview with the US based anti-communist periodical Beijing Spring
. In this interview he states “"We should clear a new path and devote ourselves to building a civil society by focusing our efforts on social movements, not political movements, self-consciously maintaining a distance from political power and political organs.”(document 3) Wang was held in custody for 17 months before receiving the charge of “plotting to overthrow the government,” and was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
Instead of serving his entire sentence, he was released in ostensibly for “medical reasons” and was sent immediately to the US where he was examined in hospital, and quickly released to live in the United States as an exiled political activist. His release was not a coincidence, as his release and move to the United States followed an agreement between the United States and China. In this agreement the United States removed its support for a resolution criticizing China at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights
, and in return China released political prisoners such as Wang.
must change its ways, and in an interview with the US newspaper The Weekly Standard
he states: “The key to democracy in China is independence. My country needs independent intellectuals, independent economic actors, independent spirits.” Wang received his PhD from Harvard University
in 2008, and continues to be actively involved in fighting for change in China. Two of his works include: “20 years after Tiananmen” which takes a look at how economic change has affected the Chinese people, and contains suggestions for social and human rights changes. Wang also wrote “Rebuild China with an Olympic Amnesty” after his arrival in the United States; the document has a more positive outlook, as he felt international events such as the Olympic Games could shed light on human rights issues in China. In 2007 Wang's second sentence expired and he was officially "released" and the certificate was issued to his parents on Oct 2, 2007.
. Wang Dan is currently teaching the history of the PRC at National Tsing Hua University
in Hsinchu
. While teaching a class in November 2010, a woman carrying a knife entered the lecture attempting to stab Wang. He was able to remove the knife from the woman before she had a chance to stab Wang. He believes “this was the first time he faced what looked like an attempt on his life.” This woman has allegedly been stalking Wang for 3 years. Jennifer Huang.
According to a Chinese-language article from Radio Free Asia
, as of July 2009, Wang Dan has a Facebook page which he hopes to use to communicate with people in mainland China.
on the so-called "Beijing Doctrine": "For the sake of economic improvement, everything can be done, even killing people ... [such a doctrine shows that] the Tiananmen Massacre is still going on, only in different ways: it was the students' lives being taken physically in 1989, but it is the mind of the world being poisoned spiritually today."
Chinese democracy movement
The Chinese democracy movement refers to a series of loosely organized political movements in the People's Republic of China against the continued one-party rule by the Communist Party. One such movement began during the Beijing Spring in 1978 and was taken up again in the Tiananmen Square...
, was one of the most visible of the student leaders in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
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...
. Wang holds a Ph.D. in history from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. From August 2009 to February 2010, Wang taught cross-strait history at Taiwan's National Chengchi University
National Chengchi University
National Chengchi University is a prestigious public university at Muzha in Wenshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan. It is well-known for its concentration on the social sciences, law, commerce, communication, liberal arts and for its MBA programs....
, as a visiting scholar. Besides conducting research on related topics, Wang is still active in
promoting democracy
Reactions to Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The events at Tiananmen were the first of their type shown in detail on Western television. The Chinese government's response was denounced, particularly by Western governments and media. Criticism came from both Western and Eastern Europe, North America, Australia and some east Asian and Latin...
and freedom for China. He travels the world to garner support from overseas Chinese communities as well as from the general public at large.
Biography
Wang Dan was born in 1969. He was a politically active student at the Peking UniversityPeking 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...
department of history, organizing "Democracy Salons" at his school. When he participated in the student movement that led to the 1989 protest, he joined the movement's organizing body as the representative from Peking University. As a result, after the Tiananmen Square protests, he immediately became the "most wanted" on the list of 21 fugitives issued. Wang went into hiding but was arrested on July 2 the same year, and sentenced to four years imprisonment in 1991. After being released on parole in 1993, he continued to write publicly (to publications outside of mainland China) and was re-arrested in 1995 for conspiring to overthrow the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
and was sentenced in 1996 to 11 years. However he was released early and exiled to the United States of America (see below).
