#HongKongProtest2019 #Noextradiction & #FreeLiuXiaoBo support for #Tiananmen

Forewords by Cecilia Yu (translator) to explain Context : In the Chinese Culture we have what is similar to the “All Souls’ Day” to commemorate those who died. But we also have what is called “Return of the Souls” for those who experienced grave injustices resulting in their deaths.This year’s Hong Kong protest 2019 against an inequitable Extradition Bill, coincided with the 2nd Legacy Memorial of Liu Xiao Bo ‘s death, I was asked to translate a few words about the event in an effort to remember what Liu’s life and Nobel Peace Prize winning ideas represented.

This is relevant to Hong Kong 2019’s protest because peaceful protesters in Hong Kong were attacked by Police with tear gas and rubber bullets; their brutality reminded many Hong Kong citizens of the way Tiananmen Peaceful Student Protestors were slaughtered by the Communist Chinese Government in 1989. Many Hong Kong citizens do not trust China’s Communist Party in the proposed changes to Extraditions Laws in Hong Kong, as this would allow political dissenters of China’s governance, who are residing in Hong Kong, to be extradited to potential harsh and draconian punishments inside Mainland China.

An example of legal inequity would be: According to the laws of China, some Christians can be sentenced to 7 years in prison for merely praying peacefully at home as a part of a church that has not been state sanctioned. Basic Laws in Hong Kong protect Freedom of Religion under the “One China; Two Systems” treaty but inside Mainland China, their legal system are much more draconian in parameters, and are designed to punish those whose ideas deviate from official Communist Party lines.

Some people asked me why I agreed to translate as they worried about the implication to my reputation given the unpredictable and capricious way China punished its own citizens. For sure we are all uncomfortable with how Beijing quashed many expressions of innovative ideas, even if one was a multi-generational Hong Kong overseas educated Chinese! But Hong Kong has a historic reputation in handling such difficult issues in the last three centuries. We can handle it!

My genuine response is: ” Every so often in China’s history, different surnames have the luxury of helping a seemingly losing side in order to make sure we have different facets of history to pass on to the next generation. I am exercising that privilege on the issue of the first chinese person to win the Nobel Peace Prize. If I am wrong, and this issue should simply be forgotten, then I will simply and happily admit to it later when it is clear that I might have erred. However if I am right and I hope I stay on “the right humanitarian side of history” , then Silk Road 3 would have to adjust its shape a little, based on some of the small decisions made by the silent, ordinary and at times, very ancient surnames of China, who are “made in Hong Kong”.

Doctor Sun speaking about a Chinese Republic at Hong Kong University

Some Chinese people might, in the future, like their children to know about Hong Kong’s wonderful history e.g. when we refused to hand Doctor Sun Yat Sen back to the Qing dynasty Emperor just because they did not like what he had to say about the way China governed under Imperial rules. Like Dr Sun, many of us spent time studying overseas but maintained our valued Chinese heritage all over the known world.

China’s long history definitely changed because of the new ideas of the many overseas Chinese worldwide, in the way our education brought new interactions with those inside China. Overseas or not, we are all Chinese with a shared history of 6000 years. If I am wrong about why we should protect unpopular ideas like those of Doctor Sun’s then those who are right should find my descendants in 300 years time and let them know why my ideas about the Doctor Sun’s Republic or Liu’s Nobel Peace Prize were flawed!

Thank you for a Chinese culture in Hong Kong that allowed the next generation to decide and adjudicate, the good things and the bad things we did collectively as a Chinese culture. I am honoured to be a part of such a long lineage of Chinese in the world and proud that Hong Kong refused to hand Doctor Sun back to the Qing dynasty for torture and execution a century ago. That choice should not be taken away from Hong Kong through changing our legally sound extradition laws that were designed by the decent men and women of Hong Kong, over a period of 300 years, to give us an option to protect individuals who may face tortures and certain deaths for exploring new ideas! “

Translation Begins:

劉曉波逝世兩周年 亡靈卻活在反抗中

“Forgotten Souls” are two words that permeated throughout the poetry and writing of the Chinese Nobel Peace Laureate Liu Xiaobo. After Tiananmen Student Protest of 4th June 1989 (commonly abbreviated as 64 in chinese in order to bypass censorship inside the Great Firewall of China) embarked on a path of no return, and on many levels, he gave his life for the “Forgotten Souls” of Tiananmen massacre (many of whom remained nameless and forgotten).

In 2010, Liu was imprisoned by the Chinese CCP Government and found out that he won the Nobel Peace Prize while detained. In that moment, with tears in his eyes, he said to his wife Liu Xia, “This prize is dedicated to the forgotten souls of 64.”

