Podcasts about hu yaobang

pWotD Episode 2875: 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre Welcome to Popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 374,299 views on Sunday, 16 March 2025 our article of the day is 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre.The Tiananmen Square protests, known within China as the June Fourth Incident, were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, lasting from 15 April to 4 June 1989. After weeks of unsuccessful attempts between the demonstrators and the Chinese government to find a peaceful resolution, the Chinese government deployed troops to occupy the square on the night of 3 June in what is referred to as the Tiananmen Square massacre. The events are sometimes called the '89 Democracy Movement, the Tiananmen Square Incident, or the Tiananmen uprising.The protests were precipitated by the death of pro-reform Chinese Communist Party (CCP) general secretary Hu Yaobang in April 1989 amid the backdrop of rapid economic development and social change in post-Mao China, reflecting anxieties among the people and political elite about the country's future. The reforms of the 1980s had led to a nascent market economy that benefited some people but seriously disadvantaged others, and the one-party political system also faced a challenge to its legitimacy. Common grievances at the time included inflation, corruption, limited preparedness of graduates for the new economy, and restrictions on political participation. Although they were highly disorganised and their goals varied, the students called for things like rollback of the removal of "iron rice bowl" jobs, greater accountability, constitutional due process, democracy, freedom of the press, and freedom of speech. Workers' protests were generally focused on inflation and the erosion of welfare. These groups united around anti-corruption demands, adjusting economic policies, and protecting social security. At the height of the protests, about one million people assembled in the square.As the protests developed, the authorities responded with both conciliatory and hardline tactics, exposing deep divisions within the party leadership. By May, a student-led hunger strike galvanised support around the country for the demonstrators, and the protests spread to some 400 cities. On 20 May, the State Council declared martial law, and as many as 300,000 troops were mobilised to Beijing.After several weeks of standoffs and violent confrontations between the army and demonstrators left many on both sides severely injured, a meeting held among the CCP's top leadership on 1 June concluded with a decision to clear the square. The troops advanced into central parts of Beijing on the city's major thoroughfares in the early morning hours of 4 June and engaged in bloody clashes with demonstrators attempting to block them, in which many people – demonstrators, bystanders, and soldiers – were killed. Estimates of the death toll vary from several hundred to several thousand, with thousands more wounded.The event had both short and long term consequences. Western countries imposed arms embargoes on China, and various Western media outlets labeled the crackdown a "massacre". In the aftermath of the protests, the Chinese government suppressed other protests around China, carried out mass arrests of protesters which catalysed Operation Yellowbird, strictly controlled coverage of the events in the domestic and foreign affiliated press, and demoted or purged officials it deemed sympathetic to the protests. The government also invested heavily into creating more effective police riot control units. More broadly, the suppression ended the political reforms begun in 1986 as well as the New Enlightenment movement, and halted the policies of liberalisation of the 1980s, which were only partly resumed after Deng Xiaoping's Southern Tour in 1992. Considered a watershed event, reaction to the protests set limits on political expression in China that have lasted up to the present day. The events remain one of the most sensitive and most widely censored topics in China.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:39 UTC on Monday, 17 March 2025.For the full current version of the article, see 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Jasmine.

When we talk about the making of modern China, no name looms larger than Deng Xiaoping. But despite the heavy media bias and weighty political legacy China's architect carries, he did not build modern China alone. In fact, he cannot claim sole responsibility for coming up with the most iconic ideas that shaped China's future, like Special economic zones and new systems of economics. Some of the credit belongs to a much less well known figure: Zhao Ziyang. Removed from power after clashing with the elders of the CCP over the Tiananmen Square Incident, Zhao was crucial to forming some of the ideas that would shape China in the 1980s. A reformer and open minded man, Zhao tried his best to avoid politics, but having been forced to take up a position he didn't want, had to come face to face with his beliefs, which ultimately led to his downfall. This is also a sort of 80s Chinese politics recap episode, as we didn't cover that period in the history episodes at all. Hopefully we can cover more topics from this period over time!Chapters (00:00) Introduction(03:50) Biography of Zhao Ziyang(09:13) Deng Xiaoping vs Hua Guofeng(18:35) Zhao Ziyang Thought(24:32) Social, economic and political tensions of the 1980s(32:35) The dismissal of Hu Yaobang(40:50) The events of 1989(51:50) Zhao's Downfall(55:20) Zhao's plans for the futureSeeking truth from facts translation: https://gaodawei.wordpress.com/2022/01/03/hu-fuming-author-of-mind-opening-guangming-daily-commentary-practice-is-the-only-criterion-of-truth/Support the showSign up for Buzzsprout to launch your podcasting journey: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=162442Subscribe to the Sinobabble Newsletter: https://sinobabble.substack.com/Support Sinobabble on Buy me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Sinobabblepod

Im Juni 1989 schlägt die chinesische Führung die Proteste auf dem Tian'anmen-Platz nieder, dem Platz des himmlischen Friedens in Peking. Am Ende zählt das chinesische Rote Kreuz 2.600 Tote. Die Entwicklung beginnt am 15. April nach dem Tod von Hu Yaobang. Er war bis 1987 Generalsekretär der Kommunistischen Partei, fiel aber, weil zu reformorientiert, bei der Parteiführung in Ungnade und wurde abgesetzt. Als er nun 1989 stirbt, bekunden viele öffentlich ihre Trauer, ziehen auf die Straße. Aus Trauerkundgebungen werden schnell Proteste gegen das Regime. Im Mai beschließt die Pekinger Studenschaft einen Hungerstreik. Zunächst sieht es so aus, als lasse sich die Parteiführung auf einen Dialog ein. Der Sowjetische Staatschef Michail Gorbatschow besucht Peking, was ebenfalls Hoffnungen weckt. Auch die deutsche Presse spekuliert teilweise auf eine "chinesische Perestrojka", die jetzt kommen könnte. Doch dann kippt es wieder um. Die Studierenden bleiben aber weiter auf dem Platz. Es kommt zu gewaltsamen Auseinandersetzungen mit den Sicherheitskräften. Die Berichte der Korrespondenten Bernhard Hermann und Ludwig Thamm zeigen, wie sich die Situation ab dem 3. Juni 1989 zuspitzt. Am Tag drauf, dem 4. Juni, berichten der Südwestfunk und ARD-Korrespondent Ludwig Thamm bereits von einem Massaker. Viele Protestierende harren weiter aus. Doch die Armee bleibt auch am 5. Juni 1989 entschlossen, die Proteste niederzuschlagen.

This week on Sinica, Kaiser is joined by Jonathan Chatwin, author of a new book about Deng Xiaoping's "Southern Tour" of early 1992 — a pivotal event that renewed a commitment to economic reforms after they'd stalled following 1989, and seized the initiative from conservatives in the Chinese leadership. The book is called The Southern Tour: Deng Xiaoping and the Fight for China's Future.2:10 – Why Jonathan focused on the Southern Tour, and the narratives surrounding it in China7:19 – How the events of '89 influenced Deng's thinking 11:08 – How the political fates of Hu Yaobang and Zhao Ziyang affected Deng's planning 14:31 – The reformers' path to victory from the second half of '89 to January of '9220:32 – Deng's vision of opportunity in the face of communism's apparent global retreat24:53 – How Deng's personal experiences shaped his policy decisions 27:07 – The strategic signaling and risky timing of the Southern Tour 34:07 – The influence of the Chinese horoscope, and “The Story of Spring”37:33 – Shenzhen speed 40:57 – What Jonathan learned about Deng Xiaoping 45:00 – Jonathan's recommendations for learning more about Deng Xiaoping and the post-Mao era 46:18 – Xi Jinping, the “end” [not sure how to phrase] of Deng's reform and opening era, and the [parallels with the?] Chinese economic situation today RecommendationsJonathan: China's Hidden Century, edited by Jessica Harrison-Hall and Julia Lovell, produced to accompany the British Museum's exhibition by that name; and the app Voice Dream, a text-to-speech reader Kaiser: Andrea Wulf's Magnificent Rebels: The First Romantics and the Invention of the Self, a book about the group of German Romantics gathered in Jena, Germany See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing, China in 1989  is one of the most important, noteworthy tragedies in modern Chinese history. It was the biggest protest against communism rule in over sixty years. But thanks to the consistent suppression and propaganda of the modern Chinese government…  many if not most Chinese citizens today...don't even know it ever happened. Why is the communist regime in charge of China so insistent on erasing the history of this event? What IS the history of this event? I learned so much about communist China's history this week and now really fully understand why the Tiananmen Square  protests occurred, and why they were violently ended. I hope you learn a bunch too and get some laughs in as well. Hail Nimrod! Wet Hot Bad Magic Summer Camps are ON SALE!  BadMagicMerch.com Bad Magic Productions Monthly Patreon Donation: We will all be donating this month to Teach For America (amount TBD) - a diverse network of leaders who work to confront the injustice of education inequity through teaching. An awesome group of meatsacks doing their best to make sure poor kids - not just middle class and rich kids - also get a good crack and going to a good college to help improve their futures. You can learn more about Teach for America or get involved by going to teachforamerica.org Get tour tickets at dancummins.tv Watch the Suck on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1AgOQxbDDcIMerch: https://www.badmagicmerch.comDiscord! https://discord.gg/tqzH89vWant to join the Cult of the Curious private Facebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" in order to locate whatever happens to be our most current page :)For all merch related questions/problems: store@badmagicproductions.com (copy and paste)Please rate and subscribe on iTunes and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG and http://www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcastWanna become a Space Lizard?  Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcastSign up through Patreon and for $5 a month you get to listen to the Secret Suck, which will drop Thursdays at Noon, PST. You'll also get 20% off of all regular Timesuck merch PLUS access to exclusive Space Lizard merch. You get to vote on two Monday topics each month via the app. And you get the download link for my new comedy album, Feel the Heat. Check the Patreon posts to find out how to download the new album and take advantage of other benefits.

