Chinese Writer Wang Qingmin Organizes and Participates in 36th Anniversary Commemoration of June…

Chinese Writer Wang Qingmin Organizes and Participates in 36th Anniversary Commemoration of June Fourth in Berlin, Germany

June 4th, 2025, from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon and again from 2:30 pm to 7:30 pm, I (Wang Qingmin, a Chinese writer living in Europe) displayed posters near the Brandenburg Gate in central Berlin to support the Hong Kong Democratic Party for their efforts in commemorating June Fourth, to thank the traditional pan-democratic camp in Hong Kong for their concern for human rights in mainland China, to call attention to the persecuted “709 lawyers” (Chinese human rights lawyers), and to demand the release of political prisoners such as Xu Zhiyong, Ding Jiaxi, Guo Feixiong, and Hao Jinsong. I also displayed posters advocating for the equal rights movement in the “Shan He (Mountain and River)Four Provinces” (Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi), and connecting South Korea’s Gwangju Democracy Movement with China’s Tiananmen Movement. I distributed flyers as well.

A Chinese tour group passed by, and many saw the posters laid out on the ground and took photos. Many Chinese may not even be aware that today is June Fourth, and most foreigners know nothing about it. My commemoration might help remind some people that today is the anniversary of June Fourth (the topic is blended into the posters, not particularly eye-catching).

Due to personal matters, I left from 12:00 to 2:00, but returned at 2:30 and stayed until 7:30. Including the earlier period, that’s a total of 7 hours. At least a thousand people passed by and saw the posters. I handed out several dozen flyers, and some Chinese and foreign passersby took pictures and expressed their support. I also displayed posters commemorating the Chinese people’s sacrifice and contribution in World War II, and handed out some related flyers.

By myself, I could only put up a few posters at one street corner – a drop in the bucket. I can only say I did my best. With no more protesters, there’s no way to shake the authoritarian rule of the Chinese Communist Party.

From 8:00 pm to 9:30 pm on June 4th, I participated in a June Fourth commemoration at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, where I again displayed posters calling to save the Hong Kong Democratic Party, release Xu Zhiyong, remember the “709 lawyers,” commemorate South Korea’s Gwangju Democracy Movement, and link it to June Fourth. I also handed out dozens of flyers to participants and passersby.

This event was organized by Hongkongers, with participation from Uyghurs and Tibetans who gave speeches. Mainland Chinese should have more of their own organizations and events, instead of just tagging along with others. After all, June Fourth was primarily a matter of mainland Han Chinese; when others take over the commemoration, it inevitably gets co-opted and its original meaning altered. But now, mainland Han Chinese are disunited and scattered, and overseas Chinese are mostly focused on their own lives, lacking both the strength and will to organize. The liberals who commemorate June Fourth lack the capacity for national or class-based mobilization, and remain scattered and ineffective. So, others end up taking center stage.

I hold different views from many of the other participants at the event – we were only barely brought together by the shared goal of commemorating June Fourth. For example, I had to hold my nose and share the event space with someone like Su Yutong, who constantly spews hatred toward her own people and advocates for the slaughter of her fellow countrymen.

Still, it’s hard to say who is tagging along with whom. In the past, Hongkongers identified as Chinese, and naturally had every right to commemorate June Fourth. Now that they’ve turned to localist and pro-independence positions, their continued willingness to commemorate June Fourth is still, objectively, a good thing and should be encouraged in the name of democracy. But using June Fourth to promote Hong Kong independence and localism is, in fact, a kind of opportunistic appropriation.

In contrast, my commemoration of June Fourth has always come from the heart, from a sense of solidarity with my fellow Chinese.

These commemorations may not bring about any immediate or dramatic change, and even their long-term impact is uncertain – but the act of remembrance itself holds intrinsic value. I have said this many times before.