「亡靈」二字，穿插於劉曉波的詩歌和文章。自投身八九民運後，劉曉波便走上一條不歸路，將此後的人生奉獻給「六四」亡靈。2010年，劉曉波於獄中知悉獲得諾貝爾和平獎，即對妻子劉霞哭說：「這個獎首先是給六四亡靈的。」

Today, Liu Xiaobo became another “forgotten soul of 64″. Liu once said, ” In the depth of Hopelessness, the only thing that gave me hope is to remember those forgotten souls (who sacrificed their lives).” He also said that at this historic juncture, all we can do is to remember the forgotten souls in order to seek truth and justice (for their slaughter).

如今，劉曉波也成了「六四」亡靈之一。「在絕望中，唯一給予我希望的，就是記住亡靈。」 劉曉波曾經這樣說。如今我們所能做的，也就是記住亡靈，與亡靈一起尋找真相和公義。

Below is a short poem from Liu Xiaobo , about “Tiananmen Massacre”:

“Those who seeked freedom are dead and gone,

Forgotten souls lost in the midst of the struggle,

Those who negate freedom (to all) live on,

Lost souls died in turmoil and horror.

渴望自由的人死去
亡靈卻活在反抗中
逃避自由的人活着
靈魂卻死於恐懼中

Faced with extremes, all seemed empty

Pity those who faced (man’s) violent nature,

with their special kind of inner strength,

(brutality) failed to dissuade,

(because) they carry in their hearts an inner Torch,

lighting the way for a brighter future.”

面對絕對空無
面對野蠻的劫掠
有一種堅韌
巍然不動
猶如從內心取走一束光
照亮一條路——劉曉波〈六四17周年祭〉——–Poem by Liu Xiaobo (written to commemorate the 17th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre)

【一個國家囚徒】 On being a Prisoner of Conscience in China:

In 30 years of lobbying for Democratic reforms, Liu was imprisoned on 4 separate occasions, summarily serving 15 years in jail:

* From 6th June 1989 to January 1991 he was fired from his job and jailed for participating in the 1989 protest on the (euphemistically described) crimes of “passing the Counter-Revolutionary torch (against the Chinese Communist Party led government).

* From May 1995 to Jan 1996, he was jailed for the second time, for suggesting a peaceful protest about the events of 64 (Tienanmen massacre).

* From Oct 1996 to Oct 1999, Liu was jailed for the third time for expressing his opinions about the State sanctioned guidelines that addressed the issue of Taiwan and China, from the historic points of view of the two armies during the modern Chinese Civil War. When Liu was released, he continued to publish papers and ideas asking CCP Government to amend their (what Liu believed was) erroneous positions.

* From Dec 2008, Liu was arrested for the fourth time for drafting Charter’08 (the document about civil rights and governance that earned him the Nobel Peace Prize at a later date). On the 25th Dec 2009, he was charged with “Betrayal of Chinese National Interest” and sentenced to jail for 11 years. His written work “Charter’08” and 6 other publications were deemed “Unorthodox” and therefore Illegal under the Law of the People’s Republic of China.

劉曉波投身民主運動30餘載，先後四度繫獄，累計長達15年：

✽1989年6月6日至1991年1月，因參與八九民運，被以「反革命宣傳煽動罪」被捕入獄，並遭開除公職。

✽1995年5月，因提出平反「六四」第二次被囚禁，至1996年1月獲釋。✽1996年10月，因發表《雙十宣言》第三次被捕，判勞教3年。1999年10月獲釋後，繼續發表文章要求政治改革。

✽2008年12月，因參與發起《零八憲章》第四次被捕。2009年12月25日被以「煽動顛覆國家政權罪」判刑11年，所謂「罪證」是《零八憲章》和6篇文章。

【一生懺悔贖罪】Sacrificing his life for a Just Cause…

After the student protest in 1989, Liu Xiaobo was interviewed at Columbia University in the USA about his participation in various protests inside China.

On 2nd June 1989, he and three other colleagues engaged in a hunger strike for Democratic reform; they were nicknamed “The Four Noblemen”.

On the night of 3rd June, orders were given out for the army to enter the city, the four urged many students to scatter and dispel in order to mitigate the size of the bloodshed from Government violence against protesters.

After the slaughter of protesters on the 4th June, Liu hid for two days to avoid arrest, then he went to the Australian Embassy for help as his life was threatened. By 6th June, he tried to return home and was arrested en route.

八九民運爆發之際，劉曉波正在美國哥倫比亞大學訪問，在「四二六社論」發表後毅然回國參與民運。

1989年6月2日，他與侯德健、高新、周舵絕食支持學生，被稱為「天安門四君子」。6月3日晚戒嚴部隊入城，「四君子」力勸學生撤離，避免了廣場上更大的流血。

「六四」屠殺後，劉曉波躲進外交公寓兩日，婉拒去澳洲使館避難，6月6日於回家途中被捕。1991年劉曉波被判「反革命宣傳煽動罪」，但因「認罪悔罪並有重大立功表現（組織學生撤離）」免於刑事處分。

1992年他寫下懺悔錄——《末日倖存者的獨白》，坦誠自己於運動期間的英雄主義與功名心，認為自己的悔罪出賣了個人尊嚴，亦出賣「六四」亡靈的血。對於「六四」的愧疚，貫穿劉曉波一生。

【一張空凳典禮】An empty Chair for a Nobel Peace Laureate….

