“People are prepared to obtain order and tranquility by giving up other values such as democracy and freedom. This dangerous temptation has not disappeared, even today.” — Mikhail Gorbachev, 1993
June 4, 2009. I opened the day in Shanghai, meeting with one of America’s largest brands to discuss their expansion plans in China’s 2nd tier cities. On the flight back to Beijing, the entertainment included a program on preparing your dog for the arrival of a new baby to the family. The headlines of the local newspaper spoke of Obama’s visit to Saudi Arabia and the possible sale of Hummer, an American luxury brand, to an automaker from Sichuan.
The air hostess handed me a copy of the Global Times, the official English-language propaganda vessel of China’s Communist Party. On the bottom of the front page, an article titled “Prosperity tangible along Chang’an avenue” spoke of China’s progress since the ‘June 4 Tian’anmen incident’. Apart from a short mention of ‘pitch-black charred bodies of soldiers’, there was no reference to what actually happened that day or why.
The article continued on page two, headlined, “20 years later, China is now called a world power”. The author quoted various local experts carrying messages about the country’s development over the last two decades and summarized the article’s main point: ‘The Chinese people, especially the young, have become much more apathetic about politics than they were decades ago. Education, medical insurance, and employment are among their top priorities.’
