Mixed Messages: Uncertainty over whether Deng Xiaoping Hong Kong exhibition will feature June 4th content

Deng Xiaoping with US Present Gerald Ford, 1975

There is confusion in Hong Kong about whether an exhibition about the life of late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping will touch on the June 4th incident in Tiananmen Square. When asked at a press conference about the new offering, coming to the Convention and Exhibition Centre from Aug. 21st-23rd, secretary general of the Communist Party Central Committee’s Party Literature Research Office, Gao Yi, said “I believe part of the content will be reflected”, but later denied such a statement.

Perhaps just trying to tease the public, Gao first coyly ventured, “You will know after seeing the exhibition”. He later denied making any assurances at all, however, despite them being caught on camera, according to the SCMP. When pressed, Gao would only go as far as to say that the exhibition would show how Deng “handled national crises amid turbulent international situations”.

Deng, who died in 1997, is widely regarded as a reformist, having helped to open up China’s policy since the late 1970s. However, in contrast, he is thought to have played a vital role in initiating the violent crackdown used to quell the pro democracy movement.

Photo: Wkipedia




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