Wu'erkaixi
Encyclopedia
Wu'erkaixi was a Mainland Chinese
student leader of Uyghur
ethnicity in the Tiananmen protests of 1989. He was born in Beijing, but listed as a native of Yili
, Xinjiang Autonomous Region. He achieved prominence while studying at Beijing Normal University
as a hunger strike
r who rebuked Chinese Premier
Li Peng
on national television. He now resides in Taiwan
.
, Beijing, in late April 1989, after he founded an independent student’s association at Beijing Normal University
. He quickly emerged as one of the most outspoken student leaders as the size of crowds increased. According to Eddie Cheng, at a hastily convened meeting to form the Beijing Students Autonomous Federation and elect its leader, Zhou Yongjun of the University of Political Science and Law narrowly defeated Wu'erkaixi to be its first president.
Upon meeting Premier Li Peng for the first time in May 1989, in an encounter recorded on national television, Wu'erkaixi interrupted Li during his introduction, saying “I understand it is quite rude of me to interrupt you, Premier, but there are people sitting out there in the square, being hungry, as we sit here and exchange pleasantries. We are only here to discuss concrete matters, sir.” After being interrupted by Li, who said that he was being somewhat impolite, Wu'erkaixi continued. “Sir, you said you are here late [because of traffic congestion]... we’ve actually been calling you to talk to us since 22 April. It’s not that you are late, it’s that you’re here too late. But that’s fine. It’s good that you are able to come here at all...”
, and then studied at Harvard University
in the United States. He failed to graduate from Harvard University. Afterward he emigrated to Taiwan
, where he has started a family. He was a talk show host for a local radio station from 1998 to 2001.
He also appears frequently on television programs as a political commentator, although his stand points has been defending the growing democracy in the island, and promoting civil society, but because his strong criticism toward the ruling party DPP, he was seen as a "Pan Blue" supporter; He has also been reported as a “reunificationist” who supports the idea of “One China Under Democracy” (that is, the reunification
of mainland China
and Taiwan under a democratic political system, which has been touted by the Pan-Blue Coalition
in the past). There were reports by the “pan green” media suggest that he has expressed his hope of taking part in Legislative Yuan
elections as a representative of Kuomintang
, and was not nominated as one of the party’s candidates, however, that report was strongly denied by himself, and there has been no proof found for the story.
He has written many articles in Chinese and English and was published by prominent media including the Wall Street Journal, the Guardian and Far Eastern Economic Review. His essay "China Mocks the Spirits of the Olympics" has won the Human Rights Press Awards Special Merit Award.
He has worked as CEO of an internet Chinese article digest and portal company; served as vice general manager of an internet based broadcasting company; COO of an internet incubation company; and co-founder for a multi-media management software company. From 2006, he was recruit by an international investment fund to run their Taiwan based Asia Pacific operation for his high tech corporate finance back ground.
After 20 years, he is still the second most wanted person in mainland China for his role at Tiananmen. On 3 June 2009, he arrived in Macao on transit to mainland China intending to surrender and clear his name in court. The Macao authorities refused to arrest him and had him deported to Taiwan.
In 2009, Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou
praised the progress on human rights in China in his comment on the 20th anniversary of the Tian'anmen incident of 1989. Wu'erkaixi criticized the comment of Ma, saying that he could not understand what progess on human rights Ma meant.
On June 4, 2010, he was arrested by the Japanese police in Tokyo, when he tried to force his way into the Chinese Embassy in order to turn himself in. He was released two days later without charge.
Mainland Chinese
Mainland Chinese or Mainlanders are Chinese people who live in a region considered a "mainland". It is frequently used in the context of areas ruled by the People's Republic of China, referring to people from Mainland China as opposed to other areas controlled by the state such as Hong Kong or...
student leader of Uyghur
Uyghur people
The Uyghur are a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia. Today, Uyghurs live primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China...
ethnicity in the Tiananmen protests of 1989. He was born in Beijing, but listed as a native of Yili
Yili
Yili may refer to:*Yili , Chinese classic text*Yili Group, company of dairy industry in China*Yili horse, small horse from the north-western Xinjiang region of China*Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, in northernmost Xinjiang, China...
, Xinjiang Autonomous Region. He achieved prominence while studying at Beijing Normal University
Beijing Normal University
Beijing Normal University , colloqiually known as 北师大 or Beishida, is a public research university located in Beijing with strong emphasis on basic disciplines of humanities and sciences...
as a hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
r who rebuked Chinese Premier
Premier of the People's Republic of China
The Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China , sometimes also referred to as the "Prime Minister" informally, is the Leader of the State Council of the People's Republic of China , who is the head of government and holds the highest-ranking of the Civil service of the...
