Wang Juntao
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Wang Juntao (; born 1958) is a Chinese dissident and democracy activist accused by the Communist government for being one of the “black hands” behind the Tiananmen Student Movement. He was listed first on the government's “six important criminals” list, and was sentenced to a thirteen-year prison term in 1991 for his alleged work of “conspiring to subvert the government and of counterrevolutionary propaganda and agitation”. Wang was released from prison for medical reasons in 1994 and has been living in exile in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.


Early life

Wang Juntao was born in
Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
on July 11, 1958, the son of a high-ranking officer in the
People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...
. He had received a standard education in communist ideology as a child, but had doubts about Communist rule later in life. On April 5, 1976, at the age of 17, Wang was imprisoned for his active participation as a leader during the April 15th movement taking place in the final year of the
Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...
. Wang was jailed for political activity most notably, for writing political poems that infuriated the leadership of the
Gang of Four The Gang of Four () was a Maoist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and were later charged with a series of treasonous crimes. The gang ...
and taking part in demonstrations commemorating the death of
Zhou Enlai Zhou Enlai (; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman and military officer who served as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, premier of the People's Republic of China from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 J ...
. After Mao's death, Wang was released from prison and devoted his life to working for the democratization of China. In 1978, Wang became an activist of the
Democracy Wall From November 1978 to December 1979, thousands of people put up " big character posters" on a long brick wall of Xidan Street, Xicheng District of Beijing, to protest about the political and social issues of China. Under acquiescence of the Chines ...
and during this period, he founded the “Beijing Zhi Chun” (''Beijing Spring'') magazine, which was derived from and influenced by the
Prague Spring The Prague Spring ( cs, Pražské jaro, sk, Pražská jar) was a period of political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected First Sec ...
of 1968. In 1988, Wang co-founded and launched China's first private institute and think tank: The Beijing Social and Economic Sciences Research Institute, also referred to as (SESRI) with his colleague and friend,
Chen Ziming Chen Ziming (8 January 1952 – 21 October 2014) and Wang Juntao were arrested in late 1989 for their involvement in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. Chinese authorities alleged they were the "black hands" behind the movement. Both C ...
. SESRI carried out studies for public or private clients, published books, and conducted opinion polls on the political attitudes of people in China, such as democracy and reform. This privatization of knowledge and analysis was a first in China, and it obtained freedom of expression without government control. Under the SESRI, the ''Weekly,'' a non-official newspaper, became an influential independent Chinese newspaper that published intellectuals’ public opinion and analysed the expression of opinions and responses to the 1989 protest. Wang was editor-in-chief of the ''Weekly'' and was also author and co-author of 24 essays that commented on the problems of economic reform, criticizing Chinese economists, and the state of economic research.


Role in Tiananmen protests

The death of
Hu Yaobang Hu Yaobang (; 20 November 1915 – 15 April 1989) was a high-ranking official of the People's Republic of China. He held the top office of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1981 to 1987, first as Chairman from 1981 to 1982, then as Gene ...
on April 15, 1989 sparked the people's movement in which Wang Juntao and Chen Ziming became furtively involved. During the early stages of the movement, the ''Weekly'' was very cautious in publishing content. However, on May 7, the ''Weekly'' published an article entitled: “To achieve political stability in social progress” – asking the government not to treat the students’ protests as a source of political turmoil, but to pay attention to political reforms, promoting anti-corruption measures, and establishing a stable situation via a new way of political thinking. After the student hunger strike began on May 13, Wang and his colleagues gave up the position of detachment and became actively involved in the student movement. Wang and Chen organized daily meetings with intellectuals, students, and journalists in hopes of influencing their protesting strategies by discussing and advising them about what to do. The institute became one of the “behind the scenes” facilitators of the student movement and were also consulted by reformers inside the government, such as
Bao Tong Bao Tong ( zh, s=鲍彤; 5 November 1932 – 9 November 2022) was a Chinese writer and activist. He was Director of the Office of Political Reform of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Policy Secretary of Zhao Z ...
. On May 22, two days after the imposition of
Martial Law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...
, Wang and Chen organized an advisory center for the students in
Tiananmen Square Tiananmen Square or Tian'anmen Square (; 天安门广场; Pinyin: ''Tiān'ānmén Guǎngchǎng''; Wade–Giles: ''Tʻien1-an1-mên2 Kuang3-chʻang3'') is a city square in the city center of Beijing, China, named after the eponymous Tiananmen (" ...
to try to persuade the students to withdraw to avoid military intervention and violence. In the aftermath of June 4, the CCP labelled Wang Juntao as one of the masterminds of the 1989 movement and placed him on China's most wanted list. Wang sought out student leaders who had vacated the square during the military advance, and wanted to smuggle them out of
Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
to help them escape; Wang Dan was among them. After three days of searching, Wang gathered them together and took them by train to Harbin where they could escape to
Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
by plane. Wang had gone into hiding in various towns around China thereafter, but was found and arrested in
Changsha Changsha (; ; ; Changshanese pronunciation: (), Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is the capital and the largest city of Hunan Province of China. Changsha is the 17th most populous city in China with a population of over 10 million, an ...
four months later while trying to purchase a train ticket during his planned escape to
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
.


