The 20th anniversary of  the student-led pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square is not something the youth of China are thinking much about. To them the historic demonstrations and the bloodshed there are part of the past and not something they want to dwell on. However, one can’t help but wonder if this supposed apathy for the history of their country is genuine or is the result of extreme censorship by the Chinese government.

All information on the 1989 events is being censored on the Internet so even if young people wanted to research what happened they would have a hard time doing so. One also has to wonder if all the suppression of information is also helping to create the strong sense of patriotism amongst young people.  Many of the young people who spoke up about their lack of feelings towards Tiananmen proclaimed a blind trust in their government.  They even said they supported the censorship.

This is a strange thing to hear but makes sense when you consider the threat the government could pose to many young people’s middle class lifestyles.  It remains to be seen how the recession will affect young people’s view of their country and government.  For now though it seems the Tiananmen anniversary will go on unnoticed.

*photo by d’n'c (CC)