Chinese in Korea Have Found a Novel Way to Raise Awareness About the Tiananmen Massacre

Flash mob style tactics are the way to go to get the Tiananmen message out to Chinese tourists.

Hundreds of thousands of Chinese gather in Tiananmen Square around a 10-meter replica of the Statue of Liberty (C), called the Goddess of Democracy, on June 2, 1989. Catherine Henriette/AFP via Getty Images

To get out the censored story of bloodshed in China to visiting Chinese in South Korea, China democracy activists tried a new method—the flash mob.

About 10 members from the China Democracy Party and the Federation for a Democratic China—activist groups formed by overseas Chinese residing in South Korea—gathered at the commercial district of Myeong-dong in Seoul, the nation’s capital, on May 31, according to nonprofit broadcaster Radio Free Asia (RFI).

After handling out leaflets bearing information about the massacre in Tiananmen Square to Chinese tourists, the Chinese activists quickly dispersed.

The group’s leader, Pu Chengxiu, told RFI that they resorted to flash mob tactics to get their message out to avoid arrest and deportation—none of the activists who participated in the activity have legal residency status in Korea.

READ MORE

• For Chinese, the Tiananmen Square Massacre Is Still Too Taboo to Talk About
• The Killing Didn’t End After Tiananmen