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Wang Dan ( zh, c=王丹; born 26 February 1969) is a leader of the Chinese democracy movement and was one of the most visible student leaders in the
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 The Tiananmen Square protests, known within China as the June Fourth Incident, were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, lasting from 15 April to 4 June 1989. After weeks of unsuccessful attempts between t ...
. He holds a PhD in history from
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
, and from August 2009 to February 2010, Wang taught cross-strait history at
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
's
National Chengchi University National Chengchi University () is a public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. First established in Nanjing in 1927, the university was subsequently reestablished in 1954 in Taiwan as the first reestablished "National University". The u ...
as a visiting scholar. He then taught at
National Tsing Hua University National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) is a public research university in Hsinchu, Taiwan. It was first founded in Beijing. After the Chinese Civil War, president Mei Yiqi and other academics relocated with the retreating Nationalist government to ...
until 2015. Besides conducting research on related topics, Wang is an activist promoting democracy in China. Based in the United States, he travels the world to garner support from
Overseas Chinese Overseas Chinese people are Chinese people, people of Chinese origin who reside outside Greater China (mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan). As of 2011, there were over 40.3 million overseas Chinese. As of 2023, there were 10.5 milli ...
communities as well as from the public at large.


Biography

Wang Dan was born in 1969. He was a politically active student at the
Peking University Peking University (PKU) is a Public university, public Types of universities and colleges in China#By designated academic emphasis, university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of the Peop ...
department of history, organizing "Democracy Salons" at his school. When he participated in the student movement that led to the 1989 protests, he joined the movement's organizing body as the representative from Peking University. As a result, after the Tiananmen Square protests, he immediately became the "most wanted" on the list of 21 fugitives issued. Wang went into hiding but was arrested on 2 July the same year, and sentenced to four years imprisonment in 1991. After being released on parole in 1993, he continued to write publicly (to publications outside of mainland China) and was re-arrested in 1995 for conspiring to overthrow the
Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...
SCMP.
Dissident to apply for visa to visit Hong Kong
, ''
South China Morning Post The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remaine ...
''. Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
and was sentenced in 1996 to 11 years. However he was released early and exiled to the United States of America (see below). Wang resumed his university studies, starting school at
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
in 1998 and completing his master's in East Asian history in 2001 and a Ph.D. in 2008. He also performed research on the development of democracy in Taiwan at
Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...
in 2009. He is currently the chairman of the Chinese Constitutional Reform Association. Wang was interviewed and appeared in the
documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...
'' The Beijing Crackdown'' and the movie '' Moving the Mountain'', about the Tiananmen Square protests. He also featured prominently in Shen Tong's book '' Almost a Revolution''. He was banned from setting foot on
mainland China "Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...
with his passport expiring in 2003. He attempted to visit Hong Kong in 2004, but was rejected. At that time, he was invited by the
Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China ( zh, link=no, t=香港市民支援愛國民主運動聯合會; abbr. ; ) was a pro-democracy organisation that was established on 21 May 1989 in the then British Hon ...
to talk about politics ahead of the 15th anniversary of the June 4 crackdown. Due to a typhoon, Wang finally landed in Hong Kong for the first time in 2012, though he was confined to the airport's restricted zone as he had no Hong Kong visa.


Arrest and incarceration

Following the
People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...
's crackdown on the protests, Wang was placed on a list of the 21 most wanted student leaders of the protests.Wang Dan. "Twenty Years after Tiananmen". ''New Perspectives Quarterly''. 2009. Accessed Through Wiley-Blackwell. Imprisoned on 2 July 1989, Wang spent nearly two years in custody before his trial in 1991.Wang Dan and Xinran. 2009. "Tiananmen Remembered". ''Index on Censorship''. Accessed From Informaworld. Wang was charged with spreading counterrevolutionary propaganda and incitement. He was sentenced to 4 years in prison; a relatively mild sentence compared to other political prisoners in China at this time. This short sentence was thought to be caused by two things: the government was unsure of what to do with so many students, and felt pressure due to their high-profile nature.David Aikman, "Wang Dan’s Witness" The Weekly Standard. June 22, 1998. Retrieved from LexisNexis. While incarcerated, Wang spent two years at Qincheng Prison, known for its high number of political prisoners. Despite the usual cramped conditions, because of his high-profile case, Wang was given his own cell. Wang was released in 1993, just months before the end of his sentence. Wang Dan himself has noted this was most likely related to
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
’s first bid for the
Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...
since he and 19 other political prisoners were released only a month before the
International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...
was to visit.Wang Dan. "Rebuild China with an Olympic Amnesty" New Perspectives Quarterly. 2008. Almost immediately after his release in 1993 Wang began to promote democracy in China and contacted exiled political activists in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. He was arrested for a second time in May 1995, two months after an interview with the US based anti-communist periodical Beijing Spring. In this interview he states: "We should clear a new path and devote ourselves to building a civil society by focusing our efforts on social movements, not political movements, self-consciously maintaining a distance from political power and political organs." Wang was held in custody for 17 months before receiving the charge of "plotting to overthrow the government", and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. Instead of serving his entire sentence, he was released in 1998, ostensibly for "medical reasons" and was sent immediately to the US where he was examined in hospital, and quickly released to live in the United States as an exiled political activist. His release and move to the United States followed an agreement between the United States and China whereby the United States removed its support for a resolution criticizing China at the
United Nations Commission on Human Rights The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) was a functional commission within the United Nations System, overall framework of the United Nations from 1946 until it was replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006. It was a ...
, and in return China released political prisoners such as Wang.


