New York Museum shares Tiananmen memories

A blood-stained shirt, photos and detailed news articles from the time are on display for visitors to this small office space on 6th Avenue.

It is the sole display of artefacts from the time left, after authorities in Hong Kong pressured a Jun 4 museum there to close two years ago.

Here we have the flags, the tent, and the fliers from 1989. Zhou Fengsuo was a survivor of the Tiananmen Square crackdown that led to the creation of the New York Museum.

On June 4, he was placed fifth on the Beijing police's most wanted list after soldiers opened fire on crowds and crushed demonstrations calling for democracy, greater freedoms, and government accountability.

China never released a full death toll of those killed in 1989, but activists said it could be in the thousands.

Zhou says the museum's collection preserves memories of a different time in China.

This one is from the police. 'Bijing police respects the students on Tiananmen Square'. For people today, this is unprecedented. The period was like this, and that's why it's so important. This can't be changed, you know, by the government, like keystroke. In recent years, Beijing has increased the censorship of Tiananmen events. The group behind the Jun 4 museum in Hong Kong has accused Hong Kong authorities of taking down Tiananmen monuments. Large-scale vigils for Jun 4 in Hong Kong have been banned since 2020, and there is no sign one will be attempted this year.

The former student leader who also helped establish the New York museum, Wang Dan, says he is compelled to fight against the Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, from erasing history.

Don't let go, don't give up. And for Western people, as I said, you must know the true face of the CCP. They govern the country just by lies, by violence, that's the true face of the CCP.