In een land dat in zijn 3500-jarige geschiedenis nog nooit één dag vrijheid heeft gekend, is het extra dapper om te doen wat in een democratie een grondrecht is: demonstreren. Petje af, dus, voor de Chinezen die de moed hebben om versoepeling van de absurde coronaregels te eisen. In zo'n 15 steden zijn inmiddels enkele tienduizenden mensen de straat op gegaan, met een onvermijdelijk gevolg: hard politieoptreden en het blokkeren van verzamelpunten.  Om de demonstraties voor te stellen als bedreigend voor de regering, of zelfs een mogelijke opstap naar de val van Xi Jinping, is wensdenken. Van een opstand, zoals in het verleden, is geen sprake. Er zijn wel wat demonstranten die anti-Xi teksten scanderen, maar de meeste mensen zijn vooral woedend omdat ze nu al drie jaar van de ene totale lockdown in de andere gaan. Aanleiding was de brand in een flatgebouw, waarbij tien mensen omkwamen omdat ze als ratten in een coronaval zaten.  Anders was het in 2019 en 2020 in Hong Kong, en in 1989 in Peking, toen demonstraties uitmondden in opstanden. Hong Kong, met zijn status aparte, had de ijdele hoop in vrijheid te kunnen doorleven, totdat China een zogenoemde ‘nationale veiligheidswet' en een ‘uitwijzingswet' oplegde, waarmee de schijndemocratie in de stadstaat door de mand viel. Ruim een miljoen mensen namen deel aan de opstand, 10.000 werden gearresteerd.  Het is niets vergeleken met de Tiananmen-opstand van 1989, vereeuwigd in het iconische beeld van een man in een wit overhemd, in elke hand een boodschappentas, die voor de colonne tanks stond die het Plein van de Hemelse Vrede oprolden. Dat was op 5 juni, de derde dag van een ware slachtpartij door het leger onder de opstandelingen. Hier ging het om veel meer. Partijleider Deng Xiaoping had de economie geliberaliseerd, maar niet de persoonlijke vrijheden. Binnen de partij woedde daarover een fel debat, met Hu Yaobang als voorman van de liberale vleugel. Toen die in het voorjaar van 1989 overleed, demonstreerden op de dag van zijn begrafenis tienduizenden jonge Chinezen voor vrijheid van meningsuiting en persvrijheid. In de dagen en weken erna, trokken ze met bijna een miljoen deelnemers naar Tiananmen. Het zou waarschijnlijk aan de aandacht van de wereld zijn ontsnapt, als midden mei niet toevallig Sovjetleider Gorbatsjov op staatsbezoek was gekomen, met in zijn kielzog journalisten uit de hele wereld, met camera's en straalverbindingen. Er waren nog geen sociale media, maar wel CNN en de BBC met live beelden. Zo werd de ‘Tank Man' wereldnieuws. Hoeveel mensen er bij de opstand zijn omgekomen weet niemand. De Britse ambassadeur, Alan Donald, hield het op 10.000.  ‘Tank Man' verdween, niemand weet wat er van hem is geworden. Van de huidige demonstranten zullen we evenmin nog wat horen. Zo gaat dat, in een land dat in zijn 3500-jarige bestaan nog nooit één dag vrijheid heeft gekend.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In een land dat in zijn 3500-jarige geschiedenis nog nooit één dag vrijheid heeft gekend, is het extra dapper om te doen wat in een democratie een grondrecht is: demonstreren. Petje af, dus, voor de Chinezen die de moed hebben om versoepeling van de absurde coronaregels te eisen. In zo'n 15 steden zijn inmiddels enkele tienduizenden mensen de straat op gegaan, met een onvermijdelijk gevolg: hard politieoptreden en het blokkeren van verzamelpunten.  Om de demonstraties voor te stellen als bedreigend voor de regering, of zelfs een mogelijke opstap naar de val van Xi Jinping, is wensdenken. Van een opstand, zoals in het verleden, is geen sprake. Er zijn wel wat demonstranten die anti-Xi teksten scanderen, maar de meeste mensen zijn vooral woedend omdat ze nu al drie jaar van de ene totale lockdown in de andere gaan. Aanleiding was de brand in een flatgebouw, waarbij tien mensen omkwamen omdat ze als ratten in een coronaval zaten.  Anders was het in 2019 en 2020 in Hong Kong, en in 1989 in Peking, toen demonstraties uitmondden in opstanden. Hong Kong, met zijn status aparte, had de ijdele hoop in vrijheid te kunnen doorleven, totdat China een zogenoemde ‘nationale veiligheidswet' en een ‘uitwijzingswet' oplegde, waarmee de schijndemocratie in de stadstaat door de mand viel. Ruim een miljoen mensen namen deel aan de opstand, 10.000 werden gearresteerd.  Het is niets vergeleken met de Tiananmen-opstand van 1989, vereeuwigd in het iconische beeld van een man in een wit overhemd, in elke hand een boodschappentas, die voor de colonne tanks stond die het Plein van de Hemelse Vrede oprolden. Dat was op 5 juni, de derde dag van een ware slachtpartij door het leger onder de opstandelingen. Hier ging het om veel meer. Partijleider Deng Xiaoping had de economie geliberaliseerd, maar niet de persoonlijke vrijheden. Binnen de partij woedde daarover een fel debat, met Hu Yaobang als voorman van de liberale vleugel. Toen die in het voorjaar van 1989 overleed, demonstreerden op de dag van zijn begrafenis tienduizenden jonge Chinezen voor vrijheid van meningsuiting en persvrijheid. In de dagen en weken erna, trokken ze met bijna een miljoen deelnemers naar Tiananmen. Het zou waarschijnlijk aan de aandacht van de wereld zijn ontsnapt, als midden mei niet toevallig Sovjetleider Gorbatsjov op staatsbezoek was gekomen, met in zijn kielzog journalisten uit de hele wereld, met camera's en straalverbindingen. Er waren nog geen sociale media, maar wel CNN en de BBC met live beelden. Zo werd de ‘Tank Man' wereldnieuws. Hoeveel mensen er bij de opstand zijn omgekomen weet niemand. De Britse ambassadeur, Alan Donald, hield het op 10.000.  ‘Tank Man' verdween, niemand weet wat er van hem is geworden. Van de huidige demonstranten zullen we evenmin nog wat horen. Zo gaat dat, in een land dat in zijn 3500-jarige bestaan nog nooit één dag vrijheid heeft gekend.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Informativo de primera hora del jueves 21 de Abril de 2022 en el programa El Remate de La Diez Capital Radio. Informativo en el programa El Remate de Miguel Ángel González Suárez. Hoy se cumplen 57 días del cruel ataque e invasión de Rusia a Ucrania. Lluvias en Canarias de cara al fin de semana. Se esperan lluvias débiles y ocasionales en las islas más montañosas, probablemente más intensas en las vertientes sudeste de Tenerife. Buenos días Ucrania. Día Mundial de la Creatividad y la Innovación. El Día de la Creatividad y la Innovaciónse celebra el 21 de abril y tiene como principal objetivo poner de manifiesto todo el potencial creativo de las personas a nivel mundial. 1898: el Congreso de los Estados Unidos declara la guerra contra España. Por otro lado, el 21 de abril de de 1926 nace la reina Isabel II de Inglaterra. Isabel II es la principal figura política de los 54 países miembros de la Commonwealth desde el año 1953, momento de su coronación tras la muerte de su padre el rey Jorge VI de Inglaterra. 1944: en Francia las mujeres consiguen el sufragio femenino. Años más tarde, 21 de abril de 1989, 100.000 estudiantes se reúnen en la Plaza Tian’anmen de Beijing para conmemorar a Hu Yaobang, el depuesto líder reformista del Partido Comunista Chino y manifestarse en contra del gobierno comunista autorizado de China que acabó declarando la ley marcial en mayo del mismo año, llevando a las masacres junio por parte de las tropas chinas las cuáles mataron a cientos de manifestantes. 2005: el Congreso de los Diputados aprueba por primera vez el proyecto de ley que legaliza el matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo. Santos Anselmo, Anastasio, Silvio, Vidal, Félix, Ananías y Conrado. Rusia avanza en el este de Ucrania mientras Mariúpol resiste ajena a ultimátums. El Kremlin entrega a Kiev una oferta de negociación en plena ofensiva de Donbás. Moscú reclama el estatus neutral de Ucrania y su desmilitarización, incorporar la anexionada Crimea a Rusia y la independencia de la región separatista del este. Putin se burla de la “guerra” de sanciones económicas de la UE. El presidente ruso sostuvo que las sanciones terminaron teniendo un impacto en los propios países que las impulsaron. Miércoles negro para Netflix: se desploma en bolsa un 37% tras la caída inédita de su número de suscriptores. En la actualidad, Netflix cuenta con 100 millones de abonados a su servicio de 'streaming' en todo el mundo. Disney+ se acerca a los 130 millones de suscriptores. Feijóo plantea una ayuda a familias necesitadas de hasta 300 euros y bajar el IRPF a rentas menores de 40.000 euros También propone bajar el IVA del gas o la luz y actuar sobre el impuesto de sociedades. Cree que hay dinero para ello porque el Gobierno tendrá un excedente de dinero por el incremento de la recaudación. El CNI pidió comprar el sistema Pegasus para espiar en el extranjero.El servicio secreto pagó en torno a seis millones para hacerse con el equipo de espionaje. Juanma Moreno, dispuesto a formar gobierno en agosto para iniciar 2023 con nuevos Presupuestos. Acudió esta mañana al Comité Ejecutivo Nacional de su partido y, a preguntas de los periodistas, aseguró que le "gusta" el Gobierno de Mañueco. Marruecos anuncia prospecciones junto a Canarias tras hallar 1.000 millones de barriles de petróleo. Marruecos realizará prospecciones junto a Canarias -a apenas unos kilómetros de la costa de Lanzarote y Fuerteventura- tras conocerse que la empresa británica Europa Oil & Gas ha encontrado 1.000 millones de barriles de petróleo en la zona. Torres rechaza “tajantemente” las prospecciones en Canarias. El presidente del Gobierno de Canarias, Ángel Víctor Torres, ha afirmado este miércoles que su ejecutivo rechaza "tajantemente" las prospecciones en Canarias. Educación lo aclara: no es obligatorio llevar mascarilla en los colegios de Canarias. La Consejería ha explicado que, como norma general, no es obligatorio usar mascarilla en los colegios de Canarias, aunque existen algunas excepciones. El BOE confirma: la mascarilla en el trabajo será opcional. La industria canaria empieza a subir los precios hasta un 20% por el fuerte alza de costes. Endesa recurrirá la multa de 16 millones por el cero energético de Tenerife: “Es irracional”. El director de Relaciones Institucionales de Endesa en Canarias, José Manuel Valle, ha tildado este miércoles de "injustificada" la multa por el cero energético de Tenerife en julio de 2020. Archivada la querella contra el presidente del Parlamento por las obras de su ático en La Laguna. Un concejal de La Laguna aseguraba que Matos había contratado una obra en su casa con la empresa que abastece el catering de la Cámara. Tal día como hoy 21 de abril de 1956 Elvis Presley obtuvo su primer éxito número uno con «Heartbreak Hotel», que encabeza las listas de Billboard en Estados Unidos.

