NEWS

Symbol of its freedom of Hong Kong Pillar of Shame, a memorial to the victims of the Tiananmen crackdown, dismantled

ABOUT THE PILLAR OF SHAME

• There is more than one Pillar of Shame
• Series of works by Danish sculptor Jens Galschioet
• All the same height and typically made of bronze, copper and concrete.
• Erected in Hong Kong, Mexico and Brazil
• Designed to remind people of events to ensure they don’t happen again.
• The one in Hong Kong, which marks the Tiananmen crackdown, depicts a mass of torn and twisted bodies in a tall pile.
• Was erected in Hong Kong in 1997 during an annual candlelight vigil to commemorate the event.
• Exhibited at several universities in the city before being placed at the University of Hong Kong on a long-term basis.

TIANANMEN 1989

• The Tiananmen massacre, in which hundreds and possibly thousands were killed, was a pivotal moment at which a divided Communist Party leadership decided to suppress the democracy movement rather than allow it to grow.
• In the ensuing years, the party experimented with allowing villagers to vote for their local representatives, but it has maintained its monopoly on power and only those who are loyal to it are allowed to hold office.
• Hong Kong was a British colony and not part of China in 1989.