Six Years Ago This DayJune 7, 1989

 

"Quiet Day, Only Two People Shot"
Foreigners Scramble to Leave China

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Source: Compiled by Zuofeng Li from Knight Ridder, Chicago Tribune, Reuters

Swept by alarms, reverberating with the crump of distant artillery fire throughout the night, Beijing looked scarred and battle-worn Wednesday morning as rival armies appeared to be wrestling for control of the city.

But it seems optimism must find some outlet in these desperate days.

"We had a quiet day. Only two people shot that I know of, at least in this neighborhood," one man said. He was standing next to his bicycle at the intersection of Dong Dan and Chang An Avenues.

Chang An, the Avenue of Eternal Peace, has been crunched up and deeply furrowed by the treads of tanks, armored cars and trucks, which come and go in thunderous convoys, heading east to the city's outskirts at night and returning in the morning.

Thousands of troops, many firing long bursts wildly in the air, moved out of Tiananmen on Wednesday morning. While the convoy rolled east, other troops were reported approaching the city centre from the south, giving rise to the theory that a rotation of forces was taking place.

Many Beijing residents say they want troops loyal to the reformists in the Communist Party leadership to confront units which led the bloody Tiananmen assault.

A queer etiquette exists within the city. People out on necessary errands have to pass key intersections where troops, and sometimes tanks, are stationed. When they go by, they avert their eyes. When they are within earshot of the soldiers, they lower their voices.

Many people are leaving the city for safer places. Long parades of people carrying cloth bags and belongings tied up in blankets can be seen heading for the Beijing railroad station, and train whistles blow through the gray mornings, unnaturally loud in this unaccustomed silence.

Water supplies are beginning to fail sporadically in high buildings in the city. Long lines are forming at the few shops and vegetable stalls still open. Food is twice as expensive as usual.

Governments and business firms around the world scrambled Tuesday to get foreign nationals out of China as fears grew that the country could be plunged into civil war.

Some governments chartered special planes for a mass evacuation reminiscent of the alarm that swept the foreign community in Iran during the 1979 Islamic revolution. At least three special charter flights were sent to Beijing on Tuesday, and others were expected.

Most major Western countries, fearing the worst, told their nationals to get out of China as quickly as possible. Some big American corporations already have begun pulling their staffs out of China.

Hundreds of anxious foreigners jammed airline offices and swamped embassy switchboards with telephone calls seeking advice. Some 2,000 frantic foreigners crowded into Beijing's airport to await the first plane out, terrified by the weekend carnage and the presence of tanks near their apartment compounds.

In Shanghai, angry crowds set fire to a train Tuesday night after it roared into Shanghai's rail station, killing six student protesters manning a barricade near the tracks. Six other people were injured by the train, which was unable to stop in time.

Shanghai Radio said that the irate crowds set fire to the train engine and that 21 railway security officials were beaten and injured when they tried to put out the blaze.

Thousands of Hong Kong residents donned black armbands and observed a one-day general strike in the British colony on Wednesday to mourn the victims of the Beijing bloodshed.

An Italian businessman returning to Hong Kong from the central city of Chengdu said he saw a girl bayonetted to death on Sunday morning. The businessman, who asked not to be identified because he might have to return to China, said he saw from the window of his office soldiers arrive in a truck, fire teargas and advance with fixed bayonets, shooting as they went.

"I saw with my own eyes a girl, 15 to 16 years old, with a bayonet inside," said the businessman, holding both hands to his stomach.

He said the girl was about 20 yards (18 metres) away from him at the time. The soldier then bayonetted her twice more in the chest and left the body on the street.

A British businessman returning from the same city said: "Chengdu is burning. It is seriously out of control." On Monday night he and another foreigner were in the Jinjiang Hotel when it was attacked by a mob and a small fire was started. About 45 foreigners moved to the private quarters of the U.S. consulate in a wing of the hotel on the second floor.

British engineer Rob Casey, 47, who also took shelter in the consulate, said the rioters were hooligans and unemployed troublemakers, not students.

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[Go to June 4th Homepage] [Go to CND Homepage]

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Excerpt from a Tsinghua Student's Diary:

~{⊙　１９８９年６月７日　星期三~}

~{　　上午哲明要我和他一起出去转转，看看能否把车取回来。那晚哲明把车停在南长~}
~{街和长安街的交叉口处，撤离时没法去取。~}

~{　　我骑车带着哲明来到南长街，由北往南快到长安街口时，我停了下来。远处长安~}
~{街路口站着全副武装的士兵，在路口旁边的墙根下，整整齐齐地排着一大堆自行车。~}
~{士兵的旁边有一些群众在走动，士兵们的态度似乎还可以。~}

~{　　哲明下了车，慢慢地走过去。我远远地望着他跟一位军官说话。旁边的老百姓告~}
~{诉我，那天晚上杀进广场的部队，已于昨天撤走了，这是新换防的部队，所以态度还~}
~{好。~}

~{　　那大爷说：要是那支部队，可不得了，看见人影就打枪。南长街南口这一带，好~}
~{些居民都躲到亲戚家去了。有些人晚上出来上厕所，就给军队打死了。~}

~{　　我说：是啊，他们杀了那么多人，心里害怕，手里慌啊。~}

~{　　那边哲明跟那位军官聊了好一阵，才走到车堆里去找他的车，居然还找到了。哲~}
~{明骑着车过来，还跟那军官打招呼再见呢。~}

~{　　哲明也说，他们是新换防的部队。~}

~{　　哲明说还想到各处走走。现在广场和长安街仍禁止通行。我们把车停在一个地方~}
~{，然后绕到崇文门。哲明说要找他过去的一个邻居，领着我钻进路边一栋居民楼。这~}
~{是一栋老式的楼房，楼里黑咕咙咚的。哲明敲一扇门敲了半天也没人答应，楼里也见~}
~{不到其他人。~}

