This diary, which attempts to defend personal historical responsibility, unexpectedly became a window into the power struggle at the peak of power. “Li Peng’s June 4th Diary” records the details of the decisions that were blocked during the 1989 storm.
In the garbage heap of history, there are only grand narratives that cannot withstand the reality check. When abstract stances collide with concrete bellies, instinct will always triumph over performance. So-called steadfastness is just a matter of not yet being severely punished by reality.
History has never gone away, it has just changed uniforms. When judicial documents become “illegal evidence”, when police officers become the “private bodyguards” of the powerful, what we are protecting is not just the right to speak of a public account, but also the fear of everyone not being “illegally expeditioned”. Memory has weight, they want to erase the truth, we must engrave it in our hearts.
In August 2024, artist Gao Qian was taken away before boarding a flight back to the United States. The police accused his sculpture from many years ago of “infringing on martyrs.” This file compiles the creative background of the Gao brothers and analyzes the profound impact of the case on the retroactive effect of law and political censorship.
Land is the lifeblood of farmers, and it is also their inheritance from their ancestors and their hopes for the future. When public power attempts to deceive under the guise of “public interest”, it not only takes away the land, but also attempts to erase this group’s memory and rights to their home.
The “Li Rui Diaries” are recognized by the academic community as an “invaluable treasure” for the study of modern Chinese history, and their uniqueness lies in the fact that they provide an extremely rare perspective on major historical events from within the CCP’s high-level leadership.
A second-grade child, instilled with inexplicable hatred for “foreigners”, painted all the foreigners’ eyes in the textbook illustrations blood red. His mother not only did not stop him, but instead, while flipping through the book, let out happy laughter, as if she had accomplished a great educational feat.
History has never been far away, it has only changed the script. When police power becomes a private servant, when the whistleblower becomes the defendant, what we need to remember is not only this slap in the face, but also the death knell of power out of control. Guarding memory is guarding our last line of defense.
When medical insurance records become surveillance cameras, even buying a box of sleeping pills can trigger a “driver’s license revocation” warning. This is no longer about protecting safety, but about cutting off privacy. Big data should not be a noose around taxpayers’ necks, nor should “administrative convenience” be allowed to override the boundaries of the law.
In the dual-track game between “oil prices” and “meat prices”, the Zhengzhou medical journey of the African father and son tore off the last fig leaf of the media. We do not dislike business, but we refuse to give “priority to foreign guests” under the banner of compassion. Guarding memory is to refuse to let the privilege of “foreigners” become the norm.
