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Almost a Revolution
I woke up at 4 AM. That's been
happening a lot lately. I guess it's
the result of not getting away from
the house as much as usual. In any
case, I've decided that now is as good
a time as any to write up a brief
account of Shen Tong's Almost a
Revolution, which chronicles the
experiences of students involved in
the 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy
protests. It is hands down the most
compelling book I have read in years.
The book provides a very personal
account of the years leading up to the
protests. From trips with his father
to Tiananmen after the death of
Premier Zhou Enlai to his description
of the 1979 Democracy Wall movement
(think physical Twitter, where you
take the risk of posting your thoughts
-- including criticisms of the current
government -- along a long stretch of
wall in Beijing), Shen Tong captures
the key political moments of his
childhood, often distinguishing
between what he knew at the time and
what he would come to realize as he
grew up. Perhaps the most intriguing
aspect of the book explores familial
tensions -- with the son criticizing
his father for being too timid --
while the father worries that his son
is destroying his career prospects.
The book also gives the reader a
first-hand look into the student
movement, told by a student leader.
Shen Tong set up the students'
newspaper and radio station in a block
of dorm rooms at Beijing University --
and then headed a committee that
pressed the government to hold a
dialogue with student leaders during
the protests.
At the same time, Shen Tong reveals a
great deal of ambivalence about some
of the choices made by students at
Tiananmen. His description of the
night of the government crackdown is
both heartbreaking and characteristic
of his position throughout the events
of 1989: he tried to defuse the
situation, urging the protesters to
stand down ("If you throw one more
thing, I'll strangle you!"), while
scolding soldiers for firing on their
own people.
Almost a Revolution is available in
the National Emergency LIbrary:
https://archive.org/details/almostrevolution00shen