defender_of_the_republic
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Defender of the Republic
Defender of the Republic (共和国卫士, Gònghéguó Wèishì) is a medal that was awarded to People's Liberation Army personnel who were seriously injured or killed while quelling the 1989 protests. They were given to 37 people in five batches, with 15 martyrs and 22 survivors.
List of martyrs
It should be noted that the 1989 protests in the People's Republic of China weren't necessarially limited to Beijing, but most of the soldiers died enforcing martial law in Beijing. The common name is also a misnomer as most of the deaths occurred several streets away from Tiananmen Square, which just tells us that the entire city was under martial law, not just the city square where people left their bikes.
| Name | Date and time | Cause of death |
|---|---|---|
| Liú Guógēng 刘国庚 | 1989-06-04 near 4:00am | West Chang'an St. & Xidan St. The 63rd Group Army's platoon leader, attacked by protestors. He was photographed as the charred corpse with the hat, intestines spilling out by a stick, and lynched from a bus that had been set on fire. |
| Wáng Qífù 王其富 | 1989-06-04 near 1:10am | West Chang'an St. & Cuiwei Rd. The 38th Group Army's truck had flipped over and the six passengers were burned alive. |
| Lǐ Qiáng 李强 |
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| Dù Huáiqìng 杜怀庆 |
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| Lǐ Dòngguó 李栋国 |
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| Wáng Xiǎobīng 王小兵 |
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| Xú Rújūn 徐如军 |
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| Cuī Guózhèng 崔国政 | 1989-06-04 near 4:40am | Chongwenmen Overpass. The 39th Group Army solider whose vehicle had been attacked by protestors. He was photographed as the charred corpse who was lynched from the overpass with the arm still on the rope. |
| Mǎ Guóxuǎn 马国选 | 1989-06-04 near 1:00am | ??? → Beijing People's Hospital. The 54th Group Army platoon leader who was seriously injured and died at a hospital. He had some very interesting last words to say.1) |
| Wáng Jǐnwěi 王锦伟 | 1989-06-04 near 4:30am | The 54th Group Army lieutenant officer. Cause of death is unknown. |
| Lǐ Guóruì 李国瑞 | 1989-06-04 near 5:00am | Fuchengmen Overpass → Beijing People's Hospital. Second detachment of the Beijing Armed Police Force. He was seriously injured at the Fuchengmen Overpass and died at the hospital. |
| Liú Yànpō 刘艳坡 | 1989-06-04 near 1:00am | West Chang'an St. & Xidan St. → Beijing People's Hospital. First detachment of the Beijing Armed Police Force. He was seriously injured at the intersection and died at the hospital. |
| Yú Rónglù 于荣禄 | 1989-06-04 near 2:00am | The 39th Group Army major. Cause of death is unknown. |
| Zāng Lìjié 臧立杰 | 1989-06-07 | Jianguomen Overpass. The 39th Group Army soldier. He was reportedly hit by a bullet in the face while the group was ambushed by shooters at the Jianguomen Outer Diplomatic Residence and Lunan Building. |
| Wáng Jǐngshēng 王景生 | 1989-07-04 | The 24th Group Army platoon leader who had a heart attack while on patrol, likely overworked himself to death within the past month. |
Related media
- Flying, the Flag of the Republic (飘扬，共和国的旗帜) - The four-episode news documentary that was first shown to the public at the National Art Museum of China on July 28, 1989.
- Defender of the Republic (共和国卫士), Song of the Defender of the Republic (共和国卫士之歌) - The two books that were released in August 1989 and October 1989 respectively.
External links
1)
It was reported that Mǎ Guóxuǎn's final words were “We are soldiers of the people. We did not enter the city to suppress students, and we will never shoot at the people.” (我们是人民的子弟兵，我们进城不是镇压学生的，也决不向人民开枪。), which were murmured in a weak voice.
defender_of_the_republic.txt · Last modified: 2023-07-10 22:20:56 by namelessrumia