Video shows Gen Xu Qinxian explaining why he refused to deploy troops to crush 1989 student-led demonstrations

Rare footage of a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) general who defied orders to lead his troops into Tiananmen Square and crush the 1989 student protesters has been leaked online, offering a highly unusual glimpse into the upper echelons of the military at one of the most fraught moments in modern Chinese history.

General Xu Qinxian’s refusal to take his troops from the PLA’s prestigious 38th Group Army, a unit based on the outskirts of Beijing, into the capital has been the stuff of Tiananmen lore for decades.

The six-hour video recording of Gen Xu’s court martial hearing the next year sheds light on the rare act of defiance. In the video, Xu said he refused because he did not want to become “a sinner in history”.

  • wheezy@lemmy.ml
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    3 hours ago

    If you’re seeing anti China stories about literally pre Bush times - asks yourself: why?

    This is “World News?”. Wtf? No, this is historical shit that belongs in a fucking museum. (Thank you Indiana).

    Why are people commenting on China like the last 30+ years hasn’t happened? Does it make us feel good when they are absolutely dunking on us as our incompetent form of governance sends us spiraling to another financial crisis? Seriously. How the fuck is this world news?!

    Like, would we be criticizing Germany today if some new photos of the concentration camps were found?

    I’m sorry. The fact that we let this shit get posted in “world news” is just pandering to the right wings “war with China” narrative that is completely unjustifiable. Reddit levels of garbage mods.

    • Cease@mander.xyz
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      3 hours ago

      You know it’s a good article when a dumb tankie is seething in the comments

    • Eximius@lemmy.world
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      3 hours ago

      Rare footage of chinese General’s dissent being open and available is very interesting news, at least to me.

      Maybe you should unsubscribe from worldnews and subscribe to USAnews (or rather please make that community and not annoy us with USA garbage deluge).

      In many ways, you’re mostly criticizing as if this was a malicious attempt to hide current USA events and further USA foreign policy narratives. Not really seeing any USA in the article. And the factual happenings are interesting.