“Dong was given a suspended death sentence on arson charges and spent 17 years in prison. It changed his family forever — his father died and his wife divorced him while he was in jail. Dong’s son was just three years old when his father went away. But despite the impact it had on their lives, Dong has never discussed what happened in Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, with his son, now aged 33. [He] would prefer to have his son think he is just a regular criminal, at least in the current political climate in China, than be potentially put in danger by learning of his father’s political past. ‘It is for his safety,’ Dong said. ‘I worry that I might influence his thoughts if I started chatting to him about those things.'” CNN: Three decades ago, they faced down the tanks in Tiananmen Square. Now they want their children to forget it. (In the thirty years since Tiananmen, China has undergone dramatic changes, enjoyed wild middle and upper class growth, and become an economic superpower. But the dissidents know that, in a society that aspires to be free, truth is the most valuable currency. It’s true in China. And it’s true in America; which is one of the reasons why the last few years have been so unnerving.)

+ “After the crackdown, some of us escaped to freedom overseas, convinced at the time that the massacre was a tragic but temporary setback on the road to realizing Deng Xiaoping’s slogan: reform and opening up. We were wrong. China freed up its economy but hardened politically.” WaPo A Massacre, Erased.

+ “In an age of cyber-sleuthing and intense media scrutiny, it has become almost impossible for historical figures to remain anonymous. But 30 years later, Tank Man is still a source of enduring fascination and intrigue.” NYT: 30 Years After Tiananmen, Tank Man Remains an Icon and a Mystery.

+ NYT: “Zhou Duo helped evacuate Tiananmen Square in 1989. These days he defends the movement, but sees democracy in retreat in the West and far off in China.” He Stayed at Tiananmen to the End. Now He Wonders What It Meant.