Hong Kong teacher hopes new book on Tiananmen Square crackdown can educate younger readers
- Hoi Wai-hang, who was eight when the protests happened, seeks to explain events of April-June 1989
- ‘It will be difficult for us to understand relations between Hong Kong and mainland China, and the current political situation in Hong Kong, if we do not understand June 4,’ he says
Teacher Hoi Wai-hang has devoted much of his free time over the past 10 years to writing a book about events at Tiananmen Square in 1989, and hopes it will appeal to a younger generation.
Called Ten Questions about June 4, it summarises and explains the many facets of the student-led protests, the bloody military crackdown and its aftermath in easy-to-understand chapters.
Although numerous books have been written on the topic, Hoi said most were memoirs, interviews with key players or academic analyses. What was missing was a basic introduction to what that momentous event was all about.
“Is it possible to provide readers all the layers of the June 4 narratives in one book? That is the goal of my book,” said Hoi, 38, who has taught Chinese history and general education in SKH St Mary’s Church Mok Hing Yiu College in Lai Chi Kok for 15 years.
To do that, the book tackles 10 questions, including why the protests began on April 15, what happened each day between then and June 20, how China’s top leaders decided to crack down violently on the protesters, whether the student leaders deserve to be blamed for the movement’s failure, and lingering issues to be resolved.
It is presented with many entry points, allowing readers to zoom in on what they find interesting, rather than reading it from start to finish.