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TERMS
AND GUIDE QUESTIONS FOR FILM Born Under the Red Flag: The New Generation
(1984-1997) |
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Deng Xiaoping
(1904-1997): Chinese
communist leader who would become best known for "opening" the
People's Republic of China to the West in the late 1970s and for leading the
country's reform program until his death in 1997. “Bourgeois
Liberalism Campaign” (1987): government crackdown that followed in the wake of the student demonstrations in the winter of
1986. Zhao
Ziyang (b. 1919): Chinese premier (1980-87)
and architect of the post-1978 liberal reforms. Zhao had announced in 1987 that China was only in the “initial
stage of socialism.” He was missed
from office in the wake of the 1989 demonstrations. Zhao's present political status is unclear. Li
Peng (b. 1928): Premier
of China from 1988 to 1998. Li is
closely identified with those members of the CCP leadership that strongly
supported the crackdown on the 1989 demonstrators. |
Hu
Yaobang (1915-1989): General
secretary of the Chinese Communist Party from 1981 to January 1987, at which
time Hu was dismissed from office for appearing to sympathize with the
student demonstrations of 1986. Fang
Lizhi (b. 1936): Chinese
astrophysicist and dissident held partially responsible by the CCP leaders
for the 1989 demonstrations in Tiananmen Square. Han
Dongfang (b. 1963): a
worker and PLA veteran, Han was a leading organizer of the Independent
Workers' Union of Beijing. After
surrendering to Chinese authorities in the aftermath of June 4th,
he was imprisoned for two years until being released for medical treatment in
the US. He presently resides in Hong
Kong, where he has been active in labor issues. |
#1. What events or influences led to the
“cultural fever” gripping Chinese urban society by the mid-1980’s?
#2.
What were the students trying to accomplish in 1989? Why did their actions eventually attract such a wide
cross-section of China’s population?
#3. Why did the Chinese government order the
army to use force in clearing Tiananmen Square? What past experiences could have influenced the CCP top
leadership?
#4. After 1990 as the economy grew stronger,
what were some of the most pressing social problems? Who do you think prospered under Deng? Who suffered?
#5. In your opinion, what specific problems do the CCP leaders now face in maintaining their political legitimacy in the “post-1989” period, either within China or abroad?