Virtual Tiananmen Square museum crowdfunded by Hong Kong vigil organiser launches

Online “8964 Museum” opens to public two months after physical exhibition in Hong Kong was forced to close over licensing row

Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China says it farmed out creation of new virtual museum to overseas group after risk assessment

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An exhibit from the now closed June 4 museum. A virtual museum dedicated to the Tiananmen Square crackdown launched on Wednesday. Photo: Edmond So

Published: 2:44pm, 4 Aug 2021Updated: 11:31pm, 4 Aug 2021

A virtual museum featuring a detailed history and rare artefacts of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown launched on Wednesday, two months after a physical exhibition dedicated to the subject in Hong Kong was forced to close over a licensing row.

The “8964 Museum” was crowdfunded by the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, which organises the annual candlelight vigil commemorating the bloody crackdown and formerly operated the local June 4 museum.

The group, however, decided months ago after a political risk assessment to completely delegate the creation of the virtual museum to a team of researchers outside Hong Kong led by the Germany-based Chinese writer Chang Ping.

“Hongkongers and the Chinese diaspora over the past years have kept the memories of the 1989 movement in Beijing at heart. We hope this piece of history can be passed on to the next generation with the help of the online museum,” said Leung Kam-wai, the spokesman for the alliance.

Leung noted that the server hosting the website was located outside Hong Kong.