Jeffrey Wasserstrom

And this was the first time that students had been really on the streets in significant numbers since the Cultural Revolution, or at least since 76. And the students were inspired by calls for democracy and discussions of democracy by this physicist, Fang Lijue, who was a kind of, often thought, a Chinese Sakharov. He was a liberalizing intellectual.

But one of the things that students in Shanghai, where some of the most intense protests of that year took place, were frustrated about was a rock concert, of all things, that Jan and Dean... the American surf rock band, which was kind of like the Beach Boys, only not as big. And they were touring China.

But one of the things that students in Shanghai, where some of the most intense protests of that year took place, were frustrated about was a rock concert, of all things, that Jan and Dean... the American surf rock band, which was kind of like the Beach Boys, only not as big. And they were touring China.

But one of the things that students in Shanghai, where some of the most intense protests of that year took place, were frustrated about was a rock concert, of all things, that Jan and Dean... the American surf rock band, which was kind of like the Beach Boys, only not as big. And they were touring China.

It was the first time in Shanghai that there'd been a rock concert, and the students were really excited about this because this fit in with what they thought the Communist Party was moving toward, was letting them be more part of the world. And for them, that meant being more in step with pop culture around the world.

It was the first time in Shanghai that there'd been a rock concert, and the students were really excited about this because this fit in with what they thought the Communist Party was moving toward, was letting them be more part of the world. And for them, that meant being more in step with pop culture around the world.

It was the first time in Shanghai that there'd been a rock concert, and the students were really excited about this because this fit in with what they thought the Communist Party was moving toward, was letting them be more part of the world. And for them, that meant being more in step with pop culture around the world.

And at the concert, some students got up to dance because that's what they knew you were supposed to do at a rock concert. And the security guards made them sit down. And for the students in Shanghai, this sort of symbolized what was, you know, a feint toward openness that really didn't have follow through. We're going to give you rock concerts, but not let you dance.

And at the concert, some students got up to dance because that's what they knew you were supposed to do at a rock concert. And the security guards made them sit down. And for the students in Shanghai, this sort of symbolized what was, you know, a feint toward openness that really didn't have follow through. We're going to give you rock concerts, but not let you dance.

And at the concert, some students got up to dance because that's what they knew you were supposed to do at a rock concert. And the security guards made them sit down. And for the students in Shanghai, this sort of symbolized what was, you know, a feint toward openness that really didn't have follow through. We're going to give you rock concerts, but not let you dance.

So the protests went on for a little while in 86, and posters went up. The officials at universities said, no, this is out of hand. We had chaos on the streets during the Cultural Revolution. We can't go back to that. And nobody wanted to go back to that. So there were posters I saw that said, this is new Red Guardism. And the students didn't want to be associated with that.

So the protests went on for a little while in 86, and posters went up. The officials at universities said, no, this is out of hand. We had chaos on the streets during the Cultural Revolution. We can't go back to that. And nobody wanted to go back to that. So there were posters I saw that said, this is new Red Guardism. And the students didn't want to be associated with that.

So the protests went on for a little while in 86, and posters went up. The officials at universities said, no, this is out of hand. We had chaos on the streets during the Cultural Revolution. We can't go back to that. And nobody wanted to go back to that. So there were posters I saw that said, this is new Red Guardism. And the students didn't want to be associated with that.

So it wound down pretty quickly. And they thought, you know, we're not like the Red Guards. We don't want to make chaos. We also are not fervent loyalists of anybody in power. The Red Guards had been passionate about Mao. The analogy partly sort of scared them. And also it meant that the government was really serious about Mao. dealing with them. So then in 1989, the protests restart.

So it wound down pretty quickly. And they thought, you know, we're not like the Red Guards. We don't want to make chaos. We also are not fervent loyalists of anybody in power. The Red Guards had been passionate about Mao. The analogy partly sort of scared them. And also it meant that the government was really serious about Mao. dealing with them. So then in 1989, the protests restart.

So it wound down pretty quickly. And they thought, you know, we're not like the Red Guards. We don't want to make chaos. We also are not fervent loyalists of anybody in power. The Red Guards had been passionate about Mao. The analogy partly sort of scared them. And also it meant that the government was really serious about Mao. dealing with them. So then in 1989, the protests restart.

And there are a variety of reasons why they can restart. The space for them, students are thinking about doing something. In 1989, it's a very resonant year, 200th anniversary of the French Revolution. People are thinking about that. But more importantly, it's the 70th anniversary of the biggest student movement in Chinese history, the May 4th movement of 1919.

And there are a variety of reasons why they can restart. The space for them, students are thinking about doing something. In 1989, it's a very resonant year, 200th anniversary of the French Revolution. People are thinking about that. But more importantly, it's the 70th anniversary of the biggest student movement in Chinese history, the May 4th movement of 1919.

And there are a variety of reasons why they can restart. The space for them, students are thinking about doing something. In 1989, it's a very resonant year, 200th anniversary of the French Revolution. People are thinking about that. But more importantly, it's the 70th anniversary of the biggest student movement in Chinese history, the May 4th movement of 1919.

And the May 4th movement had helped lay the groundwork for the Chinese Communist Party. Some member leading founders of it had been student activists then. It was an anti-imperialist movement, but it was also a movement against bad government. And so the students thought, you know, the anniversary of that movement.