The 1989 Democracy Movement - China

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Session 10: The 1989 Democracy Movement

1        Introduction: China in the late 1980s

As noted last time, Deng's reforms welcomed by most - rural and urban incomes generally rose, more to spend money on, greater diversity of employment - at least until c.1985-6. Until then, those seriously losing out probably a minority, and quite a few doing better than ever before.

But serious problems brewing in urban China towards end of 80s - corruption more and more obvious; inflation very high - well into double figures, over 20% in some cities. State workers beginning to be laid off as government cut subsidies to loss-making companies and denied them credit. And those still in their jobs finding wages not being paid on time because the enterprise didn't have the money - might be months late.

All of which added up to urban households no longer finding their incomes going up year on year, but incomes actually falling in real terms, and job security obviously threatened.

At the same time as those with Party (or army) connections were sending their kids to foreign universities and setting them up in companies making large profits by semi-legal or illegal means, and generally living it up - flash cars, golf-club membership, the best restaurants etc. And very visibly, just when everyone else was starting to worry about maybe taking a second job to make ends meet, losing work-unit housing, not getting a pension and so on.

So, considerable discontent building up, and expressed increasingly in industrial action - strikes, sit-ins etc - from c.1987. Loss of faith in government's ability to take China through transition without irreparably damaging social fabric - fear of rising crime also in cities (blamed on migrants).

A situation in which people might well push for more of a say in policy-making, or at least for some effective means of preventing officials and their families from lining their pockets at public expense - so demands for political reform likely to resurface.

Did so first in second half of 1986 - worth looking at as forerunner of much bigger 1989 protests.

2        The student demonstrations of 1986-7

  • The split in the Party over the reforms

Background to events was conflict going on within CCP over how far and how fast economic reform should go. Concerns expressed by Chen Yun, for CCP conservatives, over too much stress on markets, economic over-heating from rapid growth, and unequal sharing of reform benefits around regions - only eastern provinces benefitting, and centre losing influence over these prospering provinces.

Deng Xiaoping's two proteges, Hu Yaobang as head of the Party and Zhao Ziyang as Premier, thus criticized by old guard. But with Deng's backing, and such statements from him as "Slow economic growth is not socialism", were able to carry on in power, but not to push further with reform as they wished.

Increasingly exasperated with conservative foot-dragging, reformists went on the offensive, and re-started debate on political reform stifled when DWM suppressed.

1986 also 30th anniversary of Hundred Flowers - hence some reformist intellectuals within the Party taking cue from Hu Yaobang to press for political reform. (Associated more with Hu, a real political liberal, than with Zhao, who then had a more technocratic, elitist view of political reform and democratization.)

Once high-level signal given that political reform might be on agenda, a few prominent people spoke out. Including astrophysicist Fang Lizhi - addressed audiences at several universities and called for far-reaching political change in China, and for people to be able to exercise their human rights, which he said were inherently their rights as individuals and not something which govt. could grant or withhold. Also said democracy had to be struggled for from below, not granted by the leadership.

Fang became student hero for his remarks - no coincidence that student demos broke out first in Hefei, capital of Anhui province, where Fang vice-president of the University of Science and Technology. Demonstrations began here December 1986; spread to universities in other cities.

Demonstrations called for more democracy and more public participation in political life, end to corruption among Party officials - a direct forerunner of 1989 in terms of main concerns.

Students also had specific grievances about own status, funding and living conditions.

  • The local people's congress elections of 1986

But main event which sparked off the demonstrations shows political democracy itself a very important concern.

Towards end-1986, elections held for local people's congresses (main organ of local government) across China. Only level of government in China to be directly elected.

Precedent for people using elections to express dissent, despite fact that party list of candidates almost always got elected. During DWM, in 1980, activists had stood for election to local people's congresses; some made good showing despite harassment and intimidation of them and supporters. In some cases elections had to be blatantly rigged, or the results disregarded, to prevent democracy activists actually winning seats.

Concessions expected in 1986, because of renewed debate about political reform and apparently positive signals from Hu Yaobang and others at top of CCP.

So when in November the National People's Congress actually tightened the rules about independent candidates in the local elections, thus making it harder for people not approved by the CCP to stand, caused great anger and frustration that the elections were being interfered with.

1986 elections, though, still liveliest China had experienced under CCP rule. Some passive resistance to compulsory voting (noted by former "rightist" and veteran dissident and writer, Wang Ruowang of Shanghai). He reported that in one Shanghai district, first round of elections declared void because of high number of invalid ballot papers.

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One of the ways in which ballot papers were spoiled was by writing in such names as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, or the names of characters from popular Chinese novels.

Sometimes names written in more obviously political: "At a Mechanical Technical School, the invalid ballots contained the names of Fang Lizhi, Liu Binyan (journalist and dissident who has since had to leave China for exile in the US) and Wang Ruowang. In other districts, people wrote words which expressed their dissatisfaction openly."

Rather than dispersing after casting their votes, people stayed to hear results, reportedly applauding and ...

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