Tian'Anmen Twenty Years Later : The Evolution of Academic Analysis and Political Debate in China (Tian’Anmen Veinte Años Después: La Evolución Del Análisis Académico Y Debate Político En China)

The events of May and June 1989 in Beijing represent a watershed in the intellectual and political development in China, even if they did not impact its economic growth in the long term. The brutal repression of the Tian’anmen student movement was followed by exile and silence, fear and cynicism, and liberal interpretations in the Western press. Twenty years on, China has transformed its face and its role in the global landscape, young Chinese have little knowledge of the event, and the extensive control of the public discourse by the Communist Party continues to contend with the expansion of the internet and its possibilities for freedom of expression. Nonetheless, there is a mature reflection and a lively debate in the upper echelons of government and in academic circles in China on the Tian’anmen incident and its repercussions. This essay examines the evolution of this political debate and academic analysis in China, and how we can better understand contemporary China that concerns us more and more every day