China's population is ageing. It's estimated that a quarter of Chinese people will be elderly within three decades. The relaxing of its one child policy – first to two children in 2016 and then to three last year – hasn't stimulated fertility rate, which is still stagnant at 1.7 births per woman. In November last year, nappy producers supposedly pivoted their marketing towards elderly clients over parents of babies. Demographers and economists warn about the problems that an ageing – and eventually shrinking – population will cause, in China and elsewhere. On this episode, I speak to the demographer Wang Feng, Professor of Sociology at University of California, Irvine, about what awaits China. For Professor Wang, care of the elderly will soon become an issue, with more than 365 million over 65s expected by 2050. The Chinese welfare state is minimal (ironic given its socialist pretensions), something of a ‘postcode lottery', I put to Professor Wang. He says that ‘China has already missed the time window for establishing an equitable national social security system' – it has already become too expensive, too fast.  We also discuss the one child policy at length – its logic at the time, whether Communist leaders foresaw the problems it would cause for their successors and, fascinatingly, whether there was any opposition within the Chinese Communist Party to the policy (the answer is yes ­– and if you caught my episode on the legacy of Deng Xiaoping, you will not be surprised to learn that the resistance was led by Hu Yaobang and Zhao Ziyang). Professor Wang points out that one of the reasons why the policy took so long to go even as China liberalised relatively in the 1990s and 2000s, under the helm of Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao: ‘They were people who grew up, like myself, at the end of the Cultural Revolution. Their knowledge of population was all learned from the time when China implemented the one child policy, when there was so much propaganda about how population would be the root of all problems for China. I think that generation of leaders were deeply intoxicated by these teachings'In a way, there's poetic justice for a government who thought that, in Professor Wang's words, ‘you can just plan [births] and constrain them as you would grow trees or wheat'. Today's China, regardless of the loosening of the one child policy (to two in 2016; and three last year, which I wrote about at the time), is just not having babies. For the Professor, there's a fundamental truth: ‘The ageing society is not something that China, or any other country, can reverse'. The crux lies in how to adapt society to be better prepared – fixing the welfare state, the healthcare system, and maturing the financial system so the ageing population can invest for retirement.

China's population is ageing. It's estimated that a quarter of Chinese people will be elderly within three decades. The relaxing of its one child policy – first to two children in 2016 and then to three last year – hasn't stimulated fertility rate, which is still stagnant at 1.7 births per woman. In November last year, nappy producers supposedly pivoted their marketing towards elderly clients over parents of babies. Demographers and economists warn about the problems that an ageing – and eventually shrinking – population will cause, in China and elsewhere. On this episode, I speak to the demographer Wang Feng, Professor of Sociology at University of California, Irvine, about what awaits China. For Professor Wang, care of the elderly will soon become an issue, with more than 365 million over 65s expected by 2050. The Chinese welfare state is minimal (ironic given its socialist pretensions), something of a ‘postcode lottery', I put to Professor Wang. He says that ‘China has already missed the time window for establishing an equitable national social security system' – it has already become too expensive, too fast.  We also discuss the one child policy at length – its logic at the time, whether Communist leaders foresaw the problems it would cause for their successors and, fascinatingly, whether there was any opposition within the Chinese Communist Party to the policy (the answer is yes ­– and if you caught my episode on the legacy of Deng Xiaoping, you will not be surprised to learn that the resistance was led by Hu Yaobang and Zhao Ziyang). Professor Wang points out that one of the reasons why the policy took so long to go even as China liberalised relatively in the 1990s and 2000s, under the helm of Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao: ‘They were people who grew up, like myself, at the end of the Cultural Revolution. Their knowledge of population was all learned from the time when China implemented the one child policy, when there was so much propaganda about how population would be the root of all problems for China. I think that generation of leaders were deeply intoxicated by these teachings'In a way, there's poetic justice for a government who thought that, in Professor Wang's words, ‘you can just plan [births] and constrain them as you would grow trees or wheat'. Today's China, regardless of the loosening of the one child policy (to two in 2016; and three last year, which I wrote about at the time), is just not having babies. For the Professor, there's a fundamental truth: ‘The ageing society is not something that China, or any other country, can reverse'. The crux lies in how to adapt society to be better prepared – fixing the welfare state, the healthcare system, and maturing the financial system so the ageing population can invest for retirement.

Welcome to the Instant Trivia podcast episode 177, where we ask the best trivia on the Internet. Round 1. Category: Hot Spots Of The '80s 1: On April 12, 1982 Great Britain imposed a blockade on this island group. Falkland Islands (or Malvinas). 2: Students who met in this square April 18, 1989 to mourn Hu Yaobang's death stayed to demonstrate. Tiananmen Square. 3: The Achille Lauro was in this sea when it was hijacked October 7, 1985. Mediterranean Sea. 4: Accusing this nation of backing terrorism, the U.S. ordered its embassy in D.C. closed May 6, 1981. Libya. 5: This newly independent country's first prime minister, Marxist Robert Mugabe, took office in 1980. Zimbabwe. Round 2. Category: Name The Singer 1: "Song Sung Blue","Forever in Blue Jeans". Neil Diamond. 2: "Anticipation","You're So Vain". Carly Simon. 3: "Penny Lover","Say You, Say Me". Lionel Richie. 4: "If You Asked Me To","It's All Coming Back To Me Now". Celine Dion. 5: "I'm the Only One","Come to My Window". Melissa Etheridge. Round 3. Category: Olla Podrida 1: People who daydream are said to be "Building" these "in Spain". Castles. 2: Don Quixote roamed across this plateau of central Spain. La Mancha. 3: Iced drink made of wine, soda water and fruit juice. Sangria. 4: Commanded by the Duke of Medina, this group of ships was thought to be invincible -- didn't work. Spanish Armada. 5: She hit the Top 10 in 1987 with "La Isla Bonita", her Spanish lullaby. Madonna. Round 4. Category: Missouri Loves Company 1: At Westminster College, there's a memorial and library honoring this man who gave his "iron curtain" speech on campus in 1946. (Winston) Churchill. 2: Before moving to Missouri, this pro football team was known as the Dallas Texans. Kansas City Chiefs. 3: At Westminster College, there's a memorial and library honoring this man who gave his "iron curtain" speech on campus in 1946. (Winston) Churchill. 4: You're barking up the right tree if you know this is Missouri's state tree. dogwood. 5: A June 26, 2010 re-ride to celebrate the 150th anniv. of the Pony Express ended with a procession through this city. St. Joseph. Round 5. Category: Double Meanings 1: The only pleas he knew about was "More Scotch, please"; you can't pass the blank exam sitting in the blank all day. bar. 2: Swift, or the largest organized unit of naval ships. fleet. 3: This word can mean "to play in as if in water" or "to work at in a superficial manner". dabble. 4: You always fall for my blank sacrifice; too bad I'm so broke my chess set is in blank . pawn. 5: Everyone knows the word "ballerina," but may not know her male counterpart is sometimes called this, meaning a rider, or someone who gallantly escorts a lady. a cavalier. Thanks for listening! Come back tomorrow for more exciting trivia!

