By Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Oct 6: A controversial move by China has captured global attention, as the host country for the Asian Games 2023 has banned a photograph portraying two Chinese athletes embracing during the games. The ban was enforced due to an unintended reference to the Tiananmen Square massacre in the image after it sparked discussions among Chinese internet users.
In a unique coincidence, during their 100m hurdles race, the two female athletes, Lin Yuwei and Wu Yanni were assigned lanes 6 and 4, respectively. As they embraced each other after the race, their lane numbers inadvertently formed the number “64.”
The combination of lane numbers 6 and 4, which formed “64” as an inadvertent reference during the embrace between Ms. Lin and Ms. Wu, carries significant symbolism within China. It is a subtle allusion to the highly sensitive historical event of June 4, 1989, known as the Tiananmen Square massacre. This event is annually subject to censorship and strict control as the month of June approaches, reflecting the Chinese government’s efforts to manage discussions and information related to this historically significant and sensitive incident.
When users of Weibo, a platform similar to Twitter, congratulated Ms. Lin for her gold medal win in the 100m hurdles race and shared posts featuring the photo of the two female athletes embracing, these posts were later replaced with grey squares. This alteration of content, many say, suggests that the Chinese authorities swiftly censored the posts to prevent the circulation of the photograph and any discussions or references related to the sensitive “64” symbolism associated with the Tiananmen Square massacre.
While there are efforts to censor the photo and related posts on social media platforms like Weibo, the image has not been entirely removed from the internet. Some Chinese news articles still display the photo of the two athletes.
The events of the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and the subsequent crackdown by the Chinese Communist Party resulted in the tragic loss of hundreds of lives and left thousands of civilians wounded. The event remains a significant and sensitive chapter in Chinese history, with ongoing discussions and debates about the government’s response and the need for accountability and transparency surrounding the incident.
One Response
China was furious when dalai lama hugged Desmond tutu. They hayed it when dalai lama kissed a boy in blessings. Now they have it when two people just hugged, to show support to one another.
Is ccp anti-touch? Do they not want two human beings to show love and affection to one another? They are mimicking western culture where joint family structures and show of affection were phased out as abusive in favour of liberal values of capitalism, where individuals are simply work horses for mncs.