六四紀念館 | |
![]() Historical gallery. | |
Established | 26 April 2014 |
---|---|
Location | No. 10, Ngai Wong Commercial Building, 11–13 Mong Kok Rd, Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong |
Type | Private |
Founder | Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China |
June 4th Museum | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Traditional Chinese | 六四紀念館 | ||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 六四纪念馆 | ||||||||||||
|
The June 4th Museum,organised by the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China,is a museum commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre that occurred in Beijing,China.
The museum was first located in a 1,375 sq ft. space in Tsim Sha Tsui,Hong Kong. It opened on 26 April 2014,shortly before the 25th anniversary of the incident. However,the museum received many complaints from the building owners,with regards to breaches of the mutual covenant of the building. The museum closed on 11 July 2016. [1]
New premises were found to house the museum in a commercial premises in Mong Kok and the museum reopened on 26 April 2019. The museum was once again closed on 2 June 2021 following a government probe into the museum's licensing status. [2]
The purpose of the museum is to give Chinese people,in particular residents from mainland China,an opportunity to learn more about the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989,the history of which is censored in China. Local residents can also explore the history of democracy and freedom in China. [3]
Before the permanent museum first opened in 2014, there were two temporary museums open for short periods—the first in 2012 and then in 2013. The temporary museums were named 4 June Memorial Museum (六四紀念館), hosted by the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China. The first temporary museum was located at 269 Yu Chau Street, Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong, and was open between 29 April and 10 June 2012. The second was located at I-Café in the City University of Hong Kong from 12 April through 15 July 2013. [4]
The permanent site was on the fifth floor of the Foo Hoo Centre at 3 Austin Avenue in Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong. The owner of the site is the non-government organization Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China. Costing 9.76 million Hong Kong dollars, the museum was named the 4 June Museum in English, the Chinese name (Chinese :六四紀念館 being the same as that used for the temporary museums. [5] [6] It opened to the public on 26 April 2014. The museum occupied 800 square feet, and its budget was approximately HK$800,000 per year. [7]
A complaint was filed against the museum shortly before it opened by the corporation that owns the building housing it, claiming that the museum violated the building covenants, as it was not using the space as an office and would bring in an excessive number of visitors. [8] A lawsuit over the matter was funded not by the owning corporation but "privately" by its chairman. [7] In June 2015, the building management began demanding personal information from museum visitors, who reportedly felt "harassed" by security guards. [9] Albert Ho, chairman of the Alliance, alleged that the fight against the museum was "politically motivated", and that the museum's detractors appeared to have "unlimited resources". In light of the above challenges, the museum closed on 11 July 2016. [9]
While searching for a permanent location in which to re-establish the museum, a temporary museum was opened in the Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre in Shek Kip Mei, Kowloon on 30 April 2017. It hosted a series of related events surrounding 4 June 2017 and closed down on 15 June. [10] [11]
In 2018, the Alliance undertook a search for permanent premises in hopes of re-opening the museum before 4 June 2019. [12]
The Alliance purchased premises in Mong Kok in December 2018. About HK$1 million was spent renovating the space to house the museum on a permanent basis. The museum was broken in to and vandalised prior to opening. [13] The Alliance subsequently increased security at the premises. The new museum location opened on 26 April 2019. [14] The museum closed from December 2020 until late February 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong. The curator of the museum said that the Hong Kong government and national security department had not interfered with the operation of the museum after the imposition of the Hong Kong National Security Law, which had come into force on 30 June 2020. [15]
The Food and Health Department (FEHD) on 1 June raided the museum and initiated proceedings alleging that the museum had violated the Places of Public Entertainment Ordinance by operating without a licence. The museum closed and sought legal advice. [16] [2]