Exile in the United States

Not long after Wang arrived in the United States, he began to criticize the Chinese government once again. Wang believes the CCP must change its ways, and in an interview with the US magazine
The Weekly Standard ''The Weekly Standard'' was an American neoconservative political magazine of news, analysis, and commentary that was published 48 times per year. Originally edited by founders Bill Kristol and Fred Barnes, the ''Standard'' was described as a ...
he states: "The key to democracy in China is independence. My country needs independent intellectuals, independent economic actors, independent spirits." Wang received his PhD from
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
in 2008, and continues to be actively involved in fighting for change in China. Two of his works include: "20 years after Tiananmen" which takes a look at how economic change has affected the Chinese people, and contains suggestions for social and human rights changes. Wang also wrote "Rebuild China with an Olympic Amnesty" after his arrival in the United States; the document has a more positive outlook, as he felt international events such as the Olympic Games could shed light on human rights issues in China. In 2007, Wang's second sentence expired, and he was officially "released". The certificate for his release was issued to his parents on 2 October 2007.


Activism and education work

Wang has been productive in the years after his release from China. Wang has been able to publish articles such as "Rebuild China with an Olympic Amnesty" and "20 years after Tiananmen" as well as give public interviews. His exile in the United States allowed him to attend Harvard University to finish his education, obtaining a history degree. He also became chairman of the Chinese Constitutional Reform Association. Wang taught PRC history at
National Tsing Hua University National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) is a public research university in Hsinchu, Taiwan. It was first founded in Beijing. After the Chinese Civil War, president Mei Yiqi and other academics relocated with the retreating Nationalist government to ...
in
Hsinchu Hsinchu (, ), officially Hsinchu City, is a city located in northwestern Taiwan. It is the most populous city in Taiwan that is not a special municipality, with estimated 450,655 inhabitants. Hsinchu is a coastal city bordering the Taiwan ...
,
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
from 2010 to 2015. While he was teaching a class in November 2010, a woman carrying a knife entered the room, intending to stab Wang. He was able to remove the knife from the woman before she was able to stab him. He believes that "this was the first time he faced what looked like an attempt on his life". The woman had allegedly been stalking Wang for three years. According to a Chinese language article from
Radio Free Asia Radio Free Asia (RFA) is a news service that publishes online news, information, commentary and broadcasts radio programs for its audiences in Asia. The service, which provides editorially independent reporting, has the stated mission of pro ...
, as of July 2009, Wang has a Facebook page that he hopes to use to communicate with people in mainland China. Wang is a member of the
WikiLeaks WikiLeaks () is a non-profit media organisation and publisher of leaked documents. It is funded by donations and media partnerships. It has published classified documents and other media provided by anonymous sources. It was founded in 2006 by ...
advisory board. Wang sits on the board of trustees for the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation (CFHK).


Payments from Chen Shui-bian

In April 2011, news media reported that Wang testified in court that he had received two grants from the
Chen Shui-bian Chen Shui-bian ( zh, t=陳水扁; born 12 October 1950) is a Taiwanese former politician and lawyer who served as the fifth president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2000 to 2008. Chen was the first president from the Democratic Progres ...
administration totaling US$400,000 and that the source of the money was not clear. Wang responded that the reports of him having received US$400,000 are false. Later, Wang said, "The report f the Central News Agencyis misleading. What we accepted is the Republic of China's government's funding of the overseas Democracy Movement. Well, if it is said to be Chen Shui-bian's personal support, then I think this is not in line with the facts. ..What he represents is not himself, but the government of the Republic of China." In April 2022, Chen disclosed 21 cases of "Guowu Jiyao Fei", including two payments to Wang Dan, totaling 6.6 million NTD. Chen disclosed that Wang Dan was paid US$200,000 after meeting him. Wang came to the Presidential Palace to talk to Chen. Chen also allocated US$200,000 to be paid in two years to Wang. However, Chen said that U.S. law stipulates that it is not allowed to accept foreign government funding. In order to help Wang, the government used many people. Wang admitted this in a secret court, although receiving money from a foreign government is illegal in the United States.


Donation for brain tumor

In 2014, Wang Dan wrote on Facebook that he suspected having a brain tumor and requested the Taiwanese government to let him go to Taiwan. Dissidents Tang Baiqiao and Feng Congde accused him of deceiving the public.


