Wang Dan: Looking Back and Looking Forward

As I reflect on June Fourth and look at present-day China, three important points also come to mind. First, the basic social crisis that led to the 1989 Democracy Movement has never been resolved, and it continues to simmer and seethe beneath the surface. Second, I realize that there has been rapid economic growth in China and, as a dissident, I highly praise the achievements of the Chinese government in promoting economic reforms. Third, the splendor of modern-day urban development should not blind us to the fact that Shanghai is not China. Not only does China need political reform, China must have political reform. And if there is to be political reform, it should begin with a reassessment of June Fourth.

Finally, let me turn to the future of China. Despite the many looming difficulties and crises, I am still optimistic that sooner or later China will democratize. It is very important for the generation that experienced June Fourth, what we now call “the ’89 generation,” to rethink and remember the past. But even more importantly, our generation must look forward and create something new for the future. This includes initiating both ideological and institutional changes. We advocate four basic values: prosperity, stability, freedom, and social justice. The CPC cares only about prosperity and stability. In contrast, the members of the ’89 generation know that without freedom and social justice there cannot be sustained prosperity and stability. As for institutional change, we advocate four “-isms”: liberalism, with social justice at its core; federalism, aimed at resolving problems between the central and local governments, as well as issues regarding Taiwan and Tibet; nationalism, of a moderate and democratic kind, aspiring to meld together a new national spirit; and constitutionalism, as the framework of the new political system. Based on these four values and four “-isms,” we are looking forward to a new, “third republic” in China, which will be different from both Sun Yat-sen’s first republic and Mao Zedong’s second republic. This new republic, I believe, will be a good friend and a responsible member of the international community. (Wang Dan, Human Rights in China)