« Suivre le Parti, pour toujours », c'est le slogan officiel des festivités qui se tiendront en juillet pour célébrer le centenaire du Parti communiste chinois (PCC). Cet anniversaire s'accompagne d'un retour aux sources maoïstes avec une mise en valeur de la révolution culturelle, quitte à tourner le dos à la vision de Deng Xiaoping qui avait su allier ouverture économique et maintien du monopole du Parti communiste. Une réécriture de l'histoire à l'initiative de Xi Jinping qui provoque crispations et critiques feutrées.    Entretien avec Alex Payette spécialiste du parti-État chinois, co-fondateur et PDG du groupe Cercius, une société de conseil en intelligence stratégique et géopolitique RFI : Dans quelles dispositions, le PCC fête-t-il ses 100 ans ?   Alex Payette : Si on regarde ce qui s'est passé depuis 2013, on peut dire que le parti a eu des jours un peu plus ensoleillés, dirons-nous. Actuellement, avec le renouveau de la campagne anticorruption et son lot de purges, la lutte des factions autour de la personne de Xi Jinping, les conditions ne sont pas réunies pour une célébration. Le parti va chercher à masquer cela durant les festivités au cours du mois de juillet.   Que veut cacher le Parti communiste chinois ?   Ce sont des problèmes de famille que l'on essaye toujours de mettre sous le tapis. Le souci c'est que l'on fait face à une situation qui ne s'est pas présentée depuis longtemps : absence de succession, retour d'un discours plus idéologique que l'on essayait pourtant d'éviter depuis la période de Deng Xiaoping et même de Jiang Zemin qui s'étend jusqu'à 2015. Des références plus fréquentes à la révolution culturelle et aux années maoïstes que certains ne voulaient pas voir ressurgir et qui créent un malaise au sein du parti État. Malheureusement, cela isole encore plus un Xi Jinping déjà très seul au sommet du parti-État et interroge sur la réaction qui pourrait être la sienne. Cette réorientation idéologique en faveur de la révolution culturelle (1966-1968) se fait à l'initiative de Xi Jinping ? Oui, en grande partie à l'initiative de Xi Jinping, mais ce n'est pas nécessairement lui qui a mené la réflexion, même s'il avait envie d'un virage à gauche, vers des idéaux maoïstes. Il faut plutôt regarder parmi les gens qui ont écrit les discours de Xi Jinping depuis les années 1980-90, comme Wang Huning et Li Shulei. Wang Huning c'est l'actuel idéologue du Parti communiste et architecte des idées qui sont déployées à l'intérieur du parti. Il fait partie de ceux qui ont structuré le virage vers la gauche, remis au goût du jour des discours qui rappellent ceux des années 1960 et 1970, une période romantique dans l'esprit de certains. Le PCC a connu des périodes de rupture au fil de sa longue histoire, avec par exemple la révolution culturelle, la combinaison ouverture économique et maintien du monopole du parti par Deng Xiaoping. C'est la révolution culturelle qui est aujourd'hui mise en avant. L'objectif est-il de donner une vision cohérente et unifiée de l'histoire du parti ?  C'est certain qu'à l'aube du centenaire, il faut absolument recentraliser l'histoire du parti, réunifier autour d'un seul narratif. Contrôler son histoire c'est extrêmement important, car ça permet d'exclure ceux qui ne sont pas d'accord, d'identifier de possibles poches de résistance à l'intérieur du parti. Mais le problème c'est que ce retour aux idées maoïstes est plus présent dans les discours que dans la réalité. On ne reverra plus aujourd'hui quelqu'un avec la prestance d'un Mao. Xi Jinping n'a pas le panache pour cela. Donc la révolution culturelle est mise en valeur, idéalisée dans les discours, mais sans concrétisation réelle, car la situation sociale a complètement changé. C'est en raison de ces tiraillements que la publication par l'ancien Premier ministre Wen Jiabao d'un article intitulé « Ma mère », a été tant remarqué ? Wen Jiabao est pourtant un retraité de la politique qui a perdu de son influence, mais l'article publié à Macao a été censuré à Pékin.  Pour faire court, les tensions entre Xi et Wen Jiabao datent de l'entrée de Xi au Politburo en 2007. Les deux hommes s'affrontaient déjà sur l'interprétation de la révolution culturelle. Dans son article publié le 25 mars dernier, Wen Jiabao raconte ce que sa mère et son père ont dû subir pendant la révolution culturelle. Certes, la critique est indirecte, mais quand il écrit qu'il n'est pas d'accord avec le style de leadership, avec les idées véhiculées, entre les lignes, c'est une critique de la révolution culturelle et il vise directement Xi Jinping. Xi Jinping ne peut admettre que d'anciens membres du Politburo se mettent soudainement à critiquer la direction du parti et même le parti lui-même. C'est inacceptable pour lui.   Dans cette lettre, Wen Jiabao écrit « la Chine devrait être un pays rempli d'équité et de justice, où l'on respecterait la volonté du peuple ».   Ce n'est pas la première fois qu'il le dit, il l'a déjà fait, je pense, en 2010 et même en 2012, avant de quitter la politique. Ce sont les idéaux d'anciens réformateurs, qui ont connu des gens comme Zhao Ziyang, d'anciens Premiers ministres tels que Hu Yaobang, des responsables des années 1980 qui étaient à Tiananmen, qui ont fait partie de la frange des réformateurs. Pour Wen Jiabao, c'est naturel de revendiquer des valeurs plus universelles, mais le simple fait de l'écrire signifie, si on le prend au premier degré, que les préoccupations de lutte anti-pauvreté, de lutte pour l'équité sociale revendiquées par Xi Jinping depuis 2013 ne sont que de l'affichage. La Chine a été présentée comme une menace, à plusieurs reprises ces derniers jours, à l'issue du sommet de l'Otan, de la réunion du G7, notamment. Pékin a riposté en affirmant que la Chine n'était pas la menace décrite. Ce qui est en jeu, c'est l'image de la Chine à l'extérieur. On a relevé les propos prononcés le 1er juin par Xi Jinping. Il a appelé de ses vœux « une image fiable, aimable et respectueuse de la Chine ». On s'est interrogé sur le sens de cette déclaration. Faut-il y voir une remise en cause de la diplomatie des « loups combattants », la politique étrangère agressive en vigueur depuis environ 4 ans ?  Pas nécessairement. Quand on fait face à une structure aussi imposante que l'État léniniste, ou ce que l'on peut appeler le parti-État chinois, il faut comprendre que lorsqu'on lance un programme, on ne peut pas faire marche arrière. En raison de cette lourdeur, aucun discours de Xi ne pourra être suivi d'un changement drastique. En revanche, il faut s'intéresser aux mots prononcés. D'une certaine façon, il dit « on a fait du bon travail en défendant la Chine, mais on est allés trop loin ». Il explique que l'on pourrait faire mieux en aidant les gens à comprendre le parti, le modèle chinois. Mais de là à dire que c'était trop, qu'il faut s'excuser, ça, ce n'est pas envisageable. Donc, il y aura peut-être des ajustements pour apporter un autre type de narratif sur la scène internationale, mais pas de changement soudain de cap… ce serait étonnant.   Mais la diplomatie des « loups combattants » ne fait pas l'unanimité au sein des diplomates chinois.   En effet, mais encore une fois les diplomates sont des cadres du parti de troisième zone, si je peux m'exprimer ainsi, qui relaient les éléments de langage qui leur sont fournis. Qu'ils soient d'accord ou non, la structure et les mécanismes de promotion font que la loyauté s'impose autrement les chances d'avancement diminuent. Au sein du Politburo, c'est certain qu'il y a des membres qui ne sont pas d'accord et qui pointent du doigt Wang Huning. Par exemple, lors de la guerre commerciale avec les États-Unis, il a été critiqué pour son manque d'expérience concrète en matière de gestion, d'administration du politique. Sa légitimité a été mise en cause. Ce genre de discours flotte encore aujourd'hui. Au sein du ministère des Affaires étrangères, un certain nombre de diplomates se rapprochent de l'âge de la retraite. Il faut s'attendre à des changements prochains ?  La guerre commerciale avec les États-Unis a brouillé les cartes de la transition au sein du ministère des Affaires étrangères. Décision a été prise en période de tension de conserver en place les gens détenteurs de la mémoire institutionnelle, considérés comme plus aptes à régler les dossiers. Le souci c'est que les choses ne se sont pas déroulées comme prévu. Avec la diplomatie guerrière, le virage à gauche, la transition Trump-Biden, il est certain que le parti a été pris de court, n'a pas eu le temps d'effectuer les changements envisagés. Ces promotions qui n'ont pas eu lieu provoquent un embouteillage. On s'attend à une transition soit un peu avant le congrès de l'automne 2022, car ça pourrait faciliter des promotions au Politburo, soit en mars 2023, date du grand remaniement ministériel. Mais il y a des embouteillages, des gens qui devaient être promus, qui ne l'ont pas été et ça provoque des tensions. Vous y faisiez référence, le congrès du PCC est prévu à l'automne 2022 et provoque déjà des crispations. Pour Xi Jinping, le choix qui s'offre à lui est triple : prendre sa retraite, renoncer à l'un de ses sièges ou accepter un troisième mandat ce qui serait inédit. Un dilemme, car chaque choix présente son corollaire de difficultés.    Tout à fait, s'il reste, il bloque le système, provoque le déraillement de tout le mécanisme de promotion, et mécontente ceux en attente d'avancement, même au sein de son entourage proche. S'il venait à se séparer d'un seul siège, ce qui est possible, ou même de deux, il pourrait soit garder la commission militaire centrale, comme Jiang Zemin ou même Deng Xiaoping, ce qui serait peut-être l'idéal pour lui, ou bien garder le siège du parti et confier les autres postes à Li Qiang ou Chen Min'er (chef du Parti communiste de la ville-province de Chongqing) considérés comme des successeurs potentiels. Mais dans le même temps, est-ce qu'il peut tout quitter d'un coup ? La réponse est non, car la campagne anticorruption a suscité du mécontentement. Or, pour partir l'esprit tranquille, il faut s'assurer que les gens ne sont pas trop fâchés contre vous. Dans le cas présent, on comprend bien que Xi Jinping se retrouve dans une situation délicate. S'il part, les mécontents pourraient provoquer un retour de balancier, s'il quitte partiellement ses postes, ceux qui vont assurer la transition pourraient être victimes des tensions internes au parti ou bien pas suffisamment forts pour tenir la ligne. S'il décide de rester, il suscitera des tensions au sein du parti qui seront autant de mises à l'épreuve de ses relations avec son entourage. On voit déjà des ballons d'essai avec des informations qui surgissent de nulle part qui concernent l'entourage de Xi, mais aussi Liu He et son fils. Mais ses choix sont limités par ceux qui ont été faits dès 2013, donc il se retrouve prisonnier de la structure.   La volonté de Joe Biden de convaincre les alliés des États-Unis d'adopter une ligne dure à l'égard de la Chine constitue-t-elle un autre facteur de tension ?   Il est certain que si les Européens venaient à constituer un front uni avec Joe Biden cela deviendrait encore plus compliqué pour Xi, d'autant qu'il n'y a pas de consensus sur la ligne à tenir. Donc les uns sanctionnent les autres et vice versa, on appelle cela « le tango des offusqués », qui a pour conséquence d'isoler de plus en plus la Chine.  

On this day in 1989, the death of reformer Hu Yaobang sparked pro-democracy protests in China. / On this day in 1970, the crew of Apollo 13 set a world record when they reached the farthest distance humans have ever been from Earth. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Originally published with transcript at https://www.nickfabbri.com/bloom/paulmonkonchina In this episode, Nick and Paul discuss: Paul’s book Thunder From the Silent Zone, and four possible futures for China The history and legacy of Hu Yaobang, the "conscience" of the Chinese Communist Party The history of democracy in China, and the possibility of political reform or democratisation Xi Jinping and his designs on Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Tibet, and Taiwan China’s rapid militarisation under Xi, and implications for Australia and the regional order Exercises in thinking: adopting the world view and perspectives of Chinese communist nationalists in regard to the current geopolitical order The Thucydides Trap, and the prospect of conflict between China and the United States The COVID-19 pandemic and China The diplomatic and trade war between China and Australia Literature on the implications of China’s rise Dr Paul Monk is a poet, polymath and highly regarded Australian public intellectual. He has written an extraordinary range of books, from Sonnets to a Promiscuous Beauty (which resides in former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s library), to reflective essays on the riches of Western civilization in The West in a Nutshell, to a prescient 2005 treatise on the rise of China in Thunder from the Silent Zone: Rethinking China.  Follow Paul on Twitter    