Later life

Following his arrest in October 1989, Wang was held without charge for thirteen months at
Qincheng Prison The Ministry of Public Security Qincheng Prison () is a maximum-security prison located in Qincheng Village, Xingshou, Changping District, Beijing in the People's Republic of China. The prison was built in 1958 with aid from the Soviet Union ...
and was indicted with being the instigator of the “April disturbances in Beijing” and the “black hand”; he was
tried In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, ...
on February 11, 1991 and sentenced to 13 years in prison. In March 1991, Wang requested medical treatment after blood tests confirmed that he had contracted Hepatitis B and was suffering from coronary heart disease. Despite thirty written requests for care, officials insisted he was not ill and transferred Wang to punitive solitary confinement in Beijing No.2 Prison. In August 1991, Wang announced that he was going on hunger strike to protest his poor conditions and the authorities’ refusal to allow his wife for visitation. On August 13, Chen Ziming who had also been given a thirteen-year sentence, decided to join Wang in the hunger strike. Wang went on hunger strikes on twenty-one occasions from the day of his arrest to his release in April 1994 – his third and longest hunger strike lasted 58 days, during which he was force fed twice a day to keep him alive. In September 1991, the
Justice Ministry A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...
announced that Wang had been moved to a hospital in
Yanqing Prison Yanqing Prison ( zh, 延庆监狱) is a prison in Yanqing District in Beijing municipality, China. See also *List of prisons in Beijing municipality This is a list of prisons within Beijing municipality of the People's Republic of China. Many ar ...
and a spokesman acknowledged that he was suffering from hepatitis. In 1992, Wang's wife
Hou Xiaotian Hou or HOU may refer to: * -hou, a place-name element * Hou (surname) * Hou (currency) (Chinese: ), a unit of currency in Greater China * Hou (Odder Municipality), a town in Denmark * Hou (title) (Chinese: ), a title in ancient China * Denglong (m ...
took legal action challenging court rulings on valuables that were confiscated from him during the fall of 1989, and the second against Qincheng Prison where Wang was held after his arrest in October 1989, for being responsible for him contracting hepatitis. In 1993, Hou wrote a letter: “Free My Husband” to U.S. President
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
, appealing for her husband's release to the West and asking for U.S. involvement for efforts to advance
human rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...
. Under pressure from Bill Clinton and international associations and trade talks, the U.S. negotiated for Wang's release. In February 1994, the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
announced that Beijing had until June 3 to show signs of openness in terms of human rights. If not, the American government would withdraw the trade privileges that allowed China to export their products to the American market. On April 24, Wang Juntao was released from prison and taken to
Beijing airport Beijing, as the capital and one of the four municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a transport hub, with a sophisticated network of roads, railways and two major airports. Five completed ring roads encircle the city with nine ...
to be put on a flight for
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
. China announced that Wang was freed for medical reasons and would be treated in the United States, with no intentions of letting him return to China. Wang Juntao has been living in the U.S. since 1994, and resides in Flushing, Queens, New York. In 1997, Wang completed his master's degree at
Harvard university Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
for Public Administration, and in 2006, he completed his PhD in Political Science Government at
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wang, Juntao 1958 births Living people Chinese dissidents People from Beijing Peking University alumni Harvard Kennedy School alumni Columbia University alumni Chinese emigrants to the United States