The following column is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
Ellen and I were crossing the University of British Columbia campus during our Vancouver trip when I was surprised to see a replica of the “Goddess of Democracy” statue, the statue raised in 1989 by pro-democracy students in Tiananmen Square.
When I shared my awe and respect for the statue with two of the reverent souls meditating at her base I met Mr. Andrew Zhao, a humble, good humored, accomplished businessman and his charming wife, Wei. Andrew informed us it was the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Both were freshmen at Beijing Teacher’s University. Andrew, who was at Tiananmen Square, described watching art students assemble the Goddess of Democracy. And then, on June 4, “I saw the army open fire to the east of Tiananmen Square.”
According to a 2017 BBC report, the Chinese army killed at least 10,000 people.
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“I helped carry the wounded to the nearby post hospital. We didn’t have stretchers. We used bikes, door planks, and chairs to carry the bodies of wounded students. My hands were covered with blood. I saw a girl shot in her neck, crying and screaming, ’Mom, mom, help me.’ She died on the way to the hospital.”
At the foot of Lady Liberty’s twin we talked about history and democracy. Windblown hair frames her resolute face. She grips her torch firmly with both hands.
Andrew, a self-described good student who never failed a test, spoke of two schoolmates. “They are heroes who will never be forgotten. I saw their bodies unloaded from a hospital van. Shot in the back, they died instantly. In a place west of Tiananmen Square. One, was an undergraduate student studying political science and law. A volunteer dormitory supervisor, he gave me verbal warnings for playing games in my room after midnight.” Andrew recalls being irritated by his fellow student’s strict attitude, “until I saw his heroic sacrifices for the people of China. My other schoolmate was a nice, humble, graduate student. A typical brainiac! I was amazed by his bravery.”
Andrew was deeply traumatized by what he’d witnessed all those years ago. Wei nodded. That lovely afternoon we old men fretted over the state of democracies everywhere.
“After our democracy movement was crushed, we were forced into a month-long ‘Repentance Class’ to be brainwashed by the Chinese Communist Party. We were taught we ‘did not know the truth.’“
Accused of treason and counter-revolution, many got long sentences or even worse, the death penalty.
“We were lucky.”
“How’d you come to live in Canada?”
“I graduated and started teaching. Then I quit my teaching job because I couldn’t mislead children by teaching fabricated history. I joined an American company, Colgate Palmolive, as a management trainee and in 1996 I moved to Canada. God blessed me. We have been on our own here, with a few Canadian-born Chinese friends. We bought a home in 2006, radically changing our lives in a very happy way.”
It’s a lovely home.
In spite of enduring occasional racist taunts about “The Chinese Flu,” Andrew is a positive soul. “We believe in God now. Treat people the same way you wish to be treated. Life today is wonderful. I am a sales account manager. Wei is a home maker. We volunteer in community and social work programs.”
Andrew smiled again. “Don’t just do things right. Do the right things.”
Andrew and Wei insisted we should return to “Raincouver” so “we can show you authentic Chinese food.”
We encouraged Andrew and Wei to visit us in Arizona on our modest acre of desert. (In Vancouver, one of the most expensive cities in the world, land costs are sky-high) Andrew grinned. “You must be wealthy. Do you have horses?”
In later exchanges we continued to talk politics. “The most exciting change is our right to vote! In 2015, we cast our first ever ballot as new Canadians.”
“Why is that right so precious?”
“At every level Communist Party officials are corrupt. The army belongs to the Party not the country. With democracy you can have a separation of powers, freedom of speech and assembly, freedom of religion. Democracy matters in civilized society. In a free country, there is no one-child policy, no forced abortion, no death penalty for political dissidents, no cultural revolutions, no bans on private property ownership. That is why democracy is precious.”
Anything you’d like to say to my fellow Americans as we celebrate our Independence Day?
“Happy Independence Day! You are all blessed. Please keep showing your sincere concern for the well-being of others. Continue to lead the world to protect democracy, freedom and peace. We need you to take the lead of the direction of human civilization! We are counting on you.”
