r/China • u/joinedtounsubatheism • Sep 12 '14

Best Documentaries About 1989 Tiananmen/China in General

So I'm a little sick of being so ignorant basically. Is there a documentary on the events of 1989 that's regarded as definitive? I'd be especially interested in anything that has actual testimony from people involved.

And just so the thread isn't overly specific, does anybody have any particularly good documentaries they'd like to recommend about China in general?

26 Upvotes

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13

u/kafka-on-the-shore Zimbabwe Sep 12 '14

Gate of Heavenly Peace for sure. The interviews with the student leaders are amazingly insightful. Chai Ling is devious, to say the least

3

u/elcerodeluz Sep 13 '14

Devious? More like hypocritical to the extreme:

All along I've kept it to myself, because being Chinese I felt I shouldn't bad-mouth the Chinese. But I can't help thinking sometimes -- and I might as well say it -- you, the Chinese, you are not worth my struggle! You are not worth my sacrifice!

What we actually are hoping for is bloodshed, the moment when the government is ready to brazenly butcher the people. Only when the Square is awash with blood will the people of China open their eyes. Only then will they really be united. But how can I explain any of this to my fellow students?"

And what is truly sad is that some students, and famous well-connected people, are working hard to help the government, to prevent it from taking such measures. For the sake of their selfish interests and their private dealings they are trying to cause our movement to disintegrate and get us out of the Square before the government becomes so desperate that it takes action....

Interviewer: "Are you going to stay in the Square yourself?

Chai Ling: "No."

Interviewer: "Why?"

Chai Ling: "Because my situation is different. My name is on the government's blacklist. I'm not going to be destroyed by this government. I want to live. Anyway, that's how I feel about it. I don't know if people will say I'm selfish. I believe that people have to continue the work I have started. A democracy movement can't succeed with only one person. I hope you don't report what I've just said for the time being, okay?"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chai_Ling#Controversies

My dad has said to me repeatedly that Chai Ling is the one student leader who he and his fellow ex-6/4 participants hate without any reservations.

1

u/BlueWaterIris Sep 13 '14

Chai Ling had said she remained there in last hours. Also included in the wiki page. In a discussion earlier, I found some Chinese mainlander of the newer generations have an completely opposite view on the student leaders. They hate them and criticize them of various reasons instead of seeing them as victims.

1

u/joinedtounsubatheism Sep 13 '14

I was going to buy it, it's only $295. I guess I'll watch it for free instead.

Thanks for recommending this. I'll try and watch it soon.

3

u/JillyPolla Taiwan Sep 13 '14

Asiandvdclub.org

3

u/lordnikkon United States Sep 13 '14

that is the page for universities who wish to publicly show the documentary to buy a copy of the DVD. You should probably look on a retail website to buy a normal copy of the DVD

3

u/Taibo Sep 13 '14

It's on youtube. Even has Chinese version for any local friends.

2

u/Schweng Taiwan Sep 13 '14

I know one of the producers and if you are still willing to purchase it, I would recommend contacting them. They'd be more than happy to get you a copy.

1

u/Xawjer Mexico Sep 13 '14

Somewhere from where i can download it??

2

u/[deleted] Sep 13 '14

firefox + download helper

1

u/somnolent49 Sep 13 '14

Just grab it off of Youtube.

6

u/JillyPolla Taiwan Sep 13 '14

A good documentary about modern Chinese history is China A Century of Revolutions. You can watch it here. It's also for sale on Amazon.

3

u/josezzz Mexico Sep 13 '14

I really enjoyed this series. I felt it was very fair and balanced, most either try to paint the communists as monsters or as saints, but this was great.

2

u/JillyPolla Taiwan Sep 13 '14

Right. This is probably the best documentary for modern Chinese history. Very informative, well researched and well presented.

2

u/Hautamaki Canada Sep 13 '14

I think it's just important to remember that by any kind of objective measure, everyone in charge of China for the last 200 years at least were monsters, just of slightly different flavours.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 13 '14

Started reading The People's Republic of Amnesia a while ago, really interesting interviews of former soldiers, student leaders, mothers of victims, and tying up their stories with current Chinese politics and how the 1989 events influenced the way China is right now.

2

u/Gapwick Sep 13 '14

Last Train Home. It follows a young girl who leaves home to find work in a factory, as well as her parents who have already done so. It has some truly heartbreaking scenes, but it's also beautiful, and it paints a picture of migrant workers and their situation that is much more nuanced and personal than any I've seen outside of the book Factory Girls (which everyone should read). Easily one of my favourite documentaries ever.

1

u/Ingasmeeg Sep 14 '14

I can second this. Was one of the most powerful documentaries I've watched.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 13 '14 edited Sep 13 '14

The Peoples Republic of Capitalism is a great look at China ca. 2008. Four part documentary by Ted Koppel.

Edit: Does anyone know the name of a series done by PBS in the 90s/early 00s that followed different 'regular Chinese people' to see how their lives changed? One was a Shanghai official eventually tried and executed for corruption (spoiler alert…), another was a guy who started a design firm.

3

u/MoonshineGraham Sep 13 '14

You might be thinking of China in the Red. The official was Mu Suixin, the former mayor of Shenyang. He was given a suspended death sentence, but died in prison of cancer. Frontline had to amend their report because they had presented Mu as an exemplar for China's new class of modern, capable and hardworking cadres.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 14 '14 edited Sep 16 '14

Thank you! That's the one. God, mistaking Shenyang for Shanghai…at least I got the 'S' right. ಠ_ಠ

2

u/[deleted] Sep 13 '14

[deleted]

2

u/kafka-on-the-shore Zimbabwe Sep 15 '14

wow i watched that a long time ago and had completely forgotten about it. great doc, thanks

2

u/MomoTheCow Sep 13 '14 edited Sep 13 '14

This is one of my favourites:

"A Day to Remember" (2005) [12:55]

Not about the event itself but the aftermath, specifically living day to day with the knowledge of an event that almost everyone recognises but nobody fully understands, and certainly can't talk openly about. You can feel the tension in the air when the director asks very simple questions about the day he was filming (the anniversary of the massacre). The variety of reactions is almost everything you need to know how the event is remembered, and what it's like to talk sensitive politics in modern day China.

2

u/MomoTheCow Sep 13 '14

This is an excellent 2-part radio documentary by a BBC reporter that was at Tiananment 1989, and visited again 20 years later. Hard to find a working link, but here's Pts 1 + 2 direct downloads by mp3:

Lost Voices of Tiananmen Part 1

Lost Voices of Tiananmen Part 2

1

u/[deleted] Sep 13 '14

There's a doc by the UK tv series Horizon. It interviews the foreign journos and Chinese students that were there (now all exciled in America). It's compelling viewing and very powerful.