Wang resumed his university studies, starting school at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1998 and completing his master's in East Asian history in 2001 and a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in 2008. He also performed research on the development of democracy in Taiwan at Oxford University in 2009. He is currently the chairman of the Chinese Constitutional Reform Association
Chinese Constitutional Reform Association
Chinese Constitutional Reform Association is a political pressure organization founded in 2002 and officially established on October 11, 2005. It is currently led by Wang Dan, who was a student leader during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, and president . Its famous members include famous...
.
Wang was interviewed and appeared in the documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
The Beijing Crackdown and the movie Moving the Mountain
Moving the Mountain (1994 film)
Moving the Mountain is a 1994 film directed by Michael Apted....
, about the Tiananmen Square protests. He also featured prominently in Shen Tong
Shen Tong
Shen Tong is a Chinese dissident who was one of the student leaders in the democracy movement at Tiananmen Square in 1989 One of the People of the Year by Newsweek 1989, Shen Tong became a media and software entrepreneur in late 1990s...
's book Almost a Revolution
Almost a Revolution
Almost a Revolution is an autobiography by the Chinese student democracy leader Shen Tong, written with former Washington Post writer Marianne Yen....
.
He was banned from setting foot on mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
with his passport expiring in 2003. He attempted to visit Hong Kong in 2004, but was rejected. At that time he was invited by the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China to talk about politics ahead of the 15th anniversary of the June 4 crackdown.
Arrest and incarceration
Following the People's Liberation Army'sPeople's Liberation Army
The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...
crackdown on the protests, Wang Dan was placed on a list of the 21 “most wanted” student leaders of the protests. Imprisoned on July 2, 1989, Wang spent nearly two years in custody before his trial in 1991. Wang was charged with spreading counterrevolutionary propaganda and incitement. He was sentenced to 4 years in prison; a relatively mild sentence compared to other political prisoners in China at this time. This short sentence was thought to be caused by two things; the government was unsure of what to do with so many students, and felt pressure due to their high profile nature. While incarcerated, Wang spent two years at Qincheng Prison
Qincheng Prison
Qincheng Prison is a maximum-security prison located in the Changping District, Beijing in the People's Republic of China, near Xiaotangshan...
, known for its high number of political prisoners and harsh living conditions. Despite the usual cramped conditions, because of his high profile case, Wang was given his own cell.
Wang was released in 1993, just months before the end of his sentence. Wang Dan himself has noted this was most likely related to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
’s first bid for the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
since he and 19 other political prisoners were released only a month before the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
was to visit. Almost immediately after his release in 1993 Wang began to promote democracy in China and contacted exiled political activists in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was arrested for a second time in May 1995; two months after an interview with the US based anti-communist periodical Beijing Spring
Beijing Spring
The Beijing Spring refers to a brief period of political liberalization in the People's Republic of China which occurred in 1977 and 1978. The name is derived from "Prague Spring", an analogous event which occurred in Czechoslovakia in 1968....
. In this interview he states “"We should clear a new path and devote ourselves to building a civil society by focusing our efforts on social movements, not political movements, self-consciously maintaining a distance from political power and political organs.”(document 3) Wang was held in custody for 17 months before receiving the charge of “plotting to overthrow the government,” and was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
Instead of serving his entire sentence, he was released in ostensibly for “medical reasons” and was sent immediately to the US where he was examined in hospital, and quickly released to live in the United States as an exiled political activist. His release was not a coincidence, as his release and move to the United States followed an agreement between the United States and China. In this agreement the United States removed its support for a resolution criticizing China at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights
United Nations Commission on Human Rights
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights was a functional commission within the overall framework of the United Nations from 1946 until it was replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006...
, and in return China released political prisoners such as Wang.