Sino-US tensions have mounted over the coronavirus outbreak, with Trump blaming China for causing tens of thousands of deaths and millions of job losses in the United States.These renewed tensions between Beijing and Washington threaten cooperation on halting the spread of COVID-19 and make completion of the landmark trade deal between the two superpowers less likely. Trump said on Twitter Monday XXX. China is committed to its Phase 1 trade deal with the United States and is working towards meeting its promise to boost US purchases, even though the pace of buying has been restrained by the coronavirus outbreak, three Chinese sources said.Under the Phase 1 deal signed in January, Beijing pledged to buy at least $200 billion in additional US goods and services over two years and Washington agreed to roll back tariffs in stages on Chinese goods.But US President Donald Trump has threatened to terminate the deal if China fails to meet its purchase commitments.Jon Huntsman Jr., who served as the US ambassador to China and Russia and is currently a Republican candidate for governor in Utah, spoke with The World’s Marco Werman about the deterioration of relations between China and the US. Related: Ambassador Huntsman: US-Russia estrangement ‘has gone on too long’Amb. Huntsman, relations between China and the US are at their lowest point in years, and both sides seem to be fanning the flames. Is the Trump administration taking the right approach on China?Time will tell and history will bear that out. But what we do know is the relationship today is ... substantially different and bigger [than it was after the post-Tiananmen Square breakdown in relations]. Now we have 350,000 students. Economic relations that are $800-900 billion strong. Collaboration in the Security Council of the United Nations. Work around the Horn of Africa. I mean, the list goes on and on and on in terms of how the relationship has been deepened over the years. So the stakes are higher, and there's a lot more to lose if this period does not pan out.Related: Is coronavirus reshuffling the global power deck? Yet even in those troughs, though, I mean, it was George Bush expressing justifiable concern over Tiananmen and human rights after that massacre. We're now in the midst of it of a pandemic. And the president is pointing a finger at China, using language like the 'Wuhan virus.' Is that smart diplomacy?What is smart diplomacy is to figure out how we can get a cure. And one thing is for sure: the laboratories and the scientists in both China and the United States are more likely to get us to that endpoint faster working together than apart.So how do we get back together? Because it doesn't look like that's where both sides are willing to go right now.I think this is going to be a longer-term trough, because I think some of the fallouts of the implications are going to deal with the economic relationship. So if you argue that supply chains are likely to be broken up and investment patterns are going to change, this isn't a short term trough. I think it's a longer term trough. And what the relationship looks like, what you can build a relationship around in the post-COVID period, I think is a question mark. So the economic relationship, which is really the sweet spot of the US-China relationship, is going to change. There's no doubt about that. And what that means longer term, I think, is really, really a question mark. But I think it does mean that this trough is going to last longer than some people might realize.Related: Shanghai Disneyland reopens — with face masks, social distancing and QR health codes China is also tightening the screws on Washington, with Beijing letting its so-called "wolf warriors" mark US diplomats online, peddling misinformation and hoaxes. What occurs to you about how bothered the Chinese are right now when you hear the rhetoric coming from Beijing?Because the US-China relationship is the premier bilateral relationship in the world today, and because it's such a high stakes relationship, every utterance coming out of the foreign ministry is now a headline. It never was before. But if you go back to the statements of the foreign ministry, I mean, years ago, they've always been pretty rough and aggressive. That's just their style diplomatically.Can the world's two biggest economies actually afford to decouple, especially now with economies everywhere on life support?No, I don't think they decouple. I think you have investment patterns that change, that diversify. I think you have recognition that there is risk of dependency, and that promotes some changes. I think there's going to be more of a flight to safety. So when you have calamities like this take place in the world, there's generally a flight to safety. The US market is always deemed to be the safest market in the world. So I think all of these are going to effect the economic relationship. But I don't think you go from almost a trillion dollars in bilateral trade to nothing. I think there are going to be a lot of products that go back and forth with a large consumer class in China, hundreds of millions strong. They will still be buying products — that's not going to discontinue. So the relationship will continue. It will just change. It'll be transformed.The Trump administration is considering demanding reparations from China for the virus and suspending what's called sovereign immunity, so China can be sued for virus-related deaths. Do you think that's a good idea?I'm not in a position to say. But what I think the greatest punishment that will be inflicted on China is likely to be is a loss of confidence in the marketplace and diminished investment flows. So the one thing that China really does worry about is their key economic indicators. So I suspect that Xi Jinping wakes up every morning and looks at the dashboard of indicators like employment, like inflation, because we remember exactly what those data were in the runup to spring of 1989 before Tiananmen Square. And they weren't healthy. It wasn't just the students who turned out in Tiananmen Square. They turned out for a reason. You know, the death of beloved leader Hu Yaobang, but there was a backdrop that was basically a really bad economic set of circumstances. And I think the leadership learned from that point forward, it's the economy, the economy, the economy.Related: Harvard grad student creates a new PPE supply chain from China to Boston How concerned are you that Trump will further politicize the animus between Washington and Beijing to demonstrate that he is tough on China? I mean, are we looking at a presidential contest where it's Trump and Joe Biden competing to see who can present themselves as the toughest?Every presidential election in recent memory has had China as a centerpiece of a foreign policy discussion.If there are no constructive solutions, though, that either candidate offers, I mean, what difference will it make?Well, they'll have to come up with constructive solutions. I mean, what do you want the relationship to look like? You can't wish a major superpower away. You've got to deal with them. So what are the parameters with which you're going to deal with China? What are your red lines? What is it that you're going to promote? What are you not going to promote? There's plenty to talk about, in fact, now more than ever. This is when we really should be discussing the relationship.Related: Pandemic security must be ‘top line concern’ says former Amb. Samantha Power Ambassador, I'd like to play an exchange that happened yesterday at the White House. CBS reporter Weijia Jiang, who is Asian-American as president Trump why he kept comparing US testing for the coronavirus with other nations. Here's that exchange. The president then abruptly ended the briefing. CBS says Jiang describes herself and her Twitter bio as a Chinese-born West Virginian. Ambassador Huntsman, what is your take away from that exchange?Well, I have a Chinese daughter, and I think the optics are bad. I think they're really bad. And it's something that I don't like to see.Related: Xenophobia ‘takes its toll’ as Trump works to curb immigration How do you think moments like that are received in Beijing?My experience with Chinese leadership is that they spend a lot of time analyzing the style of leaders, their approach, their negotiating style, their priorities, their personalities. I'm not sure that they're surprised by a whole lot that the president does.You were President Trump's ambassador to Russia while the Mueller investigation was going on. What is it like to try to communicate serious policy to a hostile government when the president is frequently less than serious in how he communicates?The environment was impossible. Yet we had many things that we were talking about, and many priorities in the relationship that had to be furthered. There was no desire to collaborate on either side. There was no desire to engage on the part of Congress in the United States or the Duma in Russia. So it basically fell to a few people to keep the mechanics of the relationship in check.This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Reuters contributed reporting. 