~{　　我们走回街上，正好看见几辆军用卡车由北向南而来，车上码着些大口袋，站着~}
~{全副武装的士兵，车头架着机枪。车厢两边拉着的横幅上写着“为民送粮”。~}

~{　　今天街上绝少行人，除了这些军车，也很少其它车辆。~}

~{　　我们向北走上建国门内大街。这又算走到长安街一线了。我不免有些提心吊胆。~}
~{看看街上也没有行人，偶尔能见到一队队的士兵或在行进，或在集合。~}

~{　　我们一路走，一路就看见右边的街墙上不时地出现几个弹孔。不知是墙壁疏松，~}
~{还是子弹特大，那些弹孔都很大。~}

~{　　走到火车站路口的东侧，我见到一家商店的窗上有一个洞穿的弹孔。我跟哲明说~}
~{，住在这里的人真是倒霉，整日连头都不敢露，一点声都不敢出。~}

~{　　再往前就是建国门立交。立交上停着８辆坦克，东西南北每个方向各两辆，正好~}
~{堵住了环形立交的８个口，炮口都高高冲外。~}

~{　　桥下有站岗的哨兵。哲明开玩笑说，我真想上去给他行个纳粹的举手礼。我则说~}
~{，你信不信，我们现在要是突然举起胳膊，他一定会向我们开枪。~}

~{　　建国门桥的西南侧，已成了兵营。在桥下和路边，是绿色的帐篷和晾晒着的绿色~}
~{军衣。~}

~{　　哲明问我想不想再去找个人，我说没问题。我们于是从建国门折向北，走到朝阳~}
~{门，然后折进朝阳门内大街。~}

~{　　这条街平时也较僻静，现在更是无人。令我惊讶的是，这条街两边的墙上，也都~}
~{满是弹孔。那硕大的弹孔使我确信，这一定是从坦克或装甲车上的机枪打来的机枪子~}
~{弹。~}

~{　　走到一半，旁边是个关着门的书店，临街的一扇窗上，又看到一个洞穿的弹孔。~}
~{哲明领我钻进了旁边的一个小院子。只听见他在前面大声地打招呼。时候正是中午，~}
~{一个女孩手里捧着碗面问他，吃饭了吗？哲明说，吃过了。我也附和说吃了。~}

~{　　哲明说这是他中学的同学，我们跟女孩的妈妈打了招呼，就钻进那女孩的房间里~}
~{坐下。说起旁边的那个弹孔，女孩说那书店正是她爸爸单位的，那弹头很大，已被她~}
~{爸单位的人捡走了。她说前些天晚上，坦克和装甲车在外面走，用机枪向街两边扫射~}
~{。~}

~{　　我说真是不得了，我到了两家，两处都挨了枪子。大概北京城里每一家都分到一~}
~{个弹头了。我们于是给她讲哲明家的那颗子弹如何锐不可当地钻透了一系列东西，最~}
~{后还在墙上打了个坑。~}

~{　　就这样说说笑笑地说了半天，大家交换着各自听来的各式各样的“笑话”，用玩~}
~{笑的语言谈论着这些子弹和屠杀。~}

~{　　从院子里出来时，哲明问我觉得怎样。我说舒服多了。哲明说：就是，有时候心~}
~{情不好，找个女孩聊聊，那就是能让你舒服一点。~}

~{　　我们又来到西四，父亲的朋友仍不在。整个单位只有两个人在值班。我们一起聊~}
~{了一会儿。其中一个说他那晚也在单位值班，从这里正好能眺望整个长安街的上空。~}
~{他说直到枪声快到大会堂时，他才看到有向上的曳光弹出现。~}

~{　　傍晚我们骑车回到哲明家。哲明的爸爸带我们到楼下去打电话。我打了个电话给~}
~{林叔叔，说我已在同学家安全住下了，最后互嘱保重小心，就挂了。~}

~{　　晚上看电视里的北京新闻。电视里记者在采访一个个“现场证人”，有广场附近~}
~{小商店的商贩，有人民大会堂的工作人员，一个个都在镜头前信誓旦旦地说：没有开~}
~{枪，在广场没有开枪。~}

~{　　看着这样的新闻让人觉得共产党真是无聊。那晚上广场上的几千人并没有死光，~}
~{那晚上全城老百姓的耳朵也没有变聋，那些死去的人也不可能复生。事情是有目共睹~}
~{的，根本不可能瞒骗过去，倒不如大大方方承认了事。而现在居然好意思这样睁着眼~}
~{睛说瞎话，只不过是告诉老百姓共产党的新闻可以荒唐到一个什么地步。~}

~{　　有趣的是，电视里映出在广场内采访的镜头时，画外音正在讲没有开枪，而镜头~}
~{却忽然摇上了纪念碑的碑座，一个硕大的弹孔赫然在目，停了几秒，镜头又迅速摇回~}
~{原来的画面。这显然是摄影记者搞的小动作，居然让它播出来了。~}

~{　　不过，到中央台向全国广播这段新闻时，这个小插曲就不见了。~}

Six Years Ago This Day