Exile in the United States
Not long after Wang Dan arrived in the United States, he began to criticise the Chinese government once again. Wang believes the CCPCCP
- Politics :* Canadian Conservative Party, majority government* Chinese Communist Party, the ruling political party in the People's Republic of China* Confederación Campesina del Perú, a peasant organization in Peru- Other :...
must change its ways, and in an interview with the US newspaper The Weekly Standard
The Weekly Standard
The Weekly Standard is an American neoconservative opinion magazine published 48 times per year. Its founding publisher, News Corporation, debuted the title September 18, 1995. Currently edited by founder William Kristol and Fred Barnes, the Standard has been described as a "redoubt of...
he states: “The key to democracy in China is independence. My country needs independent intellectuals, independent economic actors, independent spirits.” Wang received his PhD from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 2008, and continues to be actively involved in fighting for change in China. Two of his works include: “20 years after Tiananmen” which takes a look at how economic change has affected the Chinese people, and contains suggestions for social and human rights changes. Wang also wrote “Rebuild China with an Olympic Amnesty” after his arrival in the United States; the document has a more positive outlook, as he felt international events such as the Olympic Games could shed light on human rights issues in China. In 2007 Wang's second sentence expired and he was officially "released" and the certificate was issued to his parents on Oct 2, 2007.
Looking back at Tiananmen
Wang Dan felt there were many things that could have been changed about the movement, and he has raised these issues, both during and after the movement. In an interview with the New York Times published 2 June 1989, Wang states, I think that the student movements in the future should be firmly based on something solid, such as the democratization of campus life or the realization of civil rights according to the Constitution,… Otherwise, the result is chaos. Another issue Wang raises is the involvement of intellectuals in the movement, expressed in the New York Times interview as well as a 2008 interview titled “Tiananmen Remembered.” In this source he believes that intellectuals were not used early enough in the movement, and their involvement may have changed the course of events. Despite pointing out failures, Wang feels the protests had an impact on the mentality of many Chinese people, arguing the hunger strike was necessary as it allowed greater attention on the movement. (Document 1) In addition to this Wang feels that the crackdown, and the promotion of democracy got the attention of the entire nation, educating many people on democracy, a completely new idea for many Chinese people.Wang Dan today
Wang Dan has been productive in the years after his release from China. Wang has been able to publish articles such as “Rebuild China with an Olympic Amnesty” and “20 years after Tiananmen” as well as give public interviews. His exile in The United States allowed him to attend Harvard University to finish his education, and become Chairman of the Constitutional Reform Association. In addition to these, Wang Dan is also a member of the Advisory board of WikiLeaksWikileaks
WikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
. Wang Dan is currently teaching the history of the PRC at National Tsing Hua University
National Tsing Hua University
National Tsing Hua University is one of the most prestigious universities in Taiwan. The university has a strong reputation in the studies of science and engineering. Times Higher Education - World University Rankings is107in the world. Engineering and Science are the best in Taiwan...
in Hsinchu
Hsinchu
Hsinchu City is a city in northern Taiwan. Hsinchu is popularly nicknamed "The Windy City" for its windy climate.Hsinchu City is administered as a special municipality within Taiwan . The city is bordered by Hsinchu County to the north and east, Miaoli County to the south, and the Taiwan Strait...
. While teaching a class in November 2010, a woman carrying a knife entered the lecture attempting to stab Wang. He was able to remove the knife from the woman before she had a chance to stab Wang. He believes “this was the first time he faced what looked like an attempt on his life.” This woman has allegedly been stalking Wang for 3 years. Jennifer Huang.
According to a Chinese-language article from Radio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation that operates a radio station and Internet news service. RFA was founded by an act of the US Congress and is operated by the Broadcasting Board of Governors . The RFA is supported in part by grants from the federal government of the United States...
, as of July 2009, Wang Dan has a Facebook page which he hopes to use to communicate with people in mainland China.
On China's economic development
Wang commented at a May 31, 2009, press conference in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
on the so-called "Beijing Doctrine": "For the sake of economic improvement, everything can be done, even killing people ... [such a doctrine shows that] the Tiananmen Massacre is still going on, only in different ways: it was the students' lives being taken physically in 1989, but it is the mind of the world being poisoned spiritually today."
External links
- Wang Dan's Facebook page
- Wang Dan's Twitter account
- Wang Dan's personal website (archived version from 2008)
- TIMEasia: The Exile and the Entrepreneur