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Pillar of Shame: did a piece of Hong Kong history die with sculpture’s removal, or is it a ‘negative icon’ that has overstayed its welcome?
- Political scientist Ivan Choy says international community may interpret removal of pillar as end of ‘one country, two systems’
- Calling the structure ‘ugly’, pro-Beijing heavyweight Rita Fan says it should have been removed a long time ago
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When the Pillar of Shame, a sculpture at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) to remember the victims of the Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing, was pulled down in the early hours of Thursday and mummified in bubble wrap, a piece of the city’s history died with it, observers said.
Chinese University (CUHK) political scientist Ivan Choy Chi-keung said the removal of the eight-metre pillar could be interpreted by the international community as the end of “one country, two systems”.
Chinese University (CUHK) political scientist Ivan Choy Chi-keung said the removal of the eight-metre pillar could be interpreted by the international community as the end of “one country, two systems”.
Pointing to Hong Kong’s June 4 Tiananmen vigil, held every year until the Covid-19 pandemic struck, Choy said the event indicated the one country, two systems governing policy – under which the city is granted a high degree of autonomy – had been alive and well.
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University of Hong Kong removes ‘Pillar of Shame’ sculpture marking Tiananmen crackdown
University of Hong Kong removes ‘Pillar of Shame’ sculpture marking Tiananmen crackdown
“No other place in mainland China, or even Macau, could see such large-scale commemorative activities,” he added, suggesting that under the national security law, future June 4 vigils would be banned.
“The Pillar of Shame can be regarded as the last remaining icon of June 4, as well as for one country, two systems.”
He noted that while there would be no more annual campus ritual of washing the HKU sculpture, Hongkongers “would not easily forget June 4, even without the vigil or the statue”.
Apart from the pillar, another important Tiananmen event on the yearly calendar until 2020 had been the candlelight vigil at Victoria Park to honour lives lost in the 1989 crackdown.
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