As the year slowly slips away and the autumn leaves remind us of our inescapable mortality, it's time for another episode of Nerds Amalgamated.First up this week, Valve is leaking and blowing off some steam. The entire source code for TF2 and CSGO has been leaked, and Valve News Network's source has some interesting rumours about Half Life 3.The PS5 finally has a release date and a price. It's finally time to move to the next generation of consoles, but don't make space in your TV cabinet just yet.More anime is becoming live action. Because that's exactly what everyone was begging for. This time it's Cowboy Bebop season 2 and One Punch Man.But in another nightmare, your Ego has a big part to play in the frequency of nightmares. Is self-affirmation a more effective dream weapon than Freddy Kruger's claws?This week, Professor went Old Skool and played Objects in Space, a modempunk space adventure. DJ chose a demolition derby to knock out some stress and Dev-i isn't ready to leave the VR Chat world just yet.Come back next time for more Nerdy News.Valve is leaking- https://twitter.com/CSGO/status/1253075594901774336- https://www.zdnet.com/article/valve-says-its-safe-to-play-csgo-and-tf2-after-source-code-leaked-online/- https://www.newsweek.com/valve-source-code-leaks-online-developer-says-no-reason-alarmed-1499628All things PS5 including production and release date- https://www.notebookcheck.net/PlayStation-5-mass-production-to-begin-in-June-with-simultaneous-global-launch-planned-PS5-reveal-event-could-land-in-late-May-or-early-June.462066.0.html- https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/gaming/1271365/PS5-reveal-date-and-price-latest-Sony-has-good-news-and-bad-news-for-fansAnime turning into live action- https://observer.com/2020/04/netflix-cowboy-bebop-season-2-live-action-john-cho/- https://variety.com/2020/film/news/sony-film-manga-one-punch-man-venom-writers-1234585282/Nightmare on Ego street- https://www.psypost.org/2020/04/new-study-finds-ego-strength-predicts-nightmare-frequency-56488?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-study-finds-ego-strength-predicts-nightmare-frequency- https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-74996-001Games PlayedProfessor– Objects In Space - https://store.steampowered.com/app/824070/Objects_in_Space/Rating: 4/5DJ– KillSteel - https://store.steampowered.com/app/1269550/KillSteel/Rating: 3/5Dev-i-Boy– VRChat - https://store.steampowered.com/app/438100/VRChat/Rating: 4/5Other topics discussedValve source code comment- https://i.redd.it/chodbngq4fu41.jpgSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate - E3 2018 - Nintendo Switch- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L93H7YC-83oHunt Down The Freeman (Half-Life 2 fan-game that was developed and published by Royal Rudius Entertainment and released commercially on Steam on February 23rd, 2018)- https://store.steampowered.com/app/723390/Hunt_Down_The_Freeman/Cremator (The Cremator, also known as the Combine Janitor, is a passive enemy cut from Half-Life 2.)- https://half-life.fandom.com/wiki/CrematorAxel Gembe - The Half Life 2 hacker- https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-02-21-the-boy-who-stole-half-life-2-articleFacebook hires hacker who started Sony war- https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/facebook-hires-hacker-who-started-sony-war-2304075.htmlWhite hat hackers (The term "white hat" in Internet slang refers to an ethical computer hacker, or a computer security expert, who specializes in penetration testing and in other testing methodologies that ensures the security of an organization's information systems. White hat hackers may also work in teams called "sneakers",red teams, or tiger teams.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_hat_(computer_security)PS5 controller: the DualSense- https://www.gamesradar.com/au/ps5-controller-dualshock-5/Xbox Series X logo reveal- https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-04-22-heres-the-xbox-series-x-logoVidal Sassoon logo- http://logok.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Vidal-Sassoon-logo-300x220.pngXbox Series X- https://www.microsoft.com/en-au/p/xbox-series-x/8wj714n3rbtl- https://www.xbox.com/en-AU/consoles/xbox-series-xXbox 360 technical problems (The Xbox 360 video game console is subject to a number of technical problems and failures that can render it unusable. However, many of the issues can be identified by a series of glowing red lights flashing on the face of the console; the three flashing red lights (nicknamed the "Red Ring of Death" or the "RRoD") being the most infamous.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_360_technical_problemsDenis Villeneuve Explains Why ‘Dune’ Will Be Split into Two Movies- https://collider.com/dune-two-movies-sequel-explained-reason-why-denis-villeneuve/J.J. Abrams Developing Remake of Japanese Hit ‘Your Name’ With Paramount- https://variety.com/2017/film/news/j-j-abrams-your-name-remake-paramount-1202574994/Popeye (Popeye was a cancelled 2016 film based off the Popeye cartoon characters)- https://cancelled-movies.fandom.com/wiki/Popeye_(2016_animated_film)Objects In Space – Build Your Own Control Panel- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I270vSrTIukClose Encounters of The Third Kind - Ship In The Dessert- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTcKFCw2MO0Absolute Beginners ("Absolute Beginners" is a song written and recorded by English singer-songwriter David Bowie.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absolute_Beginners_(David_Bowie_song)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absolute_Beginners_(David_Bowie_song)#Production_creditsFrank Herbert's Children of Dune (Frank Herbert's Children of Dune is a three-part science fiction miniseries written by John Harrison and directed by Greg Yaitanes, based on Frank Herbert's novels Dune Messiah and Children of Dune.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Herbert%27s_Children_of_DuneDune (Dune is a 1984 American epic science fiction film written and directed by David Lynch and based on the 1965 Frank Herbert novel of the same name.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_(1984_film)The Loch Ness Monster: The Story of The Surgeon’s Photograph- https://www.donttakepictures.com/dtp-blog/2017/4/19/the-loch-ness-monster-turns-83-the-story-of-the-surgeons-photographThe Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes is a 1970 DeLuxe Color film in Panavision written and produced by Billy Wilder and I. A. L. Diamond, and directed by Wilder.)- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Private_Life_of_Sherlock_HolmesThe Private Life of Sherlock Holmes Nessie prop found- https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-36024638Dell : We just have better computers…- https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/11/17226064/dell-china-laptop-pubg-cheatingTroubling Issues (TNC podcast)- https://thatsnotcanon.com/troublingissuespodcastThat’s Not COVID (TNC podcast)- https://thatsnotcanon.com/thatsnotcovidpodcastShout Outs15 April 2020 – Brian Dennehy American actor of stage, television, and film, passed away at 81 - https://variety.com/2020/film/news/brian-dennehy-dead-dies-tommy-boy-first-blood-1234582309/Brian Dennehy, the winner of two Tonys in a career that also spanned films including “Tommy Boy,” “First Blood” and “Cocoon,” and television roles including “Dynasty” and “Death of a Salesman,”. His daughter, actress Elizabeth Dennehy, tweeted on Thursday, “It is with heavy hearts we announce that our father, Brian, passed away last night from natural causes, not Covid-related. Larger than life, generous to a fault, a proud and devoted father and grandfather, he will be missed by his wife, Jennifer, family and many friends,” The actor made his TV and feature debut in 1977, from that point he maintained a heavy work load for decades. In 1982 his profile increased significantly thanks to his effective performance in the role of Teasle, the sadistic small-town police chief who is Sylvester Stallone’s lead adversary in “First Blood.” One of Dennehy’s most memorable film roles came in Alan J. Pakula’s 1990 adaptation of Turow’s bestselling novel “Presumed Innocent,” starring Harrison Ford as the Chicago assistant district attorney on trial for the murder of a co-worker with whom he had an affair. Dennehy played his boss, who’s up for re-election and has multiple divided loyalties, with a subtlety that was necessary. He died from sepsis in New Haven, Connecticut.15 April 2020 - Allen Daviau, American cinematographer passed away at 77 - https://variety.com/2020/film/news/allen-daviau-dead-dies-e-t-empire-of-the-sun-1234582518/Cinematographer Allen Daviau, a five-time Academy Award nominee for films including Steven Spielberg’s “E.T. the Extra Terrestrial” and “Empire of the Sun”. Food editor and writer Colman Andrews wrote on Twitter that Daviau had died of coronavirus at the MPTF hospital. “RIP Allen Daviau, my friend of almost 60 years, cinematographer and bon vivant, five-time Academy Award nominee, dining companion extraordinaire, pure soul, who left us last night at the MPTF Hospital, his longtime home, after contracting COVID-19. Salut, mon ami.” Daviau, a New Orleans native, was nominated for best cinematography Oscars for Spielberg movies “The Color Purple,” “Empire of the Sun,” and “E.T. the Extraterrestrial” — along with two Barry Levinson films, “Avalon” and “Bugsy.” He also shot the Gobi desert sequence for Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” In 1983, he talked to American Cinematographer magazine about prepping the “E.T.” shoot, “We sat down with Steven and started screening movies together. This is the best way I know to get started, watching our own movies and other people’s movies, discussing them, evolving the style we want. We watched Night of the Hunter, Alien, Apocalypse Now, Last Tango in Paris — I forget what all.” Daviau described his favorite scene in “E.T.” to the magazine: “It would be the one in which the youngster [Henry Thomas] says, ‘I’m keeping him.’ The little girl [Drew Barrymore] walks forward, there are highlights in E.T.’s eyes, no detail in the face, and the light is yellow, the effect is very much that of a Maxfield Parrish painting.” He died from complications of COVID-19 in Los Angeles,California.16 April 2020 - Gene Deitch, American animator & filmmaker passed away at 95 - https://news.expats.cz/weekly-czech-news/american-animator-longtime-prague-expat-gene-deitch-passes-away-at-age-95/Gene Deitch was an American Oscar-winning illustrator, animator, film director and producer, he directed 13 episodes of “Tom and Jerry” and also some of the “Popeye the Sailor” series. As an animator, he got the Gold Medal of the New York Art Directors Club for the best commercials twice at end of the 1940s and the beginning of the 1950s. These works of his were the first to enter the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Deitch said he loved Prague, where he had shot 70 animated films and seven TV series and was very happy there. He won the Winsor McCay Award for his lifetime contributions in animation in 2004, which he appreciated more than the Oscar, he admitted in one of his interviews. He died from cardiac arrest in Prague.17 April 2020 - Matthew Seligman, New Wave Bassist For The Soft Boys And David Bowie passed away at 64 - https://variety.com/2020/music/news/matthew-seligman-dead-dies-coronavirus-bassist-david-bowie-1234584453/Matthew Seligman, was a member of The Soft Boys and the Thompson Twins, and was a sideman for Thomas Dolby. Seligman was also a member of Bruce Woolley & The Camera Club and The Dolphin Brothers. Seligman joined Bowie during his 1985 Live Aid performance and played bass on the soundtrack for his 1986 film “Labyrinth.” His longtime friend and fellow musician Thomas Dolby shared details about Seligman’s death in a Facebook post, saying he suffered a severe hemorrhagic stroke on Friday. He had also been in an induced coma for two weeks after testing positive for coronavirus in St. George’s University Hospital in London. Dolby posted a photo of Seligman with lyrics from his song “I Love You Goodbye.” “Some words are sad to sing. Some leave me tongue-tied. But the hardest words I know are I love you goodbye,” he wrote. He died from complications of COVID-19 in London.Remembrances21 April 1965 - Edward Victor Appleton - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Victor_AppletonEnglish physicist, Nobel Prize winner (1947) and pioneer in radiophysics. He studied, and was also employed as a lab technician, at Bradford College from 1909 to 1911. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1947 for his seminal work proving the existence of the ionosphere during experiments carried out in 1924. Appleton had observed that the strength of the radio signal from a transmitter on a frequency such as the medium wave band and over a path of a hundred miles or so was constant during the day but that it varied during the night. This led him to believe that it was possible that two radio signals were being received. It was sensible to suggest these variations were due to the interference of two waves but an extra step to show that the second wave causing the interference (the first being the ground wave) was coming down from the ionosphere. The basic idea behind Appleton’s work is so simple that it is hard to understand at first how he devoted almost all his scientific career to its study. Thanks to Appleton’s research, the periods when these would occur could be predicted and communication could be switched to wavelengths that would be least affected. Radar, was one that came about thanks to Appleton’s work. On a very general level, his research consisted in determining the distance of reflecting objects from radio signal transmitters. This is exactly the idea of radar and the flashing dots that appear on the screen scanned by the circulating ‘searcher’ bar. This system was developed partly by Appleton as a new method, called the pulse method, to make ionospheric measurements. It was later adapted by Robert Watson-Watt to detect aeroplanes. Nowadays, ionospheric data is important when communications with satellites are considered. He died at the age of 72 in Edinburgh.21 April 2016 – Prince - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_(musician)Prince Rogers Nelson, American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, dancer, actor, and filmmaker. A guitar virtuoso and multi-instrumentalist known for his eclectic genre-crossing work, flamboyant and androgynous persona, energetic live shows and wide-ranging singing voice, in particular his far reaching falsetto and high-pitched screams, Prince is regarded as one of the greatest, versatile and most successful musicians in the history of popular music. His innovative music integrated a wide variety of styles, including funk, R&B, rock, new wave, soul, psychedelia and pop. Prince pioneered the late 1970s Minneapolis sound, a funk rock sub genre drawing from synth-pop and new wave. He sold over 100 million records worldwide, ranking him among the best-selling music artists of all time. He won seven Grammy Awards, seven Brit Awards, six American Music Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award. He was also honored with special awards including the Grammy President's Merit Award, American Music Awards for Achievement and of Merit, and the Billboard Icon Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2016. In 2016, he was posthumously honored with a Doctor of Humane Letters by the University of Minnesota. Rolling Stone placed him among its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. He died from accidental overdose of fentanyl at the age of 57 in Chanhassen, Minnesota.21 April 2018 - Verne Troyer - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verne_TroyerAmerican actor, comedian, and stunt performer who played Mini-Me in the Austin Powers film series. He had cartilage–hair hypoplasia and was 2 ft 8 in (81 cm) tall. Troyer first met with Jay Roach to discuss portraying Mini-Me in the Austin Powers series, Myers was impressed with Troyer's performance, rewriting the script for Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me to give Mini-Me more screen time and remove the character's death. Troyer reprised the role three years later in Austin Powers in Goldmember, and collaborated again with Myers on The Love Guru. After reaching a large audience as Mini-Me, Troyer portrayed the goblin Griphook in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and played the role of Percy in Terry Gilliam's fantasy film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. He died from suicide at the age of 49 in Los Angeles,California.Famous Birthdays21 April 1816 - Charlotte Brontë - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Bront%C3%ABEnglish novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters who survived into adulthood and whose novels became classics of English literature. In 1839 she undertook the role as governess for the Sidgwick family but left after a few months to return to Haworth where the sisters opened a school, but failed to attract pupils. Instead, they turned to writing and they each first published in 1846 under the pseudonyms of Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell. While her first novel, The Professor, was rejected by publishers, her second novel, Jane Eyre, was published in 1847. The book's style was innovative, combining naturalism with gothicmelodrama, and broke new ground in being written from an intensely evoked first-person female perspective. Brontë believed art was most convincing when based on personal experience; in Jane Eyre she transformed the experience into a novel with universal appeal. She was born in Thornton.21 April 1915 - Garrett Hardin - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrett_HardinAmerican ecologist and proponent of eugenics who warned of the dangers of human overpopulation. He is most famous for his exposition of the tragedy of the commons, in a 1968 paper of the same title in Science, which called attention to "the damage that innocent actions by individuals can inflict on the environment". He is also known for Hardin's First Law of Human Ecology: "We can never do merely one thing. Any intrusion into nature has numerous effects, many of which are unpredictable." In 1968, Hardin applied his conceptual model developed in his essay "The tragedy of the commons" to human population growth, the use of the Earth's natural resources, and the welfare state. Hardin blamed the welfare state for allowing the tragedy of the commons; where the state provides for children and supports over-breeding as a fundamental human right, Hardin stated in his analysis of the tragedy of the commons that "Freedom in a commons brings ruin to all." He was born in Dallas, Texas.21 April 1979 - James McAvoy - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_McAvoyScottish actor. He made his acting debut as a teen in The Near Room (1995) and made mostly television appearances until 2003, when his feature film career began. His notable television work includes the thriller State of Play and the science fiction miniseries Frank Herbert's Children of Dune. He has performed in several West End productions and received three nominations for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor, and has also done voice work for animated films including Gnomeo & Juliet, its sequel, Sherlock Gnomes, and Arthur Christmas. In 2003, McAvoy appeared in a lead role in Bollywood Queen, then another lead role as Rory in Inside I'm Dancing in 2004. This was followed by a supporting role, as the faun Mr. Tumnus, in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. His performance in Kevin Macdonald's drama The Last King of Scotland garnered him several award nominations, including the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor. The critically acclaimed romantic drama war film Atonement earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination and his second BAFTA nomination. He later appeared as a newly trained assassin in the action thriller Wanted. In 2011, McAvoy played Professor Charles Xavier in the superhero film X-Men: First Class, a role he reprised in X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, Deadpool 2 and Dark Phoenix. In 2016, he portrayed Kevin Wendell Crumb, a man with 23 alternate personalities, in M. Night Shyamalan's Split, for which he received critical acclaim, and later reprised the role for the sequel Glass. He was born in Glasgow.Events of Interest21 April 1918 – German flying ace, “Red Baron,” killed in action - https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/red-baron-killed-in-action-2In the well-trafficked skies above the Somme River in France, Baron Manfred von Richthofen, the notorious German flying ace known as the Red Baron,” is killed by Allied fire. On April 21, 1918, with 80 victories under his belt, Richthofen led his squadron of triplanes deep into Allied territory in France on a search for British observation aircraft. The flight drew the attention of an Allied squadron led by Canadian Royal Air Force pilot Captain Arthur Roy Brown. As Richthofen pursued a plane piloted by Brown’s compatriot, Wilfred R. May, the Red Baron ventured too far into enemy territory and too low to the ground. Two miles behind the Allied lines, just as Brown caught up with Richthofen and fired on him, the chase passed over an Australian machine-gun battery, whose riflemen opened fire. Richthofen was hit in the torso; though he managed to land his plane alongside the road from Corbie to Bray, near Sailley-le-Sac, he was dead by the time Australian troops reached him. Brown is often given credit for downing Richthofen from the air, though some claimed it was actually an Australian gunner on the ground who fired the fatal shot; debate continues to this day.21 April 1934 – The "Surgeon's Photograph", the most famous photo allegedly showing the Loch Ness Monster, is published in the Daily Mail (in 1999, it is revealed to be a hoax) - http://www.myday.si/index.php?c=events&view=detail&id=450&d=21&m=4The "Surgeon's Photograph" purported to be the first photo of a "head and neck". Dr. Wilson claimed he was looking at the loch when he saw the monster, so grabbed his camera and snapped five photos. After the film was developed, only two exposures were clear. The first photo (the more publicised one) shows what was claimed to be a small head and back. The second one, a blurry image, attracted little publicity because it was difficult to interpret what was depicted. Wilson's refusal to have his name associated with the photograph led to it being called "Surgeon's Photograph". The strangely small ripples on the photo fit the size and circular pattern of small ripples as opposed to large waves when photographed up close. Analysis of the original uncropped image fostered further doubt.21 April 1989 - Tiananmen Square protests of 1989: In Beijing, around 100,000 students gather in Tiananmen Square to commemorate Chinese reform leader Hu Yaobang. - https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/chinese-students-begin-protests-at-tiananmen-squareSix days after the death of Hu Yaobang, the deposed reform-minded leader of the Chinese Communist Party, some 100,000 students gather at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square to commemorate Hu and voice their discontent with China’s authoritative communist government. The next day, an official memorial service for Hu Yaobang was held in Tiananmen’s Great Hall of the People was broadcast live to the students. General secretary Zhao Ziyang delivered the eulogy. The funeral seemed rushed, and only lasted 40 minutes, as emotions ran high in the Square. Students wept. Security cordoned off the east entrance to the Great Hall of the People, but several students pressed forward. A few were allowed to cross the police line. Student representatives carried a petition to the steps of the Great Hall, demanding to meet with Premier Li Peng. The larger number of students still in the Square but outside the cordon were at times emotional, shouting demands or slogans and rushing toward police. The Chinese government refused such a meeting, leading to a general boycott of Chinese universities across the country and widespread calls for democratic reforms.IntroArtist – Goblins from MarsSong Title – Super Mario - Overworld Theme (GFM Trap Remix)Song Link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GNMe6kF0j0&index=4&list=PLHmTsVREU3Ar1AJWkimkl6Pux3R5PB-QJFollow us onFacebook- Page - https://www.facebook.com/NerdsAmalgamated/- Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/440485136816406/Twitter - https://twitter.com/NAmalgamatedSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6Nux69rftdBeeEXwD8GXrSiTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/top-shelf-nerds/id1347661094RSS - http://www.thatsnotcanonproductions.com/topshelfnerdspodcast?format=rssInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/nerds_amalgamated/General EnquiriesEmail - Nerds.Amalgamated@gmail.comRate & Review us on Podchaser - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/nerds-amalgamated-623195

