Jiang Jielian | |
|---|---|
| 蒋捷连 | |
 Jiang in 1989. | |
| Born | June 2, 1972 |
| Died | June 3, 1989 (aged 17) Building No. 29 Fuxingmenwai Street, Beijing |
| Cause of death | Killed by People's Liberation Army Units during 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Alma mater | High School Affiliated to Renmin University |
| Occupation(s) | Student, activist |
| Known for | One of the first victims of the Tiananmen square crackdown |
| Movement | June 4th Movement |
| Mother | Ding Zilin |
Jiang Jielian (Chinese: 蒋捷连; pinyin: Jiǎng Jiélián; June 2, 1972 – June 3, 1989) was a second-year student at the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China.[1] He was killed by People’s Liberation Army (PLA) behind a flower bed in front of Building 29, on the north side of Fuwai Street, Muxidi, Beijing, at the age of 17 when PLA units advanced on Tiananmen Square to crack down on the student-led demonstrations.[1] After the June 4 massacre, Jiang was the first casualty of high school age whose death was acknowledged in internal bulletins by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) authorities.[1] According to the authorities, Jiang was one of "more than two hundreds" of Beijing citizens who got shot or killed while trying to stop the PLA units from entering Beijing on the night of June 3, 1989. The real figure remained unknown but predicted as at least seven times higher.[2] Jiang's death also triggered the Tiananmen Mothers movement, which was initiated and organized by Jiang's parents, Jiang Peikun and Ding Zilin, both of whom were professors at Renmin University of China.[3] During an interview with a Canadian journalist on June 4, 1993, Ding said, "My government called him a rioter but he was not. He was a student who only had the idea of democracy".[4]
- ^ a b c "Testimony of Ding Zilin, Mother of Jiang Jielian," last modified April, 2016, Human Rights in China, http://www.hrichina.org/en/testimony-ding-zilin-mother-jiang-jielian.
- ^ Andrew Higgins, "Lie Which Pushes Parents to Seek the Truth", The Hamilton Spectator, June 4, 1991, Foreign news page, 10, from lexisnexis.com.
- ^ Marle Goldman, From comrade to Citizen: The Struggle for Political Rights in China (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2007), 69.
- ^ Reuters, "Woman Mourns Son Amid Ashes of Tiananmen Square". Hamilton Spectator, June 4, 1993, A8, from lexisnexis.com.