On the 8th October 2010, Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo in recognition for “his lifelong peaceful effort in upholding and the protection of basic Human Rights in China”.

At the award ceremony on the 10th December 2010 in Norway, Nobel Peace Laureate Liu’s absence was symbolically highlighted by An Empty Chair, placed on the stage for the world to see. It was a moving and rare image in the long history of the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony.

When Liu passed away in 2017, the Chairperson of the Nobel Peace Prize committee expressed his regret by saying, ” We understand his (Liu’s) chair will forever remain empty.” Liu Xiaobo’s death became, like his predecessor Carl von Ossietzky, another Nobel Peace Laureate who died tragically in prison.

2010年10月8日，諾貝爾評選委員會將和平獎授予劉曉波，「表彰他為爭取和維護中國基本人權所進行的長期的、非暴力的努力」。

同年12月10日，挪威奧斯陸市政廳莊嚴的台上，一張無人的椅子，一場主角缺席的頒獎禮，造就了諾貝爾和平獎史上最動人也最令人遺憾的一幕。劉曉波離世後，諾貝爾委員會主席安德森發表聲明悼念，「我們明白到這張凳將永遠留空（his chair will forever remain empty）」。

劉曉波成為繼納粹德國時期和平主義者奧西艾茲基（Carl von Ossietzky）後，在押死亡的另一位和平獎得主。

【一場死亡直播】Events leading to Liu’s death…

On the 26th June 2017, an announcement was made by the Prison in charge of Liu’s detention that he had liver cancer.

The international community of the world urged the Chinese Government to allow Liu to travel overseas to seek expert medical treatment but the Government refused without giving any reasons.

The world watched as Liu’s life slowly ebbed away. On the 13th July, Liu died from his illness and within three days his remains were ceremoniously cremated and his ashes scattered to the sea; some believed that the expedient cremation and the disposal of his remains in such a way that it left no tomb stone, was Chinese authorities’ way of preventing any protest in Liu’s name. Indeed, by scattering his ashes into the ocean, it was a way to “bury his legacy”; hoping he will be forgotten in chinese history.

2017年6月26日，遼寧省監獄管理局通報劉曉波確診末期肝癌並獲保外就醫，外界紛紛敦促中國讓劉曉波按個人意願出國就醫，但當局不予理會、嚴密監控，全世界只能看著劉曉波一點一點的死去。7月13日劉曉波病逝，當局於3日內火速將其遺體火化和海葬，打壓各地悼念活動。

【一份無盡的愛】Aspiring to Great Universal Love of Humanitarian values ….

A year after Liu Xiaobo’s death, his wife Liu Xia (who was under house arrest for as many years as he was jailed in prison) was given permission to travel to Germany by the Chinese Government. But her tortured soul finds it hard to accept the circumstances of her husband’s death.

After 11 years of being punished by association, Liu Xia suffered many symptoms of psychological and physical turmoils such as heart problems, acute depression and extreme stress from the jailing of her brother (also for 11 years). All sentences to Liu Xia and Brother of Liu were “punishment by associations” ie. they committed no crime of their own.

Chinese Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo wrote in his book titled “I have no enemy: My final testimony” he expressed his love and his regret to his wife Liu Xia. He wrote, “Even if I was grounded down (by oppression) into dust, my ashes would still embrace and comfort you.” But he also expressed a desire for a love that transcended beyond spouse and family. Liu wrote, ” My wish is that I can transcend my own extra-ordinary, personal experience of my country, in order to affect protective changes for all future Chinese societies & civilisation. I would like to use the greatest of compassion, love and kindness to dissolve the hostile and aggressive control of an autocratic government.”

Upon hearing of Liu’s death, the Mother of one who was slaughtered at Tiananmen massacre, Professor Ding Zilin said (of Liu), “Aspiring to and Attaining a greater universal love is an incomparable achievement, above all others.”

在劉曉波逝世約一年後，劉霞終於獲准前往德國，但至今無法接受丈夫離世的事實。自劉曉波2010年獲諾貝爾和平獎後，劉霞便被當局軟禁在家，患上嚴重抑鬱症、心臟病，其弟劉暉更受牽連被判刑11年。

「即使我被碾成粉末，我也會用灰燼擁抱你」，劉曉波在《我沒有敵人——我的最後陳述》裏傾訴對妻子的深情和愧疚，他的愛更超越個人和家庭，「我希望自己能夠超越個人的遭遇來看待國家的發展和社會的變化，以最大的善意對待政權的敵意，以愛化解恨。」劉曉波去世後，「天安門母親」丁子霖稱讚他「擁有的人間大愛，是世上任誰都無法比擬的」。

End of Translation.

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