Born and raised in China, author Anna Wang was in Tiananmen Square during those protests in 1989. She joins Tim to talk about what she saw, what she experienced, and what she learned since the events, the government crackdown that followed, the ripple effect those protests continue to have today. https://traffic.libsyn.com/shapingopinion/105_-_Tiananmen_Square.mp3   In the Spring of 1989, student-led demonstrations happened in Beijing. The protests centered in the Chinese city's Tiananmen Square. The protestors wanted democracy. They wanted speech, and they wanted a free press in China. But what they got was a bloody crackdown by the Chinese government on June 4th and 5th of that year. The students had originally marched through Beijing to Tiananmen Square after the death of Hu Yaobang. He was a former Communist Party leader who had worked to introduce democratic reform in China. To mourn Hu, the students demanded a more open, democratic government. Thousands of people joined the students in Tiananmen Square, where the numbers rose to many thousand by the middle of May. The people were getting frustrated with limits placed on political freedom in a one-party government. Communism ruled. By 1989, the Chinese government had instituted some reforms that created a limited form of capitalism, but the poor and working class continued to suffer under communism, including lack of employment and increased poverty. The student protestors wanted a better education system that included teachings on free-market capitalism. In early May, a number of the protestors started a hunger strike, and that inspired other similar protests. The movement grew. The Chinese government responded by declaring martial law on May 20th, and 250,000 government troops entered Beijing. At the end of the month, more than one million protestors convened in Tiananmen Square. They held marches and vigils, and had attracted the attention of the world. On June 4th, in the middle of the night, Chinese soldiers and police raided Tiananmen Square, firing live ammunition into the crowd of protestors. Protestors were gunned down by automatic rifles, snipers, and armored personnel carriers. Some protestors were bayoneted and others were run over by those military vehicles. Many protestors sought to escape, while others fought back, stoning the attacking troops and setting fire to vehicles. In the end, rough estimates were that hundreds, if not thousands of protestors were killed, and as many as 10,000 protestors were arrested and punished. The next day, June 5th, bulldozers were brought in to clear the area of the dead, and janitors used hoses to wash the blood away. The wounded protestors were taken to the hospital on bicycle rickshaws. On June 5th, Associated Press photographer Jeff Widener took a photo that is now iconic and has come to symbolize the Tiananmen Square incident. It's commonly referred to as “Tank Man.” That morning, Widener took a position on a sixth-floor balcony of the Beijing Hotel. His job was to capture the aftermath of the violence. He took photos of bloody victims, people on bikes, scorched vehicles. That's when a column of tanks started to leave the plaza. That's when he took a photo of a man in a white shirt, carrying two shopping bags, one in each hand at his sides. The man had stepped in front of the first tank. He waved his arms and refused to move. When the tanks tried to go around the man, he moved into their path. He actually climbed on top of one of the tanks at one point. Anna Wang (the first on the right) taking a parting photo with her teacher and friends in Peking University, June 1988 Surprisingly, the tanks didn't fire at the man. The image was captured and would make its way around the work and across generations. To this day, no one knows who the man was or whatever happened to him. Our guest, Anna Wang, was a recent graduated of Peking University,

