Exclusive: The Lost Images of 1989 Tiananmen Massacre
A Chinese state media photographer followed the pro-democracy movement in Tiananmen Square from its beginning, taking more than 2,000 photos that documented the protests from their first spontaneous, hopeful days to their bloody suppression.
The photos were shut inside a metal box for decades.
Following the 1989 Tiananmen massacre, the photographer hid them away.
The rolls of film were then secretly transported to the United States. They were recently entrusted to The Epoch Times, which selected more than 1,100 of them to commemorate the massacre’s 37th anniversary.
The bloodshed in Tiananmen Square has remained a taboo subject in China, with the Chinese regime tightening security around the landmark and blocking dissidents from marking the incident.
Chinese police have also harassed and intimidated individuals both in China and overseas over the photos’ release. Among the targets were citizens of the United States and Canada.
But coercion can only go so far, said one of the sources familiar with the situation.
“It can make threats and inflict pain on people and their loved ones, but people have a soul, and that it can never kill,” the source said.
The source said they view The Epoch Times as the only media outlet they could trust with the photos, and the one publication that can “bring the truth to light.”
In making the photos public, the sources said they hope to fulfil one of the last wishes of the photographer, and inspire others.
The photos are a testament that “Chinese people have guts,” the source said.
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