It has been 30 years exactly. Even nowadays many people still remember the XiDan Democracy Wall, to such a degree that people recognize me when I am traveling all over the world. On the streets or in the restaurants, people came to greet me and often will say: "Oh, look like you gained some weight." The fact is that I have not gained weight for the last decade, but people all remember that well-known picture of me in the Chinese court. In comparison with that time when I was only 28 years old, I am afraid that I have not just gained a little bit of weight. That picture was the only available picture of me for the outside world during the 14 years of my first part of jailed time, and it was frequently used. According to the French agency that kept that photo, it was one of the most frequently used news pictures that made quite some profit for them. Maybe it will not be possible to break this record because modern technology will not allow the Chinese government to seal the information in that tight way anymore.
Even so, there should not be that many people who know me. I am not a movie star, nor a political power holder, or a wealthy rich man. So, why are there so many people who know me? It is because the Democracy Wall had its great significance for people in that era. For both the Chinese and foreigners, it produced an astonishing feeling that made a forever memory. So after twenty some years, many people could still recognize a person who once appeared on an old photo. Most of them have never worked in either political or journalist professions, but are just simple folks.
Back in those times, Chinese people were really depressed. The soap bubble of the Mao ZeDong ideology had burst. When people woke up from their beautiful dreams to the broken reality, a reality that could not even guarantee a basic living, the depression and indecision made people numb. The new ideas of the Democracy Wall brought shock and excitement to the people, just as a flash of lightning in the darkness. "We could have thought this way, and we could have this way of living." To the Chinese who were sealed in the swamp of information blockage, this possible way of living would be hard to forget for the rest of their lives. This lightning stroke is the reason why people had such an etched memory.
At that time, foreigners in general thought that the Chinese could tolerate oppression well, and did not have the feeling of resistance like Western people. So the tyranny of the Communist Party fit this special human race well. Even in the last few years, there were still reporters who asked me: "Which book (implying that it was written by a Western scholar) influenced your mind, and who was your example, and why were you so brave," etc. What they did not know is that, in the last several thousand years, Chinese were no less backwards that the Westerners. Especially, bravely opposing tyranny has been a tradition of the Chinese people. At that time, the Westerners did not know this tradition in general. They had only seen the faked information due to Mao ZeDong's information blockage. So when they saw these brave youths from the Democracy Wall, who treated death as their homecoming, the subverting impression was etched in depth.
At that time, the Democracy Wall got popular all over the world. I remember some Western reporter told me that not only in China, but also all the "Socialist Countries" there were Democracy Walls. Even in Taiwan, there was a "Democracy Wall". Twenty years later when I met with many founders of the Democratic Progressive Party, they told me that back in 1979, inspired by Beijing XiDan's Democracy Wall, they started to break through the forbidden zone of authority, initiated the 1979 Kaohsiung Incident, and finally crushed the one-party dictatorial system.
It has been 30 years now. Both the Westerners and Orientals have not forgotten the Democracy Wall, because indeed it opened a new era. It did not have any special theory, but simply repeated the already mature theory in this world that promotes democracy, freedom and human rights. Its theory was not that of the scholars of the West, both in the past and present. The only relatively distinguishable "theory" was to point to and analyze the Chinese Communist Party under the then leadership of Deng XiaoPing and cliques. That leadership would be a dictatorial system, instead of beginning a walk towards democracy. It urged people to give up their illusion of the Chinese Communist Party.
The new era opened by the Democracy Wall was an era that dared to oppose the Communist dictatorial system with action, and was an era when democracy and human rights evolved from theory to actions. Before that era, there were many people, both in the West and in the East, who suffered under the Stockholm syndrome. They had thought that the super-tyrannies such as the Nazis and the Communist Parties could not be overthrown from inside. So people were disheartened and let the theory of democracy and human rights stay outside of the "iron curtain" or the "bamboo curtain". Very few people were concerned with the opposition of the people under the rule of the tyranny; almost no one was willing to support this type of "opposition without hope".
When a group of young Chinese was active in Beijing's XiDan Democracy Wall and later in court, Chinese were shocked, people in the Communist camp were shocked, and the whole world was shocked. People found out that the rulers were not that powerful and it was possible for opposition, as well as to build a new social system from inside. This is not "opposition without hope", but a completely possible historical mission that could be accomplished. The Stockholm syndrome was invalidated and people could not prevent President Reagan's call for the collapse of the Berlin Wall.
Even since, democracy waves had followed one after another, and have destroyed many dictatorial tyrannies on this world. Their speed has surpassed what it was one century ago, and has made the theory of democracy and human rights accumulated over many years before to be a reality. Nevertheless, the pity is that China, the country that initiated this tide, has not achieved democracy yet. The youths of that time have become elderly. The world has regained a new type of Stockholm syndrome and reduced its enthusiasm in supporting democracy. In addition it tolerates too much of a retreat in new democratic countries, all in the name of global business. Chinese and people in this world who love democracy and human rights are worrisome again.
I have always been optimistic. With the brave and intelligent Chinese, there is always the hope. While we missed the previous tide, we still have a later opportunity. Maybe history is giving us the Chinese more responsibility. Next time, we shall be the pioneers again.