Sexual misconduct allegations

In 2023, a Taiwanese man named Lee Yuan-chun said in a social media post that Wang Dan had kissed and attempted to rape him in a hotel room in Flushing, New York in 2014, when Lee was 19 years old. He said he persuaded Wang to stop, but that Wang subjected him to lewd remarks in the following days. Lee subsequently filed a criminal complaint towards Wang alleging attempted rape, while Wang said Lee's allegations were unfounded. Nearly a year after the 2024 incident, Lee Yuan-chun received a 'Non-Prosecution Notice' from the Taipei District Prosecutors Office and publicly shared partial screenshots of the notice on Facebook. The notice indicated that, based on Lee's testimony, chat records of his confiding in others, and personal trauma-related posts he had made on Facebook around the anniversary of the
1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre The Tiananmen Square protests, known within China as the June Fourth Incident, were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, lasting from 15 April to 4 June 1989. After weeks of unsuccessful attempts between t ...
each year, the prosecutors concluded that Wang Dan's act of forceful kissing was established and constituted a suspected offense of forcible indecency. However, the prosecutors determined they lacked jurisdiction over non-Republic of China nationals accused of crimes committed abroad and therefore decided not to prosecute. Furthermore, the notice ruled that Wang Dan's testimony and his witnesses' statements could not be admitted as evidence in his favor. In response, Wang Dan issued a statement upon receiving the notice, claiming that he had received a 'Non-Prosecution Notice' signed by the prosecutor citing 'insufficient evidence' among other reasons. The National Tsing Hua University where Wang worked until 2017 decided to launch an investigation in response, contacted his students from the past 13 years, and cancelled his lectures in the upcoming semester in the university's school of sociology out of concern for his students. An investigative report by
Deutsche Welle (; "German Wave"), commonly shortened to DW (), is a German state-funded television network, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the Federal Government of Germany. The service is available in 32 languages. DW's satellite tele ...
published in July 2023 mentioned further accusations against Wang regarding assault and sexual harassment.


Zoom blocking

An event hosted by Wang on Zoom in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
was interrupted on 3 June 2020, with his Zoom account being blocked. This led to US lawmakers asking Zoom Video Communications to clarify their relationship with China regarding freedom of speech. Zoom apologized, explaining that the company was puzzled with requests from China regarding blocking, but they would not repeat the practice of blocking outside of China.


Political positions


Looking back at Tiananmen

Wang Dan felt there were many things that could have been changed about the movement, and he has raised these issues, both during and after the movement. In an interview with
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
published 2 June 1989, Wang states, "I think that the student movements in the future should be firmly based on something solid, such as the democratization of campus life or the realization of civil rights according to the Constitution,… Otherwise, the result is chaos." Another issue Wang raises is the involvement of intellectuals in the movement, expressed in the Times interview as well as a 2008 interview titled "Tiananmen Remembered". In this source he believes that intellectuals were not used early enough in the movement, and their involvement may have changed the course of events. Despite pointing out failures, Wang feels the protests affected the mentality of many Chinese people, arguing the hunger strike was necessary as it allowed greater attention on the movement. In addition to this, Wang feels that the crackdown, and the promotion of democracy garnered the attention of the entire nation and educated people on democracy, which was a new idea for many Chinese people.


Democracy

Wang has stated that "the pursuit of wealth is part of the impetus for democracy". He believed that the Tiananmen Square movement "is not ready for worker participation because democracy must first be absorbed by the students and intellectuals before they can spread it to others".


On China's economic development

At a press conference in
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
on 31 May 2009, Wang commented on the so-called "Beijing Doctrine": "For the sake of economic improvement, everything can be done, even killing people ... uch a doctrine shows thatthe Tiananmen Massacre is still going on, only in different ways: it was the students' lives being taken physically in 1989, but it is the mind of the world being poisoned spiritually today."


United States politics

Wang has claimed that the
Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a Decentralization, decentralized political and social movement that aims to highlight racism, discrimination and Racial inequality in the United States, racial inequality experienced by black people, and to pro ...
movement is a plot by the
Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...
(CCP) to prevent
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
from winning the 2020 presidential elections and to disrupt US civil society. He has additionally said that the Democratic Party is "weak" on China. After
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
won the 2020 elections, he said he wanted to hold-off recognizing Biden as president-elect and criticized the media for "biased reporting". He also said about Biden:


See also

* List of Chinese dissidents


References


External links


Wang Dan's Facebook page

Wang Dan's Twitter account

Wang Dan's personal website
(archived version from 2008) *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wang, Dan 1969 births Living people Chinese anti-communists Chinese democracy activists Chinese dissidents Chinese emigrants to Taiwan Chinese human rights activists Chinese emigrants to the United States Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Peking University alumni Prisoners and detainees of the People's Republic of China 1989 Tiananmen Square protesters Academic staff of the National Chengchi University Academic staff of the National Tsing Hua University People associated with WikiLeaks Charter 08 signatories