By Chen Guangcheng
On June 4, 1989, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) sent tanks and machine guns into the streets of Beijing to massacre students and citizens who had gathered peacefully to call for an end to official corruption and profiteering. They demanded constitutional government, democracy, and freedom. Thirty-six years have passed since that horrific crackdown on the Tiananmen pro-democracy movement.
And yet, the people living under CCP rule still seem to be caught in a kind of curse—struggling beneath the weight of tyranny, unable to break free from the chains of authoritarianism.
Since the first gunshot rang out on June 4th, the regime has only deepened its grip. In the past 36 years, the Party’s corruption has evolved from covert theft to outright robbery. While the authorities continue to pay lip service to the “rule of law,” they brazenly seize land, loot the wealth of ordinary citizens, and commit abuse after abuse. The people resist, but they are trampled and discarded—treated like “chives to be harvested” or “human mines” to be exploited.
Still, the people have not given up.
In the 1990s, they petitioned for justice. Some tried to form political parties—and were harshly sentenced. After 2000, the rights defense movement tried to push the CCP to abide by its own laws. Their reward? Disappearances. Abductions. Torture in secret “black jails.”
But over time, aided by modern technology and the internet—and constant friction with the regime—the public’s awareness has begun to awaken.
Then came the 709 Crackdown: a clear turning point. With it, the CCP tore away its mask and openly declared war on the very concept of the rule of law. It shredded the Sino-British Joint Declaration and imposed repressive national security laws, gutting Hong Kong’s autonomy and freedoms. During the disastrous three-year lockdown, the regime showed complete disregard for human life, prioritizing control over survival.
Now, many who once believed in the illusion of “peaceful times” are waking up to the truth: the Communist dictatorship is the root of all evil. Hoping that the CCP will voluntarily return power to the people is as foolish as trying to bargain with a tiger for its skin.
Even the international community is beginning to reflect on decades of “raising a tiger as a pet” in their policies toward China.
Across the country, symbolic echoes of rebellion are returning. The specter of Zhang Xianzhong—a historical figure associated with mass cruelty—looms again. Rebellious poems by Huang Chao are spreading like wildfire. The people’s rage is real, and the idea of resisting the CCP by force is no longer taboo—it is being seriously considered.
Anyone who has seen the 2005 video of Professor Ai Xiaoming, from Sun Yat-sen University, being chased by regime thugs knows the truth. In the video, one man drives a motorcycle while another sits behind him, beating her with a club. All the while, the police watch passively. Anyone who still talks about “peace, reason, and nonviolence” with these people will be seen as naïve—because such tactics have no effect on tyrants who recognize only power.
We must now confront the hard question: what is the most effective way to eliminate the tyranny of the CCP?
The answer lies in marrying theory with practice—developing real strategies and tactics that can bring authoritarian rule to an end. If the right method is employed, and we give our all, we can achieve true liberation.
Even if those calling for armed resistance are not soldiers or generals, they recognize a basic truth: military force remains the most effective means of protecting oneself, striking at the enemy, and securing victory.
So when critics respond, “If you support armed resistance, go pick up a gun and fight the CCP yourself,” they miss the point entirely. That’s like saying, “If you think surgery is the best way to remove a bullet, go operate on yourself.” You don’t have to be a surgeon to understand that surgery is necessary—and if someone can’t afford surgery, the problem isn’t the method, but the resources.
People who still insist on debating whether nonviolence or force is more effective are simply being academic—less perceptive than the farmers I’ve met in the countryside.
As we mark the 36th anniversary of June 4th, let us not only mourn the victims of that massacre, but also face reality with clear eyes. If we are serious about ending Communist tyranny, we must begin to think concretely and realistically about how an armed movement might take shape. Transforming rising public anger in the occupied zones into a force capable of tearing down the CCP may be the path forward—and a necessary one.
About the Author: Chen Guangcheng is a blind human rights lawyer from Shandong, China. From 2005 to 2012, he was placed under house arrest and later imprisoned by the Chinese Communist Party. In 2006, TIME Magazine named him one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. After escaping house arrest in 2012, he relocated to the United States following diplomatic negotiations. He currently serves as a research fellow at the Center for Human Rights at The Catholic University of America.