Li Peng
Li Peng
Li Peng served as the fourth Premier of the People's Republic of China, between 1987 and 1998, and the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislative body, from 1998 to 2003. For much of the 1990s Li was ranked second in the Communist Party of China ...
on national television. He now resides in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
.
Protests and dicussions
Wu'erkaixi arrived on scene in Tiananmen SquareTiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square is a large city square in the center of Beijing, China, named after the Tiananmen Gate located to its North, separating it from the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square is the third largest city square in the world...
, Beijing, in late April 1989, after he founded an independent student’s association at Beijing Normal University
Beijing Normal University
Beijing Normal University , colloqiually known as 北师大 or Beishida, is a public research university located in Beijing with strong emphasis on basic disciplines of humanities and sciences...
. He quickly emerged as one of the most outspoken student leaders as the size of crowds increased. According to Eddie Cheng, at a hastily convened meeting to form the Beijing Students Autonomous Federation and elect its leader, Zhou Yongjun of the University of Political Science and Law narrowly defeated Wu'erkaixi to be its first president.
Upon meeting Premier Li Peng for the first time in May 1989, in an encounter recorded on national television, Wu'erkaixi interrupted Li during his introduction, saying “I understand it is quite rude of me to interrupt you, Premier, but there are people sitting out there in the square, being hungry, as we sit here and exchange pleasantries. We are only here to discuss concrete matters, sir.” After being interrupted by Li, who said that he was being somewhat impolite, Wu'erkaixi continued. “Sir, you said you are here late [because of traffic congestion]... we’ve actually been calling you to talk to us since 22 April. It’s not that you are late, it’s that you’re here too late. But that’s fine. It’s good that you are able to come here at all...”
Post-1989
After the protests, Wu'erkaixi was put on China's list of people most wanted for the demonstrators. He fled to France through Hong Kong under the aegis of Operation YellowbirdOperation Yellowbird
Operation Yellowbird or Operation Siskin , was a Hong Kong-based operation to help the Chinese dissidents who participated in Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 to escape arrest by the PRC government by facilitating their departure overseas via Hong Kong.After China's government announced the ...
, and then studied at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in the United States. He failed to graduate from Harvard University. Afterward he emigrated to Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, where he has started a family. He was a talk show host for a local radio station from 1998 to 2001.
He also appears frequently on television programs as a political commentator, although his stand points has been defending the growing democracy in the island, and promoting civil society, but because his strong criticism toward the ruling party DPP, he was seen as a "Pan Blue" supporter; He has also been reported as a “reunificationist” who supports the idea of “One China Under Democracy” (that is, the reunification
Chinese reunification
Chinese reunification refers to the bringing together of all of the territories controlled by the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China under a single political entity...
of mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
and Taiwan under a democratic political system, which has been touted by the Pan-Blue Coalition
Pan-Blue Coalition
The Pan-Blue Coalition 泛藍聯盟 or Pan-Blue Force is a political alliance in the Republic of China , consisting of the Kuomintang , the People First Party , and the New Party . The name comes from the party colours of the Kuomintang...
in the past). There were reports by the “pan green” media suggest that he has expressed his hope of taking part in Legislative Yuan
Legislative Yuan
The Legislative Yuan is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China .The Legislative Yuan is one of the five branches of government stipulated by the Constitution of the Republic of China, which follows Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People...
elections as a representative of Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
, and was not nominated as one of the party’s candidates, however, that report was strongly denied by himself, and there has been no proof found for the story.
He has written many articles in Chinese and English and was published by prominent media including the Wall Street Journal, the Guardian and Far Eastern Economic Review. His essay "China Mocks the Spirits of the Olympics" has won the Human Rights Press Awards Special Merit Award.
He has worked as CEO of an internet Chinese article digest and portal company; served as vice general manager of an internet based broadcasting company; COO of an internet incubation company; and co-founder for a multi-media management software company. From 2006, he was recruit by an international investment fund to run their Taiwan based Asia Pacific operation for his high tech corporate finance back ground.
After 20 years, he is still the second most wanted person in mainland China for his role at Tiananmen. On 3 June 2009, he arrived in Macao on transit to mainland China intending to surrender and clear his name in court. The Macao authorities refused to arrest him and had him deported to Taiwan.
In 2009, Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou is the 12th term and current President of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, and the Chairman of the Kuomintang Party, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party. He formerly served as Justice Minister from 1993 to 1996, Mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006, and Chairman...
praised the progress on human rights in China in his comment on the 20th anniversary of the Tian'anmen incident of 1989. Wu'erkaixi criticized the comment of Ma, saying that he could not understand what progess on human rights Ma meant.
On June 4, 2010, he was arrested by the Japanese police in Tokyo, when he tried to force his way into the Chinese Embassy in order to turn himself in. He was released two days later without charge.
External links
- Wu’erkaixi’s blog and some
- Witnessing Tiananmen: Student talks fail - BBC interview