The museum collection consists of artifacts, photographs and information related to the incident. These include the casings of rounds fired by the People's Liberation Army in Tiananmen Square and a raincoat which was worn by a resident of Hong Kong who went to Beijing to support the Democracy Movement. The museum also contains T-shirts signed by the student leaders including Wang Dan and Chai Ling. The museum provided a multi-media area, heritage area, history area and a library. [3] A Goddess of Democracy statue, which at 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) in height symbolizes 4 June, was to have been displayed in the permanent museum. [17]
A bottle of home-made liquor billed as "Eight Liquor June Four" – the word "liquor" (酒) is a homonym of "nine" (九) and sold for 89.64 yuan – all symbolising for the crackdown date was produced in 2016 by four activists in Sichuan. The bottle's label depicted "Tank Man" image from 1989, and boasted of being aged 27 years (for the 27th anniversary in 2016) with 64 percent proof. Although the product was seized, one bottle that survived was smuggled out of the country made a symbolic trip around the world, to the Middle East, France, the US and eventually Hong Kong, where it was put on display in the museum. [18] On 4 April 2019, the fourth of four Sichuan men who were arrested in 2016 for producing the liquor was sentenced to jail for 31⁄2 years; the three other men were also charged with "picking quarrels and provoking trouble", but were instead given suspended sentences. [18]
With the future the museum seen as uncertain by museum staff including manager Lee Cheuk-yan after the imposition of the Hong Kong National Security Law, a fundraiser was started to preserve the exhibits in digital format. [19]
The Tiananmen Square protests, known in China as the June Fourth Incident, were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China, lasting from 15 April to 4 June 1989. After weeks of unsuccessful attempts between the demonstrators and the Chinese government to find a peaceful resolution, the Chinese government declared martial law on the night of 3 June and deployed troops to occupy the square in what is referred to as the Tiananmen Square massacre. The events are sometimes called the '89 Democracy Movement, the Tiananmen Square Incident, or the Tiananmen uprising.
Ma Lik, GBS, JP, was a Legislative Councillor, and was the Chairman of the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB), a pro-Beijing political party in Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China was a pro-democracy organisation that was established on 21 May 1989 in the then British colony of Hong Kong during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre in Beijing. After the 4 June massacre, the organisation main goals were the rehabilitation of the democracy movement and the accountability for the massacre. The main activities the organisation held were the annual memorials and commemorations, of which the candlelight vigil in Victoria Park was the most attended, reported and discussed event each year. Due to its stance, the Central government in Beijing considers the organisation subversive.
The Immigration Department of the Government of Hong Kong is responsible for immigration control of Hong Kong. After the People's Republic of China assumed sovereignty of the territory in July 1997, Hong Kong's immigration system remained largely unchanged from its British predecessor model. Residents from mainland China do not have the right of abode in Hong Kong, nor can they enter the territory freely, both before and after 1997. There are different regulations that apply to residents of Macau, another Special Administrative Region of China. In addition, visa-free entry acceptance regulations into Hong Kong for passport holders of some 170 countries remain unchanged before and after 1997.
Pillar of Shame is a series of sculptures by Danish artist Jens Galschiøt memorialising the loss of life during specific events or caused by specific circumstances in history. Each sculpture is an eight metres (26 ft) tall statue of bronze, copper or concrete.
Muxidi Station is a station on Line 1 of the Beijing Subway. The Line 16 station opened on December 31, 2022, and currently serves as an out-of-system interchange (OSI) with Line 1. It will connect with Line 18 in the future.
The 20th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre (20周年六四遊行) was a series of rallies that took place in late May to early June 2009 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, during which the Chinese government sent troops to suppress the pro-democracy movement. While the anniversary is remembered around the world; the event is heavily censored on Chinese soil, particularly in Mainland China. Events which mark it only take place in Hong Kong, and in Macao to a much lesser extent.
In the days following the end of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, several memorials and vigils were held around the world for those who were killed in the demonstrations. Since then, annual memorials have been held in places outside of mainland China, most notably in Hong Kong, Taiwan and the United States.