Born and raised in China, author Anna Wang was in Tiananmen Square during those protests in 1989. She joins Tim to talk about what she saw, what she experienced, and what she learned since the events, the government crackdown that followed, the ripple effect those protests continue to have today. https://traffic.libsyn.com/shapingopinion/105_-_Tiananmen_Square.mp3   In the Spring of 1989, student-led demonstrations happened in Beijing. The protests centered in the Chinese city’s Tiananmen Square. The protestors wanted democracy. They wanted speech, and they wanted a free press in China. But what they got was a bloody crackdown by the Chinese government on June 4th and 5th of that year. The students had originally marched through Beijing to Tiananmen Square after the death of Hu Yaobang. He was a former Communist Party leader who had worked to introduce democratic reform in China. To mourn Hu, the students demanded a more open, democratic government. Thousands of people joined the students in Tiananmen Square, where the numbers rose to many thousand by the middle of May. The people were getting frustrated with limits placed on political freedom in a one-party government. Communism ruled. By 1989, the Chinese government had instituted some reforms that created a limited form of capitalism, but the poor and working class continued to suffer under communism, including lack of employment and increased poverty. The student protestors wanted a better education system that included teachings on free-market capitalism. In early May, a number of the protestors started a hunger strike, and that inspired other similar protests. The movement grew. The Chinese government responded by declaring martial law on May 20th, and 250,000 government troops entered Beijing. At the end of the month, more than one million protestors convened in Tiananmen Square. They held marches and vigils, and had attracted the attention of the world. On June 4th, in the middle of the night, Chinese soldiers and police raided Tiananmen Square, firing live ammunition into the crowd of protestors. Protestors were gunned down by automatic rifles, snipers, and armored personnel carriers. Some protestors were bayoneted and others were run over by those military vehicles. Many protestors sought to escape, while others fought back, stoning the attacking troops and setting fire to vehicles. In the end, rough estimates were that hundreds, if not thousands of protestors were killed, and as many as 10,000 protestors were arrested and punished. The next day, June 5th, bulldozers were brought in to clear the area of the dead, and janitors used hoses to wash the blood away. The wounded protestors were taken to the hospital on bicycle rickshaws. On June 5th, Associated Press photographer Jeff Widener took a photo that is now iconic and has come to symbolize the Tiananmen Square incident. It’s commonly referred to as “Tank Man.” That morning, Widener took a position on a sixth-floor balcony of the Beijing Hotel. His job was to capture the aftermath of the violence. He took photos of bloody victims, people on bikes, scorched vehicles. That’s when a column of tanks started to leave the plaza. That’s when he took a photo of a man in a white shirt, carrying two shopping bags, one in each hand at his sides. The man had stepped in front of the first tank. He waved his arms and refused to move. When the tanks tried to go around the man, he moved into their path. He actually climbed on top of one of the tanks at one point. Anna Wang (the first on the right) taking a parting photo with her teacher and friends in Peking University, June 1988 Surprisingly, the tanks didn’t fire at the man. The image was captured and would make its way around the work and across generations. To this day, no one knows who the man was or whatever happened to him. Our guest, Anna Wang, was a recent graduated of Peking University,

On this day in 1989, the death of reformer Hu Yaobang sparked pro-democracy protests in China. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Jude Blanchette, the Senior Advisor and China Practice Lead at Crumpton Group’s China Practice, joins Kaiser and Jeremy for a live Sinica Podcast recording at Columbia University. Forty years after the policies of reform and opening up were adopted by the Communist Party of China, the three reflect on just how much the country has changed since 1978, and also restore figures like Zhào Zǐyáng 赵紫阳 and Hú Yàobāng 胡耀邦 to their proper place in the story of reform. Jude also talks about the conservative reaction to reform — the topic of his forthcoming book, Under the Red Flag: The Battle for the Soul of the Communist Party in a Reforming China. What to listen for on this week’s Sinica Podcast: 21:36: Jude discusses the roles of Zhao Ziyang and Hu Yaobang in the context of reform in China: “I don’t know what any of you were doing when you were twelve, but [Hu Yaobang] joined his first revolution when he was twelve and ran away from home and joined the Communist Party when he was fourteen, and was one of the youngest members on the famed Long March.” 23:59: Zhao Ziyang’s central role as a reformer was often viewed as radical by many conservatives within the Party, particularly during his brief tenure as General Secretary after the ousting of Hu Yaobang. In 1987 he pushed for separation of the Party and the government (党政分开 dǎngzhèng fēnkāi), which was ultimately unsuccessful. “The Party is the owner of the restaurant, it can decide what’s on the menu, but the government is the chef in the back kitchen. It’s the one that is going to be actually making the dishes, we need to give them that latitude and leeway to do that.” 31:52: As China transitioned away from a reserved foreign policy of ‘hide and bide’ (韬光养晦 tāoguāng yǎnghuì) in the 1990s to more assertive approach of fènfā yǒuwéi (奋发有为). Jude elaborates on the transformation: “There’s also just the natural transition of a developing country to one becoming increasingly strong and articulating its own goals which diverge from that of the United States or other client states… we’re seeing now the full force of it coming out under Xi Jinping today. But I think the casting off of hide and bide, even as a cynical strategy we can see in retrospect was a catastrophic mistake by Xi Jinping.” 1:02:31: In the past few years, Deng Xiaoping has been written out of the history of Reform and Opening. Jude speculates on why: “As long as Deng Xiaoping and his legacy is around, that’s a cudgel that opponents can pick up… the more you allow the speeches of Hu Yaobang and Zhao Ziyang and Deng Xiaoping… speeches from Zhao Ziyang on political reform, speeches from Deng Xiaoping on separating the Party and the government. Basically, just Deng Xiaoping on [not having] a cult of leadership and how disastrous that is. Those are political weapons, so, clear them all away, get rid of them, burn the books.” Recommendations: Jude: Free Solo, a documentary of the climber Alex Honnold and his no-ropes climb up the 3,000-foot rock face of El Capitan. Kaiser: These Truths: A History of the United States by Jill Lepore, a historiographical account of the American experiment beginning in 1492. Jeremy: One Long Night: A Global History of Concentration Camps by Andrea Pitzer. ---- From now until January 14, get a year of SupChina Access at 25% off for just $66!

Welcome to The Wild Card Podcast!  Here is another fantastic episode from the archives! This is episode 17 of our attempt at this whole podcasting thing!! Today's episode features Jared Eaton possibly slapping a man to death, Jeff Curtis once again enduring the constant interruptions of two idiots, and Ron Blair enjoying Hu Yaobang's name a little too much (We have a Code Green!). Throughout the episode, you'll hear the three of us discussing such varied topics as: that time polar bears got outlawed in China in favor of pandas (do we have the right to arm bears?), our favorite horror movie villains/the ones we think we could defeat (any guesses as to which Jared thinks he can take?), what freedom of speech actually means, and occasionally we part from our tangents to discuss the events leading up to the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Join us on this journey to wherever and we're sure you won't protest our Revolutionary Podcast! Please like/subscribe and leave comments below! Let us know about your favorite horror villain/monster and if you are interested in being an official Deckhead! P.S. Did you stay for the teaser at the end???? Come see "Lunatic" at the Hardin County Playhouse  debuting on October 13th @ 7pm.....

Chinese government deploys troops that massacre citizens in Tiananmen Square. In 1981, Hu Yaobang became China’s leader when he was appointed the Communist Party’s general secretary. Hu was deposed in 1987 when the party accused him of being soft on college students who had been demonstrating in favour of political reforms and against system-wide corruption. When Hu died in April of 1989, people gathered in Tiananmen Square, located in the centre of Beijing, to honour his legacy and voice dissatisfaction with the pace of reforms. When Premier Li Peng refused to meet with student representatives, and the Community Party newspaper’s editorial accused them of trying to overthrow the government and socialism, students from 40 campuses boycotted classes and marched on Tiananmen Square. On May 20, the government declared martial law on Beijing, only to find tanks and troops kept at bay by defiant students and citizens. At its peak, the protest involved one million people occupying the square. As the government made plans to crush the gathering, protesters unveiled a 10-metre-high structure named the “Goddess of Democracy” on May 30. On the night of June 3, 1989, and into the early hours of June 4th, the government tanks and troops moved into the square and killed 2,600 citizens, according to a Chinese Red Cross estimate. Many more were imprisoned. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On April 15, 2010, on the 21st anniversary of former Party Secretary Hu Yaobang’s death, Premier Wen Jiabao published an essay to eulogize his former mentor in the People’s Daily. On April 15, 1989, the death of this foreign-minded general secretary of the Communist Party famously touched off the student demonstration of that year. It is a highly-emotional essay, which recalls a trip he took to Guizhou in 1986 with Hu Yaobang, a good friend of his that he worked with and admired. He particularly emphasizes Hu’s qualities, especially the populist rhetoric that he learned and now applies. In today's episode, we first visit this speech and ask what it really tells us about the political landscape in China. Does it telegraph an ongoing rift between a “populist” faction headed by Wen Jiabao, Hu Jintao, and Li Keqiang and a competing “princeling” elite represented by Xi Jinping? Early in the morning of April 14th, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake leveled roughly 90 percent of the buildings in Yushu County in southern Qinghai Province. So far more than 2000 people are now reported dead, and practically the entire population of the affected area is living in tents or in temporary housing. Qinghai, and particularly this area of Qinghai, is heavily Tibetan. This dimension of the quake as well as Beijing’s handling of the rescue have become part of the focus of the story. Is the ethnic dimension of the rescue overplayed by Western media? Do encounters between Tibetan monks and Chinese government officials demonstrate tension or a successful relationship? How does the government’s ability to deliver disaster relief relate to the historical concept of the Mandate of the Heaven? Joining Kaiser Kuo this week are Gady Epstein, Beijing bureau chief for Forbes magazine and Guardian correspondent Tania Branigan, fresh back in Beijing after a reporting trip to the remote earthquake region and with a first-hand account of the rescue efforts there. We're also joined by Jeremiah Jenne, Dean of Chinese Studies at the IES program in Beijing, who helps put both events in historical perspective. You may know Jeremiah as Qing historian and author of the blog Jottings from the Granite Studio. References: Returning to Xingyi, Remembering Hu Yaobang, by Wen Jiabao After Quake, Tibetans Distrust China’s Help, by Andrew Jacobs Robert Barnett on the Qinghai Earthquake, by the China Beat