Ex-activist has found a quiet life in Paris
The high-profile escape from the mainland of Feng Congde and his then wife, Chai Ling , to Paris in April 1990 put the couple in the international limelight.
But 14 years on, the former student leader says the publicity has been a burden and he has tried hard to lead a secluded life in Paris.
The couple divorced and Ms Chai now runs an internet company in Boston, while Mr Feng works in the French capital as a computer engineer.
Speaking in New York, where he is taking part in June 4 memorial events, the former student activist says his involvement in the overseas pro-democracy movement has seen some twists and turns.
Mr Feng was involved in the movement in his early years abroad, but then sought a quiet life and returned to university.
'I realise that I won't be able to go home for a long time, so I want to use this waiting period to brush up my knowledge and live up to people's expectations of me [as a student leader],' he says.
A science student in 1989, he has been reading religious science at Paris' Sorbonne university since 1995 and completed his doctorate last year.
Mr Feng says his interest in religion stems from the efforts of Christian and other religious groups in France to rescue dissidents. 'I was deeply moved by those who saved me,' he said.
Mr Feng says he never felt equipped to be a student leader. 'The movement was a spontaneous event, unlike the Democracy Wall movement which took a few years to brew and required steady commitment from its leaders. We were just passionate students.
'The media likes to create political stars. I suddenly became a leader, being pushed to the front line. It is the tragedy and confusion of history. I never felt equipped for the post.'
But this year, Mr Feng decided to perform 'solid work' for democracy. Using his computer skills, he is building the largest online June 4 memorial archive, at www.64 memo.com, with more than 3,000 photos and 8,000 essays.