Hong Kong's Goddess of Democracy is a 6.4-metre faux bronze statue sculpted by Chen Weiming, inspired by the original 10-metre tall Goddess of Democracy. The original foam and papier-mâché statue was erected by the Chinese pro-democracy movement in Tiananmen Square at the end of May 1989, and destroyed by soldiers clearing the protesters from Tiananmen square on June 4, 1989.
The 21st anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre began as a small march to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre in Hong Kong. Hong Kong and Macau are the only places on Chinese soil where the 1989 crushing of China's pro-democracy movement can be commemorated, and the annual event to commemorate has been taking place in Hong Kong since 1990.
The 10th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre (10周年六四遊行) was a series of rallies – street marches, parades, and candlelight vigils – that took place in late May to early June 1999 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of 4 June 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. The anniversary of the event, during which the Chinese government sent troops to suppress pro-democracy movement and many people are thought to have perished, is remembered around the world in public open spaces and in front of many Chinese embassies in Western countries. On Chinese soil, any mention of the event is completely taboo in Mainland China; events which mark it only take place in Hong Kong, and in Macao to a much lesser extent.
The 24th anniversary of Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 took place in China and internationally around 4 June 2013. The protests commemorated victims of the Chinese Communist Party crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Activities included the state of alert within mainland China, and the traditional marches and candlelight vigils that took place in Hong Kong and Macau on 4 June 2013 which have taken place every year prior to that since 1990. The two former colonies are the only places on Chinese soil where the 1989 crushing of China's pro-democracy movement can be commemorated.
Gu Yi, also known as Sulaiman Gu, is a Chinese student dissident and human rights activist. He was interrogated and reprimanded for discussing with Ilham Tohti and other Uyghur dissidents and criticizing China's unfair treatment of its minority citizens in Xinjiang in 2009. Later he went abroad to study Chemistry as a graduate student of Chemistry in the University of Georgia continuing his political activism in terms of writings and demonstrations. He was an enthusiastic supporter of 2014 Hong Kong protests. In May 2015, he became widely-known for authoring and organizing an open letter to fellow students in China on the 26th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.
During the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, student organizations received a significant amount of support in the form of donated money, supplies, and equipment from both domestic and foreign sources.
Wu Renhua is a Chinese scholar and participant in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. He has published three books about the crackdown: The Bloody Clearing of Tiananmen Square (天安门血腥清场内幕) in 2007, The Martial Law Troops of June Fourth (六四事件的戒严部队) in 2009, and The Full Record of the Tiananmen Movement (六四事件全程实录) in 2014. Wu now lives in California in the United States.
The 30th anniversary of Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 was principally events that occurred in China and elsewhere on 4 June 2019 - to commemorate the Chinese Communist Party's crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 in which hundreds of people were killed.
The 31st anniversary of Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 was principally events that occurred in China and elsewhere on and leading up to 4 June 2020 – to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, in which thousands of people are widely believed to have been killed.
The 32nd anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests featured events in China and elsewhere on, and leading up to, 4 June 2021 – to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, in which the government of China ordered the army to fire on protestors, killing hundreds, if not thousands, of people.
Tonyee Chow Hang-tung is a Hong Kong activist, barrister and politician. During the crackdown by authorities on the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which began in June 2021 and was mainly based on national security charges over the Alliance's annual vigils in remembrance of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, Chow was cast into the limelight, having become the convenor of the group after the arrest of leaders Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho in April. In December 2021 and January 2022, Chow was convicted respectively for inciting and taking part in an unlawful assembly on occasion of the vigil in 2020, and for organizing the vigil in 2021, and sentenced to a total of 22 months in prison. A trial date for further national security charges against Chow has not been set as of 10 November 2022. By that time, observers considered her to be possibly the most prominent remaining dissident voice in Hong Kong.
The June 4th Memorial Association is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization incorporated in the State of New York on September 14, 2021. Its main activity is the curation of the June 4th Memorial Exhibit in New York City.