Posts tagged protest

I urge readers of this Web site to spend a few moments today and tomorrow reflecting on one of the most audacious attempts at cultural change in recent history: the 1989 student protests in Tiananmen Square, brutally crushed by the Chinese government on 4 June and scarcely known or discussed in China today. One of the more penetrating critiques of my book has been that I don't devote enough space to environments of persistent oppression where people's culture-making agency is severely constrained. This excellent story by NPR's Louisa Lim provides some insights into how three leaders of the Tiananmen protests have responded to the movement's failure. The response of pastor Zhang Boli is especially worth pondering as Christian culture makers—perhaps both an encouraging and a cautionary tale.

re: asia, changing the world, china, failure, history, power, protest

Andy:

Zhang, the former journalist who brought the students to the square, has taken a different path. Once, he preached for democracy; now he preaches for Jesus. Formerly No. 17 on Beijing’s most-wanted list, Zhang today is a pastor at a Chinese church in Fairfax, Va.

After the clampdown, Zhang spent two years in hiding, much of it in a remote mountain cabin near the frozen Russian border, where he lived off wildlife that he caught. He also spent a month in a Russian prison. It was at that time that he found God.

“I read the Bible and began to know God,” Zhang remembers. “I gained sustenance from it. People really needed God then. They needed a future. I couldn’t see the future with my bare eyes.”

Zhang finally escaped China through Hong Kong and sought asylum in the United States. These days, he throws himself into ministering his flock. He is planning to build a 16,000-square-foot church for his congregation, which currently numbers about 300.

Actually, the throw-the-furniture-in-the-streets model of social protest has a long history, especially in Europe, where narrow streets make barricades easier to set up. Also when "changing the world" means changing your neighborhood, the chances of success are generally better.

re: changing the world, europe, furniture, infrastructure, protest, revolutions

Nate:

A group of frustrated neighbors in the Dutch city of Delft finally got fed up about autos speeding down their street. One night, they dragged old couches and tables into the middle of the road, strategically arranging them so that motorists could still pass—but only if they drove slowly. The police eventually arrived and had to admit that this scheme, although clearly illegal, was a good idea. Soon the city was installing its own devices to slow traffic, and the idea of traffic calming was born—an innovative solution now used across the globe to make streets safer.